THE ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY THE ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY First published in 2010 Corporate & Editorial Offi ce A-12, Sector 64, Noida 201 301 Uttar Pradesh, India Phone: +91 120 477 4100 Sales Offi ce 4379/4B, Prakash House, Ansari Road Darya Ganj, New Delhi 110 002, India Phone: +91 11 2326 3363, 2326 5303 Fax: +91 11 2327 8091 Email: [email protected] Website: www.ombooks.com © VINOD CHOPRA FILMS PVT. LTD. www.vinodchopra.com Cover visuals © VINOD CHOPRA FILMS PVT. LTD. Film poster on front cover by Rahul Nanda (H-One) Conceptualised & Compiled by Smriti Kiran Cover Design by Sneha Pamneja Book Design by Shraboni Roy Typeset by Mindways Design, New Delhi ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing by the publisher. ISBN: 978-93-80070-18-6 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Printed at Replika Press Pvt. Ltd., India CONTENTS 7 Acknowledgements 9 Introduction: Rajkumar Hirani 21 The Original Screenplay 319 The Method in the Madness: Rajkumar Hirani, Abhijat Joshi, & Vidhu Vinod Chopra Recollect: Smriti Kiran 345 Things of Beauty: Abhijat Joshi 357 Casting a Spell: Smriti Kiran 385 Opening Credits 391 End Credits 409 Profi les 421 Publisher’s Note ONTENTS C ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS India produces about 800 fi lms every year but not even eight get documented. There is no reading material available for fi lm students or fi lm lovers on the behind- the-scenes action, the vision of the fi lmmakers, and the processes involved in making a fi lm. Lage Raho Munnabhai: The Original Screenplay was published last year. 3 Idiots: The Original Screenplay is our second attempt in this direction. This book is not just the screenplay; it is also a peek into the minds of its makers. I would like to thank Smriti Kiran who took the initiative to come up with this book within 5 months of the release of the fi lm. She has spent many long days and long nights chasing the cast and crew, writing and rewriting, with a smile on her face. Without her persistence, this book would not have happened. I would also like to thank Ajay Mago and his team at Om Books International for giving shape to our vision. I also wish to thank Maheep Dhillon for tirelessly redrafting the screenplay; Supriya Kelkar for her eye for detail; Rohan Mapuskar for poring over the dialogues; Dileep Desai, Amit Gulati, Mustafa Neemuchwala, Teja Pratap, Insia Lacewalla for production support; Anupama Chopra for her invaluable insight. And Vinod Chopra for clearing all obstacles as always. — Rajkumar Hirani 002_Acknowledgements.indd2_Acknowledgements.indd 7 55/31/2010/31/2010 11:46:14:46:14 AAMM 002_Acknowledgements.indd2_Acknowledgements.indd 8 55/31/2010/31/2010 11:46:17:46:17 AAMM NTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION I 003_Introduction.indd3_Introduction.indd 9 55/31/2010/31/2010 11:47:14:47:14 AAMM 003_Introduction.indd3_Introduction.indd 1010 55/31/2010/31/2010 11:47:17:47:17 AAMM Every story has a back story and so does mine. My father, Suresh Hirani, was fourteen years old when he along with the family moved to India during Partition. Initially, they took shelter in refugee camps in Agra and later shifted to Ferozabad. He had lost everything so education was low on the priority list. There were more pressing and immediate concerns like food, clothes, and shelter to worry about. To make ends meet, my father started working in a bangle factory where he painted patterns on bangles. Later, he began selling ice-cream on the streets. Despite compelling and adverse circumstances, his thirst for knowledge did not wane. My father’s sister, who was married in Nagpur, got him a job there in a general store as a store attendant. The city brought with it opportunity. My father enrolled himself in night school. Work in the day and classes at night continued and he somehow managed to graduate. Fortifi ed with a degree and some savings, he was itching to grow. So when a friend suggested that typewriters, which were new at the time, were the future, my father decided to explore this avenue. He invested his life’s savings, borrowed the rest of the money needed and opened a typewriting institute which was referred to as a ‘Commerce Institute’ then. My father christened it ‘Rajkumar Commerce Institute’. I was not even born then. So now you know that I was named after a typewriting institute and not the other