Three Idiots, Teachers’ Day And Toxicity.

So I am back, with yet another edition of Spoiler Alert, and this time around, I am divulging a bit, delving into something different. Not exactly reviewing, but presenting an old movie in a different light, in a Teacher’s POV. And me being a teacher, and this being the Teachers’ Day Week, I couldn’t think of a better time to voice my opinion.

So it was in 2009 that Three Idiots was released and oh, the huge hit that it was! The uproar it created!! Be it friends, colleagues, students, Three Idiots won the hearts of millions, with Rancho, Chatur, Virus, and of course, the (in) famous Balatkaar speech. It struck a chord with the young generation. And not?  

Munnabhai MBBS was a big success and now here it was, Munnabhai’s Engineering version. With slight alterations here and there. Three Idiots immensely resonated with Engineering College students, and this I would say was the worst thing about the movie.

Unpopular Opinion

I was already teaching when it released, and correct me if I am wrong, Three Idiots, directly and indirectly, mocked its Teachers. Us Teachers.

UNPOPULAR OPINION?

Wonder how, let me explain.

Studying Engineering

• When you are asked to specifically DEFINE something, the technical language should be perfect. Period. You cannot just babble a few lines, zip and unzip your trousers and get away with that, in the meantime, making fun of your teacher. What is so wrong, if the Professor expects the students to memorize and explain the proper definition?

      “Yeh Hi Toh Maine Bhi Bola.” Isn’t the answer. Engineering is a technical course, you can’t rewrite technical terms in a different language, as simple as that. But Rancho scores, wins applause from his classmates. Yeah, what could be more fun than watching an embarrassed teacher?

• Rancho by the way is Top of the Class all the time, so you think he could bag Rank 1 all the time, sticking to the principles he preaches. Rest assured, NO. Engineering demands block diagrams, circuit diagrams, pin diagrams, truth tables, logic gates, many aspects that need to be memorized. Trust me,no you, the Zero Rote Learning (No Ratta Marna) theory that the makers tried to peddle is an absolute hogwash.
• Projects are a Part of the curriculum, not the whole. So, if your student only focusses on his pet project and callously rejects the rest of the subjects, in spite of being warned many times, what can a teacher do, but inform the parents? In my view that’s the best decision. But in the movie, the character commits suicide, and Rancho questions the principal and teachers, if they are producing By Hearting Machines.

No makers, just like any other faculty, engineering too has other subjects to clear. And committing suicide isn’t the solution to pass.

• Entering lectures drunk, cracking juvenile jokes like imitating a Motor’s sound, insulting the teachers and then jumping off when reprimanded, isn’t worth anyone’s sympathy.
• Rancho and his cronies come late for an exam and refuse to submit the paper on time. When the invigilator doesn’t accept their papers, they shuffle all the neatly arranged ones and run off. Sorry again makers, it is an exam, and this action is a huge offense. However late you enter the hall, the paper has to be submitted on time. Plus, mocking a teacher all over again may be fun for you, but no teacher can accept this kind of misconduct.

The Eternal Blame Game and Glorification of Suicide

I wish I wouldn’t be saying this, but the popularity of Three Idiots among the student community is actually worrisome.

It’s simple to influence young minds, teenagers. Three Idiots plays by the golden rule, when in doubt, blame someone else. In this case, Teachers and Parents. What more do our children need? You flunk, it’s thanks to teachers and parents. However bad you behave or how much ever indisciplined you are, it’s because the teachers ‘Don’t Understand You’, because ‘They Are Biased’, ‘They Encourage Rote Memory’, etc, etc. End of the day, it’s all the Teacher’s Fault?

Well, No Again.

I can speak for myself and many of my colleagues, A student’s Stature, Class, especially Marks don’t make any difference to us. All that we expect, is for the student to show interest, be sincere and most importantly, be Respectful. To Us, to parents, to everybody.

That, I guess is what Three Idiots lost, the most.

Rancho, The Hero? Or The Most Toxic Man On Earth

Rancho takes Farhan and Raju for late night drinking sessions, makes them laugh at teachers, basically misguides them. But I am sure Rancho studies, and yes, memorizes too. Because he stands First, places himself on front line for group picture, and royally ruins his friends’ careers.

Chatur, in my opinion, is a genuine guy. A good obedient student, respectful (which is portrayed as Flattery somehow), ambitious, and Rancho’s immediate competition. So, in the pretext of proving his Ratta Mat Maaro theory (Yawn!) Rancho destroys Chatur by changing his speech with words like Balaatkar and Sthan. How toxic, manipulative and jealous would you be, to pull off something so horrible, so cheap. As Chatur states later, “Maine Tumhara Kya Bigaada Tha?”

Rancho makes villains out of his friends’ parents, conveniently dates and dumps Priya, creates problems between Priya and her fiancé, but then …

Rancho’s the Hero, Leader of Anti Teachers Gang, Messiah of Blame it on Others Brigade! Of course, he is the Youth Icon. But Isn’t that indeed sad?

Madam, Parents ko Depression Hai Bol Do, Bas

The above mentioned could be called the aftermath of Three Idiots, but in 2009, I lectured a student seriously low on attendance and somewhere along the conversation, I happened to mention how upset his parents would be when they realized he was in the canteen all day.

The kid in fact smiled, “Madam, Parents Se Mai Bolunga, I feel like ending my life. They’ll soften then.”

I Rest My Case.

By Preethi Warrier

Preethi Warrier has completed her Masters in Electronics Engineering and is an Assistant Professor. She is one among the winners of the TOI Write India Campaign Season-1, for the famous author Anita Nair. She can be contacted at : warrier.preethi@yahoo.com