Aamir Khan confirms 3 Idiots sequel with a 10-year leap; Rajkumar Hirani’s Phalke biopic shelved

The movie grossed a total of Rs 400.61 crore worldwide, according to Bollywood Hungama. Registering an India nett collection of Rs 202.95 crore against a reported budget of just Rs 55 crore, the film — revolving around three students at an engineering college — became a nationwide sensation.

3 Idiots sequel in the pipeline

Now, 16 years later, Aamir Khan himself has confirmed the return of 3 Idiots with a sequel. “He (Hirani) is currently working on 3 Idiots 2. I heard the narration, and it has turned out well. There is still more work to be done on the script, but the story is very good,” the actor revealed during a conversation with Amar Ujala.

He added, “It has the same humour and an unusual story. It tells the story of the same ‘three idiots,’ but set 10 years later. This is one of the films I will be working on soon. I think it’s a beautiful story, and Abhijat (Abhijat Joshi) and Raju (Rajkumar Hirani) have written it very well. So I am also waiting to do that and turn Phunsukh Wangdu once again.”

Also starring R Madhavan, Sharman Joshi, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Boman Irani, and Mona Singh, 3 Idiots won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment.

Dadasaheb Phalke biopic shelved for time being

However, during the conversation, Aamir confirmed that the Dadasaheb Phalke biopic, which was supposed to mark his reunion with Hirani, has been put on hold for the time being.

“Phalke’s story is very inspirational, and Raju worked on it for quite some time. He wrote three drafts, but he isn’t happy with the script yet. So, he has put the project on the back burner for now. He might resume working on it later,” the actor noted.

Who was Dadasaheb Phalke?

Widely regarded as “the Father of Indian cinema,” Dadasaheb Phalke’s Raja Harishchandra (1913) is often considered the first full-length Indian feature film. He reportedly made as many as 27 short films and over 90 feature films during his nearly two-decade career as a filmmaker. Interestingly, the Government of India has even instituted the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in his honour, which is currently the highest award in the field of cinema in the country.

In an earlier statement, Aamir Khan’s team had revealed that the superstar would begin working on the untitled project based on Phalke’s life after Sitaare Zameen Par (2025). “He will start preparing for his part soon after the release of Sitaare Zameen Par. VFX studios from LA has already created AI designs for the era and period of the film,” the statement read.

“Rajkumar Hirani, along with Abhijat Joshi and two other writers, Hindukush Bharadwaj and Avishkar Bharadwaj, have been working on this script for the last four years. Dadasaheb Phalke’s grandson, Chandrashekhar Srikrishna Pusalkar, has been supportive of the project and has provided major anecdotes from Dadasaheb Phalke’s life,” it added.