Analyzing Passage on “3 Idiots” an Indian Movie

¶ … Idiots" (An Indian Movie)

"3 Idiots" is an Indian movie with a strong message for its viewers. Two friends (immersed in their own career of choosing, that a third had helped them pursue) go on a quest to find their long lost close friend, from whom they have not heard since completing their education. They are reminded of a long forgotten bet, along with a wedding that they crashed and a funeral. Also, they are loaded with their memories of the friend, Rancho, on their way to find him. They remember him as free-thinker and special in his own way. He was unique, passionate, and touched their lives, changing their destiny forever.

What Happens in the Passage?

The passage selected for the purpose of this paper is about an approximately 4-minute scene when Raju is summoned to the college principal's (a strict authoritarian) office for transgression of rules, and following a disciplinary exchange, decides to attempt suicide (torn between the devil and the deep sea). The scene is scripted in English below:

Raju enters.

Raju: Sir?

Principal: Close the door. (Raju closes the door) Can you type?

Raju: Yes sir.

Principal: Will you type a letter for me?

Raju: Definitely sir.

Principal: Come, sit.

Raju: (starts walking towards the principal desk) Sir, I am sorry.

Principal: Please type ... Dear Sir ... it is my painful duty to inform you that your son is rusticated ... no sorry, delete that. Go back ... Your son, Mr. Raju Rastogi ... is rusticated from the Imperial College of Engineering. Come on, type.

Raju: (starts crying) It'll kill my dad, sir please.

Principal: Type.

Raju: Sir please.

Principal: My decision is final and irrevocable.

Raju: (continues crying) He lives just to see me become an engineer.

Principal: Should've thought of that before peeing on my door.

Raju: Sir, give me one chance ... please.

Barber enters at 2pm of the clock. The principal stands up from his chair and says:

Principal: Ok, remove your name from the letter ... and put Rancho's. I know he was with you last night. Be my witness and I will spare you. (Principal lies down on the couch for a shave). You have 7 1/2 minutes to think.

Raju stands up and looks at the principal, not believing his ears. He continues crying, thinking about the fate of his father, mother, sister and his close friend Rancho. After some time, he starts walking towards the window, stands up on its sill, and jumps. The principal and the barber stare disbelievingly the window from where the student jumped.

Scene Analysis

The major characters in the scene are the college principal and Raju. A barber also appears later in the scene but his role is insignificant. The scene appears towards the second half of the movie but is shown in the retrospect of the real story. It is depicted as one of the memories of those two friends who have set to search for their third friend, Rancho. At that point of the selected scene, Raju and Rancho had become close friends and Raju did not want to have him rusticated instead of himself. The reason for their closeness also rests upon the fact that Rancho had once saved Raju's father's life by taking him to the hospital on time. Raju did not want to lose his dear friend and on the same time, did not want to lose his degree caused by his rustication.

Mise-en-scene

The decor is that of a principal's office, with a table and chair set in the corner of a spacious room. There are lamps, tables, desks, shields and wall hangings, couch, chest of drawers for keeping files, sitting chairs in another corner, plants, paintings and large bookshelves in the room as well. The principal is working on his laptop when Raju enters. He is an aged man with glasses on and a stern expression on his face, whereas Raju is terrified due to his previous indecent actions and wary of the principal's reaction.

The daylight seems to illuminate the room. Laptop is used as a prop since Raju's principal hands it over to him to write a rustication letter. Costumes are a perfect fit for the scene as the principal is suited in white shirt and grey ants, giving the outlook of a school dean, while Raju is in maroon kameez and jeans, giving the outlook of a casual student on a college campus.

The body language of Raju is that of a petrified, guilt-stricken student evident through his way of walking, sitting and talking to his principal. He walks hesitantly into the office and sits in the same way in his chair. He gives an aura of weakness and subjugation to his principal. He already seems powerless and the principal appears as the domineering, strict, no-nonsense authority.

