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Danna Mae T. Yuzon EDFD 1862009-11177 Prof. Michael Arthus Muega

Shifting perspectives: A Reflection Paper on The Three Idiots

All is well. Among all the many useful insights and noteworthy quotes I got from the story, this

statement is the one which I could easily remember because of its valuable meaning to the charactersin the film and to me, as part of the audience as well. It reminds me of a very good lesson which I

learned from Rancho, the protagonist in the film: Saying all is well does not solve the problem but it

gives you the strength to face it. Indeed, as the three friends Farhan, Raju, and Rancho faced and

battled through many problems, they showed how and why courage helps a lot to make or break a

person. The three friends are engineering students who got qualified to study at the Imperial College of

Engineering, one of the famous colleges in India. While Farhan and Raju only come from modest

backgrounds and studies at ICE to help their families, Rancho comes from a rich family who studies for

the sheer joy of it (since he takes on a different identity). He was portrayed as one whose passion is toessentially gain knowledge and build machines rather than get high exam ranks. He was not afraid to

challenge conventions by expressing his creative and unorthodox views which always made their

college dean, Professor Virus mad at him, labeling him as an idiot al0ong with his friends. Worse, he

fell in love with Virus daughter Pia when he and his friends crashed her sisters wedding banquet in

order to get a free meal. The three students continue to infuriate Virus especially when they got drunk

and broke into Virus house at night to propose to Pia. Because of this, Virus threatens to expel Raju

lest he talks on the other two. Unable to choose between his friends or family, he jumps out of the third

floor window and almost died, but with the overwhelming support and care from Pia, Rancho, Raju, andhis loved ones, he awoke from a coma. This experience has inspired Farhan and Raju to take a brave

leap ahead and they began to adapt to Ranchos outlook. They decide to pursue their own dreams but

Virus vows to make the final exam as hard as possible so that Raju is unable to graduate. Farhan and

Rancho steals the exam and gives it to Raju. Although he refuses to cheat, Virus caught them on the

spot and immediately expels them. But they earn a reprieve when they were able to help Virus

pregnant daughter Mona to successfully deliver her baby despite the initial loss of electricity and

absence of a doctor (even Pia). With this, Virus became grateful and granted him his most treasured

anti-gravity pen, which is a sign that he has finally understood Rancho and even considered him as an

excellent student. Eventually, after graduation, the three friends were able to achieve their own

aspirations but Rancho suddenly disappeared for many years until his friends found out that he was the

renowned scientist Chatur was talking about. The story ends wonderfully as they all became satisfied

with their lives and Pia also got reunited with Rancho.

The values that are at stake in the story would involve the value of self-actualization over other

responsibilities and right thinking over reasonable or rational thinking. As seen in the movie, the main

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characters were much pressured to fulfill their responsibilities as top students and good children.

Little did they know that the more they force themselves on doing their responsibilities, the less they

become responsible and accountable for themselves. In the hope of being able to excel in college just

to follow their parents, they failed to realize that being able to know oneself is the most basic thing that

they should do. It is not to say that they should have bravely disobeyed their parents or carelessly

flunked their subjects, but instead, they could have been more balanced. One can still do his/her

responsibilities even when the means by which those responsibilities are done would be different. One

does not need to follow exactly what the majority says about the ways on how to fulfill responsibilities

because an individual knows for himself/herself what are the best ways to employ in order to

accomplish his/her responsibilities. For instance, Raju and Farhan were still able to help their parents

even when they pursued their own careers and not engineering. It would have been a big mistake if

they remained coward to take bold steps ahead. It might have been a sad life for them if they just

chose to blindly follow and satisfy others even when they were not able to satisfy their own desires.

Their own sense of self-fullfillment was put at stake. But in the end, a happy ending is still seen

because they finally achieved their own sense of self-actualization. They were able to really live with

their passion and make a worthwhile living out of it.

