3 to a Nation of Idiots

'Yet I found Three Idiots far too preachy, far too sanctimonious and far too much of a caricature. It lampoons and trivializes our higher education system as an unrelieved arena of bad teachers, suicidally pressurized students, manic success-oriented parents and evil money seekers who care nothing for learning but only want grades so they can get big jobs and Lamborghinis. Such a caricature is, as we all know, far from the truth. Although a liberal arts degree doesn't compare to an engineering degree, my own experience of higher education at St Stephen's College and Oxford University, is that it is an immensely enriching experience, consisting of many idealistic teachers and the excitement of new ideas is something for which there is no substitute.

Yet a film whose central message is "the education system sucks", "we learn nothing at our centres of excellence" and "teachers are unable to teach and only want to ruin students lives," is a rather dangerous film. Three Idiots disdains the rigour of study, pours scorn on wanting to better oneself through the sadhna of learning and instead seems to suggest that to be happy in life we all need to drop out, sing songs under the night sky and not bother with studying hard because studying hard is a waste of time. As a former IITian has pointed out Rancho, in the film mocks Laplace Transform, the equation written on the blackboard, as an example of rote learning. Yet without Laplace Transform, Hirani's computer would not boot up! This former IITian says he has never come across a teacher like Prof Virus, and believes that in its fashionable disdain for education, the film is dangerously juvenile.'

- Sagarika Ghose, 'From Three Idiots to a Nation Of Idiots'. (HT: Ashutosh)

Comments

Unknown said…
agree that some fact' are exaggerated in movie about education system .
but in india how many colleges are like stephen & oxford.

and i think education system is more dangerous than movie.
and it deserve's a slap.
Amar said…
I certainly agree that the extent of exaggeration in movie in high and its a common trend in bollywood movies, but the social issues that the movie has brought up is right in Indian context and cannot be denied.
Matz said…
In the end of the day, its a Movie. And movies are meant for entertainment.

Personally for me, I wouldnt be too excited to see a movie where there are a group of "perfect" faculty and "perfect" students, bubbling with excitement of new ideas and all...

This movie, like the book is a work of fiction.
There is no such "central message" for the movie.
If the author of the article begs to differ, please ask him what is the central message of fiction movies like 2012, Departed, Nightmare on Elm Street, Bazigar (Hindi), Ghagini (Hindi), etc. the list can go on and on .....

Clearly, The author of the article, couldnt think of anything better to write about, and is trying to make something out of nothing.
Ray Titus said…
Nikhil,

Agreed all colleges aren't the Stephens and the Oxfords. But you should be sparing a thought to the kind of students teachers get, at colleges other than the ones mentioned. I wonder who then should be getting slapped?


Amar,

Surely the system needs a rethink. But that rethink can't be guided by idiocy in Bollywood movies.


Mathew,

It isn't as simple as the way you describe it. You'd be surpised to know of the existence of a moron brigade whose philosophical outlook to life is guided by idiocy on silver screens.

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