'Wow, how does he do that? How can he pick up winners every time?' That was the first thought coming to my mind after coming out of the theatre after watching 3 Idiots. No, I was not thinking of Aamir Khan, the film's hero- even though I won't be blamed if I was! My thoughts were centred on Raj Kumar Hirani, the film's director and film's co-story-writer. 3 Idiots is an out-and-out director's film that is sure to be recognized as one of the all-time Bollywood-classics. This intelligent entertainer keeps you engrossed throughout its length making you laugh, cry and think. With 3 Idiots proving a worthy successor to Munnabhai MBBS and Lagey Raho Munnbhai, Raj Kumar Hirani has well and truly joined the ranks of greatest directors of Indian cinema. The man has wit, humor and intellect and he certainly knows how to package a serious message in the garb of a comedy! More importantly, he just knows how to tell an interesting story that connects with the masses!

The story written by Hirani and Abhijat Joshi is loosely based on Chetan Bhagat's tongue-in-cheek novel Five Point Someone, which dealt with three best friends' trials and tribulations in a trying IIT environment. But the film's story takes the core elements from the book and then cleverly adds, adapts and rearranges characters and events to make it a rocking roller-coaster of smiles, tears, contemplative moments and not to forget some lovely songs and dances! To tell it in a nutshell, 3 Idiots is about three engineering students coming from diverse backgrounds and having different personalities, who become best friends and ultimately end up challenging the ongoing education system in their esteemed institution! It is also a story of a nutty and hard-nosed professor running that institute with iron-hand and having a beautiful daughter suitable to be the film's heroine!

All truly great movies have truly memorable characters and scenes and 3 Idiots has plenty of them. Aamir Khan's 'Ranchhod Das Chhanchad' alias 'Rancho', Sharman Joshi's 'Raju Rastogi', Madhavan's 'Farhan Qureshi', Boman Irani's 'Professor Sahastrabuddhe' and Omi Vaidya's 'Silencer' are likely to be remembered for long long time come. The competent side-cast (including Kareena!) adds to the charm. The photography, music, choreography --- practically every bit of the film is neatly done and fits in snugly.

Amongst a host of memorable performances, Aamir Khan proves that he can pull off any role (even that of a 20-something student!) with conviction. He effortlessly carries the film on his shoulders. Boman Irani delivers yet another evidence of his own versatility. His Prof. Sahastrabuddhe is in the same mould as his Dr.Asthana in Munnabhai MBBS but he manages to give it a different shade through different body language and vocal inflections. But as I said earlier, this film is ultimately Hirani's triumph. His engrossing narrative keeps us guessing by oscillating from the present to the past and back to the present. Barring a slight blip in the dying moments , he doesn't let the film's grip loosen. He keeps it funny, he keeps it taut and he keeps it thought-provoking!

3 Idiots is a light-hearted but eye-opening commentary on the age-old education system's pressure-cooker environment that promotes cramming for grades and ultimately kills the students' urge to learn and experiment! The message it delivers is important; it says : “Follow your passion and chase excellence- and the success will follow!”

It is one heck of a good film that is worth seeing again and again!