3 Idiots: Difference between revisions

The film begins with wildlife photographer Farhan Qureshi ([[R. Madhavan]]) board his flight from [[Delhi]] when he receives a phone-call from Chatur Ramalingam ([[Omi Vaidya]]), his biggest rival from college, who claims to be knowing the whereabouts of his long-lost collegemate Ranchhoddas Shyamaldas Chanchad ([[Aamir Khan]]), also known as Rancho. In hopes of meeting Rancho after 10 years, Farhan fakes a heart attack to create an emergency landing of his flight and runs into fellow collegemate and friend Raju Rastogi ([[Sharman Joshi]]), who is now married and lives a reputed lifestyle in Delhi. Leaving their respective lives behind in desperation, Farhan and Raju rush to the Imperial College of Engineering (ICE) to meet Chatur, who reminds them of the bet that he had made with Rancho 10 years ago about who will end up more successful, and boasts to them about being the prosperous vice president of a reputable company in California, [[United States]]. Frustrated, Farhan and Raju confront Chatur over his mockery when he reveals that he has traced Rancho to [[Shimla]], [[Himachal Pradesh]]. The three of them begin their journey in search of Rancho and Farhan opens up to their college days with the audience.  

Back in the present, Farhan, Raju and Chatur reach Shimla and are able to locate Rancho's house. However, they are shocked to come across another young man (Javed Jaffrey) identifying himself as "Ranchhoddas Shyamaldas Chanchad", whose face is pasted over Rancho's face in their graduation portrait with an ICE degree. When the confused Farhan and Raju ask Chatur how he got the address of this so-called "Ranchhoddas", he reveals that he spotted Rancho behind in the photograph of his secretary when she came to Shimla to make a business deal with "Phunsukh Wangdu", a famous scientist and inventor with 400 patents. Upon learning this, Farhan and Raju confront the so-called "Ranchhoddas", who initially refuses to reveal anything and threatens them at gunpoint, but when they turn the tables and threaten to flush his late father's ashes down the toilet, he admits that he is the real Ranchhoddas and that the "Rancho" who was with them in ICE was actually their family's gardener's son nicknamed "Chhote", who was incredibly intelligent and gifted.  

Ranchhoddas, who was uninterested in studies, made Rancho complete all his homework and attend his exams at school. When Ranchhoddas' father discovered this, he let the ruse continue for not wanting his son to experience the same disrespect that he experienced due to his illiteracy. Ranchhoddas went to [[London]] for four years while Rancho, who was interested in learning than in earning a degree, assumed his identity at ICE on condition that he cut off all contact with everyone there after graduation. However, Rancho warned Ranchhoddas afterwards that "two idiots" would come looking for him one day. Ranchhoddas tells Farhan and Raju that he is grateful for what all Rancho did and gives them his real address. Farhan, Raju and Chatur resume their journey to [[Ladakh]], where Rancho is apparently working as a schoolteacher.  

Back in the past, the trio are shown to be approaching graduation in their fourth year of college. One night, Rancho points out to his friends why they consistently place last; Farhan's passion is wildlife photography, not engineering, and Raju lacks self-confidence. After Farhan and Raju make a bet that they will confront their problems if Rancho confesses his feelings for Pia, the trio drunkenly break into Virus' house at midnight. While Rancho climbs upstairs to propose to Pia, Farhan and Raju urinate on the letterbox of Virus, who spots Raju during the trio's escape.  The next day, Virus gives Raju an ultimate of either incriminating Rancho or being expelled himself. Not wanting to disappoint his family or betray his friend, a distraught Raju attempts suicide by jumping off the 3rd-floor window from Virus' office and goes into a coma.  

However, Raju is successfully recuperated over the next few months with the support of his family and friends, while Virus also rescinds his rustication. With a newfound perspective of his life, Raju succeeds in securring a job with an engineering firm. Meanwhile, Farhan also manages to convince his father to let him pursue wildlife photography. Thus, Virus' barber Govind (Rajendra Patwardhan) shaves off his moustache as per the bet he had made with Rancho. Virus, in an attempt to protect his fragile ego, tries to sabotage Raju's chances of success by holding an unfairly different final exam. However, Pia drunkenly visits Rancho and hands him over the duplicate keys of Virus' office, encouraging him to copy the papers rigged by Virus for Raju.

As the story forwards to the journey of the duo again, Farhan suddenly remembers Pia and contacts at her home, thereby learning that her wedding is taking place that day itself in [[Manali, Himachal Pradesh|Manali]], [[Himachal Pradesh]]. The duo are determined to take Pia along with them but Chatur protests against the detour, saying that it will jeopardize his meeting with the so-called scientist "Phunsukh Wangdu". Nevertheless, Farhan and Raju muffle Chatur inside the car trunk and gatecrash Pia's wedding with Suhas in Manali. At the ceremony, Farhan sneaks in to reunite with Pia while Raju poses as a housekeeper to show that Suhas still has the materialistic attitude. Pia initially refuses to go with Farhan, despite hearing Suhas screaming at Raju who ironed his expensive wedding suit with mint chutney. Raju proceeds to fill in as the bridegroom and manages to convince Pia that she still loves Rancho. In front of the stunned Suhas, Virus, and the other guests, Pia escapes with the duo and Chatur to go to Ladakh and reunite with Rancho.

As the story rewinds to their final year of college again, Rancho and Farhan break into Virus' office and successfully copy the question papers. Although Raju refuses to cheat, the trio are caught and expelled by Virus in the middle of the night. Pia then confronts Virus over her brother's suicide, which was prompted by similar pressure placed on him by Virus, and storms out of the house. Meanwhile, a heavy rainstorm cuts off all the electricity and traffic, when the now-pregnant Mona goes under labor pain and is unable to be driven to the hospital. Applying their knowledge of engineering, the trio successfully conduct Mona's delivery by modifying a vacuum cleaner into a makeshift venthouse with the help of Pia through a webcam. A grateful Virus acknowledges Rancho as an extraordinary student by gifting him a very rare Space Pen and revokes the trio's expulsions. On the graduation day, Rancho suddenly disappears, never to be seen by his friends again.