The value of right thinking over reasonable/rational thinking also becomes at stake in the movie

because there was a tension between them. As defined in the Webster's New Ideal Dictionary, right

means being in accordance with what is just, good, or proper; agreeable to standard while reasonable

means rational or having the faculty of reason, possessing sound judgment. Each of the two have its

strengths and weaknesses. There are times when it would be appropriate for one to think right thanreasonably, or the other way around, think reasonably than rightly. In some cases, one could also

choose to cling to both right and reasonable thinking. In the film, I infer that right thinking far

outweighed rational thinking. It appeared to have more emphasis in the institution rather than the other

and this may no longer be good. When Joy Lobo, a graduating student, asked for an extension for his

major project because his father had a stroke, the professor refused to give him a chance and even

blatantly called his father to inform him that his son would not graduate. This event led to Joy Lobo's

death who committed suicide. In this situation, Prof. Virus might have done the right thing adhering

religiously to the university rules of not giving an extension for a late project but he might have missed

to think rationally. If his judgment of the situation at hand is sound, he would have realized that Joy

would be so much down and badly affected with his decision. His thinking was right at one aspect, but

it is more of being unreasonable.

Some of the issues evident in the story such as the looming power of nonconformity against

conformity and the significance of meaningful/relevant learning over rote learning wre given proper

amount of focus and treatment since the conflicts were drawn from reality and solutions could be

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deduced rationally. Firstly, I see that nonconformity has seemed to possess a power that progressively

becomes dominant in the film since despite the norms that Rancho's professors and classmates,

particularly Chatur, impose on him, still, he did not give in. He remained free-spirited liberally

expressing his ideas and executing his plans (to do machines, talk with Prof. Virus, etc. ). However,

despite his nonconformity to the existing conventions, things became just as they were and situations

became harder for him as his friends were also punished. Also, instead of giving way, Prof. Virus

continued to harden his heart and position regarding the matter that his and the college's way of

educating is right and cannot possibly be questioned or altered while that of Rancho's is wrong and

cannot possibly be adapted into the system. In the story, if the incidence of Rancho and his friends

being able to help Mona was lost, it might have been impossible for Prof. Virus to forgive them. If that

was the case, the issue might be resolved if both sides choose to be open for each other. One has to

realize that the other could not just easily change in an instant in the same way that the other must also

understand that change is necessary for improvement, therefore, it must be welcomed and not

forbidden. In the film, Rancho could not just simply make Prof. Virus change the whole system itself

because it might take time and there has to be genuine enlightenment not only on the part of Prof.

Virus but also the entire administration, the college itself and also their family. In the process, it may not

be wrong to pick up the pieces which can still be used, that is, staying conformed to some good rules

and not conformed to the bad rules. After all, before change takes place on the system itself, it has to

start first within the individual himself. The one taking the non-conformist stance and initiating the

change must be able to prove to himself/herself that what he/she is doing is right and reasonable.

He/she must be able to answer his/her own questions in life and achieve his/her own ambitions while

applying the non-conformist ideas he/she is advocating for. While conformity itself has already

established standards, nonconformity also has to keep up by having its own evidences for its reliability

the bases or standards on which to prove its worth. Another issue which is about the edge of rote

learning over meaningful learning was also significant. The film showed the differences between the

two, reminding me that rote learning may only appear to be impressing at first but dissatisfying in the

long run as it does not involve complete understanding. Rancho showed how it is to have meaningful

learning although his teachers misinterpret his point because they are traditional. Rote learning was

favored in the film and its problematic nature could be resolved when the system itself becomes open

for change and integration of new thoughts. If only the perpetrators of the traditional system would not

be much rigid or closed, they themselves would benefit in the process.

As for the film in its entirety, despite all the oddities and complexities that the characters have

experienced alongside the issues and values shown, they still proved that they could manage all those

things. They could overcome pressures of being torn between self and others, also conformity and

nonconformity. In the end, as everything turned out well, they had the right to say, All is well.