FILM · 2009 · INDIA
3 Idiots
- Directed by
- Rajkumar Hirani
- Runtime
- 171 min
- Studio
- Vidhu Vinod Chopra Productions, Vinod Chopra Films
31 archived facts 5 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
Rascal. Joker. Dreamer. Genius... You've never met a college student quite like "Rancho." From the moment he arrives at India's most prestigious university, Rancho's outlandish schemes turn the campus upside down—along with the lives of his two newfound best friends. Together, they make life miserable for "Virus," the school’s uptight and heartless dean. But when Rancho catches the eye of the dean's daughter, Virus…
Summary: TMDB
All facts (31)
- #001
Although Rancho appears as a university student for most of the film, Aamir Khan, who played the character, was 44 years old when it was shot. In real life, he is only 6 years younger than Boman Irani, the actor who played the college director, "Virus."
- #002
The ragging scenes were filmed in the girls' hostel, and the girls there saw the entire scene (which is not shown). The actors admitted they felt uncomfortable as they stripped down to their underwear in front of them and were stamped on their buttocks.
- #003
Aamir Khan never stands still throughout the entire film. He is always swaying in one direction. Apparently, after observing his nephew, he concluded that children of the new generation can never stay still.
- #004
The film was shot in reverse order, with the present-day scenes filmed first and the university scenes afterward.
- #005
Aamir Khan's character Rancho says in the film that people study engineering, then study management, and then become bankers, asking what the real purpose of studying engineering is. This is exactly what Chetan Bhagat, the author of 'Five Point Someone,' the book the film was adapted from, did. He studied engineering at IIT, took management training at IIM, and became a banker.
- #006
The film had a social impact on attitudes toward education in India.
- #007
The film stands out from others in that it highlights the real inventions of little-known people in India's backyards. Among the minds behind these innovations are Remya Jose, a student from Kerala who created a pedal-powered washing machine; Mohammad Idris, a barber from Hasanpur Kalan in the Meerut region of Uttar Pradesh who invented a bicycle-powered horse clipping machine; and Jahangir Painter, a painter from Maharashtra who made a scooter-powered flour mill.
- #008
It was the first Bollywood film to earn a net 200 crore from domestic box office revenue. It was also Aamir Khan's first 200 crore film. It earned 202 crore domestically and 395 crore worldwide. The highest to date.
- #009
While shooting the drunk scene, Aamir Khan suggested that they were actually drunk and that this happened during filming, which resulted in numerous reshoots and the camera roll running out, forcing the unit to go to another shoot in Bangalore (where the film was shot).
- #010
It is the Indian film with the most votes (user ratings) on IMDb.
- #011
Whenever an eccentric idea comes into Rancho's head, a high-pitched sound can be heard in the background.
- #012
While the special effects team was testing a smoke machine, Raju Hirani was dozing off. The team left for 2 minutes while the director inhaled the smoke and nearly died!
- #013
Aamir Khan refused to stay in a hotel during the shoot in Bangalore and instead admitted that they would live in the boarding house that Madhavan initially did not want.
- #014
Before Hirani made his first film (Munna Bhai MBBS, released in 2003), he had written a draft about three university students studying at an engineering college.
- #015
Aamir Khan had to lose weight for his part and lost the 8 kg and the muscle he had gained for his previous film, Ghajini.
- #016
Aamir Khan was not allowed to fly the quadcopter and was only holding a fake remote control, which he was not happy about.
- #017
The wall that Chaturthi urinates on was painted by Leh's Druk Padma Karpo school and named the 'Rancho wall.' It became a popular photo spot for tourists.
- #018
Producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra claimed that 3 Idiots would be legally released on YouTube within 12 weeks of its theatrical release, a first in the history of Indian cinema, but in reality this never happened.
- #019
The college's name, 'Imperial College of Engineering,' is actually the former name of the current Indian Institute of Technology - Delhi.
- #020
Kareena Kapoor had always wanted to work with Rajkumar Hirani. So she approached him herself for the role of Pia.
- #021
Raju Hirani wanted to name the film 'Idiots', but the title had already been registered by Deepak Shivdasani. Despite repeated requests from the producers, Deepak refused to give up the title and demanded a very high sum for it. On Aamir's suggestion, the film was titled 3 Idiots. Later, however, Shivdasani realised he could never match that excitement and offered to hand over the title 'Idiots', but Aamir insisted the title remain 3 Idiots, since it had already become a brand.
- #022
Aamir Khan, Madhavan and Sharman Joshi reunited after having previously appeared together in the 2006 film Rang De Basanti.
- #023
Aamir had previously worked with Kareena's uncle Rishi Kapoor in Fanaa (2006), with her aunt Neetu Singh Kapoor in Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973) as a child actor, with her husband Saif Ali Khan in Dil Chahta Hai (2001), with her sister Karishma Kapoor in Raja Hindustani (1996), and with her sister-in-law Soha Ali Khan in Rang De Basanti (2006).
- #024
In a recent interview, Aamir Khan revealed that Abhijaat Joshi is working on a sequel that could reach screens around 2020.
- #025
Aamir Khan played chess and tennis with the hostel students during breaks in shooting.
- #026
The film entered the Guinness World Records for the highest box-office gross ever recorded by a Bollywood film.
- #027
Shahrukh Khan was offered the role of Rancho; he turned it down due to shooting dates and a lack of interest.
- #028
The character Phunsukh Wangdu is said to have been inspired by Sonam Wangchuk, an engineer from Leh.
- #029
The film grossed US$3,017,270 in South Korea, where it was released in 2011. With 459,686 viewers, it was number one at the South Korean box office for five weeks.
- #030
When Virus asks the students on the first day of school who wants to compete for the pen, Rancho is the only character who does not raise his hand and the only one who wins.
- #031
Aamir Khan drew inspiration from A. R. Murugadoss, who had previously directed him in Ghajini, for the lead character Rancho's sense of dress and body language.
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