R Madhavan, along with Aamir Khan and Sharman Joshi, played a college student in Rajkumar Hirani’s 2009 film 3 Idiots. When he was trying to play a 18-year-old engineering college student, he was 40. Not just him, even Aamir and Sharman were 44 and 30, respectively. In a new interview, Madhavan shared that they wondered if they would pass off as college students. He shared that many students studying in the college were bald, and actually looked like professors, which wasn’t the case with them.
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In a chat with News 18 Showsha, Madhavan said, “I was sh**ting bricks when I was doing 3 Idiots as I was 40 years old at that time. Oh my god! It’s a miracle that we passed off as college students.” Madhavan’s character plays a college student in one part of the film, and a man in his 30s in another part of the film. Madhavan added that when they tried their costumes, and got into their look, they actually looked younger than the students studying there.
“But the funny part was when we went to the college and got into our attires, we were looking younger than the actual students there. That’s what gave us the confidence. Thankfully, Aamir (Khan), Sharman (Joshi) and I weren’t bald. Guys studying in that college were bald or had grey hair. We had to ask them if they’re students or professors. When they said that they’re students, we were like, ‘Achchi baat hai, bhai! Now we feel much younger’,” he shared. A large part of 3 Idiots was shot at the IIM Bangalore campus.
Aamir had previously shared similar concerns and said that he was worried people would laugh at him for a college student when he was in his 40s. He shared on The Great Indian Kapil Show, “I wasn’t even doing 3 Idiots because I thought the public would laugh at me as I was turning 44 and I am playing the role of an 18-year-old boy. It would be weird. I told Raju to take three youngsters but he was after me. I hadn’t worked with Raju till then. I was a big fan but the story he brought me, I was like how will I play this young character.”
3 Idiots also starred Kareena Kapoor, Mona Singh, Boman Irani among others.