Effects of Scene, Unusual Camera Shots, and Effects of Shots on the Pace of Scene

The scene is shot with the help of 'point-of-view' angle, as if we are looking at Raju from his principal's position and vice versa. The scene is shot strictly from each person's point-of-view so that vivid facial expressions are revealed along with their mental viewpoints that are highly evident through their facial appearances in the scene. For example, the point where the principal says "My decision is final and irrevocable" shows his angry gaze filled with determinism. Raju is terror-stricken while the principal overwhelms the student intimidating him with extreme poise, rebuke and anger.

There were some unusual shots in the scene as well. For example, when Raju's principal asks him to become his witness for the last night's incident and write Rancho's name in the rustication letter instead of his own, Raju's mind starts reflecting on some defining moments and facts of his parents; his father who is a paralysis patient, his mother who is a full-time housewife, struggling with their poverty, and his sister, who is waiting to get married. The shots are played in black and white colors, accentuating stark, practical realities along with Raju's facial expressions as he is thinking about them. He is continuously crying since he cannot decide. He is also reminded of his friend Rancho in these flashbacks and becomes more powerless to make up his mind.

Sounds and Music Inserted into the Scene

The scene also includes music and sounds to accentuate the position, expressions, and effects of the characters in the scene. The opera music is used to provoke certain emotions in the audience. For instance, the music starts playing as soon as the principal says "You have seven and a half minutes to think" and with that, his shaving time starts. At the same instant, the music plays to signify Raju's thinking time, filled with dilemma and melancholy, where he is reminded of his parents, sister and friend in black and white shots from the past.

On one hand, the music tells that the principal is taking rest, which is referred to as his "seven-and-a-half-minute power nap" in the movie. He is meant to relax and listen to the music while doing so. On the other hand, it symbolizes as Raju's critical decision-making time; the only time where he has to take a major stance in his life. During the music-playing period, he is strangled by his own thoughts and choices that he has to make. Eventually, he gives up and decides to jump from the window, indicating a suicide attempt.

When the audience hears that music, they are immersed into deep thoughts along with anxiousness about Raju's decision. They want to know as soon as possible what choice he would make. Besides, the feelings Raju has at that moment are also kindled among the audience. The intensity of emotions is greatly amplified by the voice of the singer in that music. Raju's increasing dilemma corresponds to the musical impact through its tone and tenor.

Explain the Significance of the Passage within the Film

The entire movie is based on a lesson that children should not be pressurized to pursue subjects (academics) that their parents want them to, or the parents should not expect their children to become a doctor or engineer only, when the child himself would rather aspire to be a musician or photographer. These psychological pressures from their parents and the educational system, into which they are forced, destroy individuality and passion for life. As a result, high suicide rates are observed in various countries all over the world. This scene in the film, which is based on the same theme, conveys this significant message.

Just before this scene, another scene was shown in which the three friends sneaked into their principal's house at night to meet Rancho's lover Pia, the principal's daughter. As the three of them are drunk, they sneak into the house to tell Pia about Rancho's feelings based on a bet that if Rancho dares it, the two of his friends would follow their heart instead of fulfilling their parent's dreams. Rancho is of the view that one should pursue a passion rather than mere academics. For example, his friend Farhan, who wants to become a wildlife photographer and even has written a letter to his favorite photographer, did not post it for the fear of his father.

