Aamir Khan Starrer 3 Idiots Is Getting A Sequel Set 20 Years Later

Could the gang be back? 3 Idiots and Munna Bhai M.B.B.S director Rajkumar Hirani has confirmed that a sequel story for 3 Idiots is currently being written, raising hopes that the beloved film could return to the big screen.

In a recent interview with a news agency, Hirani shared that “the story is being written and casting will be the same.” For a film about three engineering students, 3 Idiots had a very long life outside of the classroom as well.

First released in 2009, Rajkumar Hirani's comedy circled around life of engineering students, the frustrations hidden underneath and pressure to perform well during exams over learning.

Hirani also explained that the sequel wasn't born from a desire to revisit the franchise though the original trio may be seen once again the sequel. He and writer Abhijat Joshi were working on another story when they realised it could work and fit well into the 3 Idiots characters.

While Hirani has stopped short of officially announcing the film, the confirmation is significant, particularly because of how closely 3 Idiots remains associated with its original cast. If the sequel moves forward, Aamir Khan, R Madhavan and Sharman Joshi are expected to return as Rancho, Farhan and Raju.

The film worked because its humour was rooted in frustrations that were recognisable to a huge audience. Its characters and lines became part of popular culture, while “All Is Well” became perhaps its most enduring phrase. Nearly two decades later, 3 Idiots continues to be discovered and revisited by new audiences.

The film has accumulated a lot of cultural weight that has stuck across people of all age categories. Its characters have become shorthand for different ideas about ambition and success, while the phrase “All Is Well” has outlasted almost everything else about the film. The world around them, however, has had 17 years to change post the film.

It is a process Hirani has followed before. Lage Raho Munna Bhai, the follow-up to Munna Bhai M.B.B.S., also emerged from a story that Hirani and Joshi were developing before they realised it suited Munna Bhai and Circuit. The characters were then brought back for a new story rather than simply extending the original for the sake of making a sequel.

3 Idiots asked what happens when young people are pushed towards lives they haven't chosen. A sequel set 20 years later may have another question available to it: what happens after those young people have had to choose?