way round! Most parents would name their enterprises after their children, but I’ve had the rare honour of being named after my father’s enterprise. I’m proud of that fact. My father’s business fl ourished. He got married and I was born soon after. The plan was to get into engineering but I didn’t have enough marks in my higher secondary exams (12th standard) to make the cut so I studied commerce. I had also enrolled in this foundation course for chartered accountancy simultaneously, the classes for which were held in the evenings. At the end of the foundation 003_Introduction.indd3_Introduction.indd 1111 55/31/2010/31/2010 11:47:17:47:17 AAMM course, the exams for chartered accountancy were to be held. I despised these classes from the very beginning. I had no interest in chartered accountancy and these classes were a huge imposition, both in terms of time and the fact that I was wasting this time on something I knew was not for me. But I had the baggage of the engineering debacle on my head so abandoning this very viable option would have appeared self-indulgent, foolish, and luxurious at the time. I was afraid I Rajkumar Hirani with his father, Suresh Hirani. Photo Credit Himmat Singh Sekhwat, Tehelka would hurt my parents and also somewhat scared to take this step that could harm my ‘future’. I carried on with the charade. Subconsciously, I was aware that there were some set presumptions about my future. I was expected to either become a chartered accountant or take over my father’s business. Both possibilities mortifi ed me. Though at that point in time, I was not thinking about what would make me happy. Like any normal person, I had responsibilities and the usual concerns that range from job to future to career. As 12 003_Introduction.indd3_Introduction.indd 1212 55/31/2010/31/2010 11:47:17:47:17 AAMM the time for the foundation course’s exams drew close, I would often wake up in the middle of the night in cold sweat. Finally, the exams were upon me. I realised that there was no escaping the inevitable. It was imperative to tell my father that I found a root canal procedure more exciting than chartered accountancy. Even after twenty years, that evening is as clear in my head as if it had happened just yesterday. It was a regular evening in Nagpur but for me it was going to be the most signifi cant and decisive evening of my life. My father was standing alone in the living room. I walked in and walked up to where he was standing, taking lead-laden steps. My throat was dry with uncertainty and fear. It was one thing to tell your father that you did not want to pursue what seemed like an excellent career choice but it was another thing to not offer an alternative plan. The only thing I was clear about was that chartered accountancy was not my cup of tea. My voice quivered with apprehension as I told him that I did not want to take the exams because I did not enjoy chartered accountancy at all. He looked at me and then in the most nonchalant manner told me to not do it and join his offi ce starting next morning. It was as short and simple as that. I was ecstatic. The weight of the world had lifted from my shoulders. I felt free. This happened during the period leading up to the festival Makar Sankranti which is known for kite fl ying. I remember running up to our terrace right after ‘the conversation’ and fl ying kites with this silly grin on my face. Now, the kite fl ying seems almost like a symbol for the sense of freedom and relief that had swept over me that day. My commerce classes in college occupied only four hours of my time in the morning (7 am to 11.00 am), so the rest of my time was devoted to helping my father with his business (11.30 am to 6.30 pm) which had graduated from typing courses to repairing and selling new kinds of calculators and other offi ce equipment. I immersed myself in it with the gusto of a man who had just been extracted from the gallows. I used to teach typing, go out and give demos to prospective clients, and repair spoiled units. I was even sent to Delhi to do a course in repairing electronic calculators. This is the period where I had my fi rst brush with theatre. I met Narendra Thakur and a few other students who used to perform and produce plays regularly at our college. I joined them. (Before this, my only experience on stage was in the 9th standard. I was cast in the role of ‘Noorjahan’ in a play.) I became a regular with the theatre gang.