The movie is also about the children's struggle to fulfill their parents' dreams and expectations as some of them coerce their child about their bright future in vocation they choose for the child. For instance, Farhan's father was of the view that if he became a wildlife photographer, he would not be able to earn a handsome income. Raju's financial and family situations pressurized him to become an engineer since engineering is a highly paid occupation, and Raju wanted money for his father's paralysis treatment, his sister's wedding, and their overall financial stability. It has been reported that Indian parents find it a source of pride when their children get good grades in exams[footnoteRef:1]. However, the suicide rates and depression intensities arising out of unrealized outcomes have not been reported accurately in the media. Three main reasons have been attributed to this problem, which include parental pressure, exam stress, and inability to deal with disappointments. In reality, there has been a dramatic increase in middle class families in India and increased pressures from the parents upon their children to meet their financial needs. The child's struggle to become able to find a good job compels them to struggle for academic excellence. The parents think that achieving high academic grades is the only source of success in life. The elder ones still think that professions like doctors and engineers are the only means through which their child can earn well, and also, a symbol of social status. Consequently, they push their children towards those universities where their child proves himself as uncompetitive and ill equipped to excel, hence, sowing the seeds of bad performance by their own hands. Not only that, the child starts showing signs of low self-esteem and confidence by studying in an environment where he feels unfit and cannot cope with educational responsibilities. [1: Parental Pressures - A Major Stress Factor for Children in India: An Approach Paper. Retrieved from http://www.sarvasumana.in/files/9.pdf]

Raju's case is no different; Raju and Farhan always stood last in class and were made fun of by their friends and even ridiculed by their principal. The principal had trained his college students like robots who had to work hard to win the race. Raju was scared that if he is unable to find a good job, he would not be able to support his family. According to Rancho, Raju is the one who is afraid of his own future. He fears the future results, such as, whether he would be able to fulfill his family's expectations since he is the only son and the only potential earning hand at the moment. Raju is incapable of focusing on his today's priorities and keeps dreading his future, and therefore is unable to make any progress in life. He is inept at showing any advancement in his educational years.

Since Raju was the weakest as compared to the rest of his friends, Rancho and Farhan, especially in financial terms, he was pressurized by his principal to become a witness for Rancho. Apart from exam stress, the students having the inability to cope with disappointments also have high depression and tendency towards committing suicide. There is a quote: "If you are not willing to fail, you would not succeed." There is a wrongly held belief in the society that failure should not be taken as a learning process but as an inability of a child to excel, or even succeed. The Indian parents have scheduled the day for the children very tightly, in the form of school, tuitions, music/cricket/swimming classes and when the child comes back after all of the day's tough tasks, he has to do homework or study extra for the tests. This work-overload and pressure leaves the child overworked and stressed out. The child is deprived of the facilitative environment and does not learn to deal with his failures. Parents do not understand that children get easily frustrated, especially the teenagers and the constant intolerance of their surroundings becomes more and more depressing, which continues into their college and university years. This prolonged stress levels often force the students towards emotional breakdown or in extreme cases even take the final step, which is committing suicide.

Consistent humiliation and failures impede the children's ability to progress. The movie also suggests that if the child is given a chance to pursue his favorite field or line of education, he would be able to do better as a citizen and an individual. The joyful experience of achieving for which he has the talent would contribute twice to his success. If the child is exempted from the childhood and adult life pressures of education and career building, then he would be better able to lead a happy and prosperous life, having more chances of succeeding and enjoying his life and vocation.

There have been various researches that suggest that bad school report, low marks, inability to sustain education, stress, family pressures and similar reasons are the factors that lead students to commit suicide[footnoteRef:2]. Moreover, it has also been proved in these studies that suicide rates are significantly high among males of age 15-19. As mentioned earlier, in the movie, Raju had pressures of earning a handsome salary for bettering financial conditions of his family; therefore, he was more prone to commit suicide when his principal called him in his office. The fear of being rusticated from the college dropped onto him like a mountain of stress and he could not decide whether to save his friend, Rancho, from rustication in place of him or to fulfill his family dreams. [2: Analysis of Suicides Related to Educational Failure. Retrieved from http://www.krepublishers.com/02-Journals/T-Anth/Anth-19-0-000-15-Web/Anth-19-2-000-15-Abst-PDF/T-ANTH-19-2-507-15-1120-Yaylao/T-ANTH-19-2-507-15-1120-Yaylao-Tx%5B21%5D.pmd.pdf]

