Chinese students find 3 Idiots close to heart

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Chinese students find 3 Idiots close to heart

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Amir Khans 3 Idiots captured the young Chinese students imagination who really feel over-worked.

02 January,2012 11:30 am

The movie is based on the competition carried too far in the modern day academic world.Indian visitors to Beijing are, more often than not, greeted by taxi drivers with passionate renditions of ‘Awara Hoon, a song that has, for decades, defined India in the Chinese imagination.But today, Indian visitors will increasingly find younger Chinese welcoming them with: ‘All izz well?Few films have made as deep an impact in this country since the days of Raj Kapoor as Rajkumar Hiranis 2009 film, 3 Idiots. The film struck an instant chord with Chinas famously overworked students, so much so that some Chinese universities were, last year, even prescribing the film in their coursework as a kind of stress-relief in their classrooms.“Rote learning made me rigid, stupid and I ended up like a machine,” one blogger, named Nei Yi Guo Jiang, wrote last year in praise of the film. “I felt like a real idiot compared to the three in this wonderful movie.”Last month, the popular film finally made it to big screens in China — one of the few Indian films that have been screened publicly here since the 1970s, following subsequent censorship restrictions.‘New-year release3 Idiots was also the first Indian film to be accorded the sought-after status of a ‘New Year release.In the first two weeks of its release, the film has raked in Rs. 11 crore at the Chinese box office, according to recent media reports — a rare success that has given Indian movie houses renewed hope of penetrating the lucrative but challenging Chinese market.The film was also released in Hong Kong in September, and raked in 17 million RMB (Rs. 14.4 crore) in its first three months.Movie posters in Beijing promoting the film described it as the “longest new year celebration film and a film that can make you laugh for three hours.”Chinese analysts say its box office performance is no mean feat considering that its release comes almost two years after the film first became a hit in China, already being viewed widely on popular video-sharing websites and accessed through the thriving pirated DVD market.