It has been reported worldwide that students who are victims of stress and depression are more prone to 'self-harm'[footnoteRef:3], which is an issue that should be treated seriously in schools. Unfortunately, the amount of emphasis given to this issue is like treating cancer with aspirin. Also, it is observed that children release their pressure in the form of crying or doing self-harm, which, in most cases, is suicide. [3: Stress driving pupils to suicide, says union. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/education/2008/mar/18/schools.uk8]

In the movie, Raju is shown constantly praying and wearing rings as a sign of good omen. Raju is a person who thinks that his beliefs would bring good fortune to him and he has faith in his prayers. The movie also signifies that one should believe in himself and keep motivating yourself that you can do this. Once the person has made his decision and he puts in efforts to hunt his goals, then success would come to him. It also explains that chasing excellence would help in gaining success within no time.

The film marks the idea that doing work with passion and choice is the only way to success. For example, Rancho was one of the three friends who liked studying, exploring engineering, learning about machines and therefore, was the one who exceeded expectation in his area of educational expertise. He was the one who topped the class and beat the most studious student of the class. The rest of his two friends always came last since their interest was not engineering. Hence, being cognizant about one's own interests is the appropriate way to success.

The researchers explore another aspect of parents being pushy to their children, which is that parents who push their children to try hard are most likely making attempts for their own failed dreams[footnoteRef:4]. For example, if a father wants his child to become a doctor, he probably wants to fulfill his own long lost dream of becoming one. Parents see more of themselves in their children and want them to live their own unrewarded ambitions. [4: Pushy parents 'are chasing lost dreams' trying to make their children succeed. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2344790/Pushy-parents-chasing-lost-dreams-trying-make-children-succeed.html]

A number of researchers and psychologists deducted that pursuing passion rather than money is the going to lead to the right path. It is under debate since ages that whether one should still pursue a career, which would not be highly paid in future, such as in the case of Farhan in the film, who wanted to be a wildlife photographer but his father argued that this profession does not pay well. If one has the desire to learn and grow, it will automatically make a person more creative and resourceful, driving him to move further and faster[footnoteRef:5]. It should be noted that parents want the best for their children and they think that financial gain is the guarantee of their child's better future but they ignore that if their child is not comfortable in continuing the line of education they want him to be in, then there is no use in making money from it, since there will be no desire to learn and knowledge gain from it, leading, ultimately to stagnation. Lack of interest and passion in even financial rewarding vocation makes life dull and monotonous, ultimately leaving a person with no other option than to quit. This sense of 'quitting' sometimes implants the idea of committing suicide in students, who are pressurized by their parents for educational options they do not want to opt for, or the family conditions that Raju had to deal with. [5: Choosing between making money and doing what you love. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2012/03/choosing-between-making-money]

In today's technologically advanced world, pursuit of happiness is linked to pursuit of money[footnoteRef:6]. As money is the biggest motivator, people find it problematic to choose the right path that is best suited for them. However, time is the most valuable asset and when one realizes that he has wasted his time on the wrong career path, he must know that no money can buy it back. For this reason, it is better to relate to the work that one loves doing, since he would be satisfied and would be able to come up with new ideas, hence, making more money leading to happiness. [6: 10 reasons why following your passion is more important than money. Retrieved from http://www.lifehack.org/articles/money/10-reasons-why-following-your-passion-more-important-than-money.html]

The satisfaction and the fulfillment that one achieves through his job and the line of education that he has opted is a critical factor for making progress in life. It has been supported by the studies in psychology that the role of 'passion' in continuous mental well-being is highly significant[footnoteRef:7]. It leads to happiness in life, contentment, and self-growth. Not only that, people who are mentally healthy experience better relationships in life and show high-level performance. The same has been shown in the movie but with the negative portrayal of committing suicide as Raju was not in normal mental state in his principal's office due to burdens he carried of his family, educational, and career building pressures. The same areas of study also depict that people who work for their passionate goals spend large amounts of time in learning and gaining knowledge for their interests, and hence are more likely to be mentally at ease. [7: The role of passion in sustainable psychological well-being. Retrieved from http://psywb.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/2211-1522-2-1]