15 Years of 3 Idiots EXCLUSIVE: Sharman Joshi recalls unexpected fame in China-Hong Kong, thanks to Aamir Khan-starrer: "They recognized me, gave me FREE drinks everywhere!"

One of the most loved films of Indian cinema, 3 Idiots (2009), completed 15 years on December 25. The film is memorable for several reasons – the message, scenes where the audience almost fell off their chair laughing, performances and above all, its collections. It was the first Hindi film to collect Rs. 200 crores and it took nearly four years for this record to be broken (by Shah Rukh Khan’s 2013 film Chennai Express). But that’s not all. It was a huge success overseas, that too in territories where Bollywood films, until then, were not doing huge business. It became a rage in China-Hong Kong-Taiwan where it earned nearly Rs. 35 crores.

Sharman Joshi, who featured in the film in an important role, has benefited from the fan following of 3 Idiots in this region. In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, Sharman Joshi revealed, “I had gone to Hong Kong where I was hopping from one bar to another. I got free drinks everywhere because they all recognized me from 3 Idiots! They refused to take money for the drinks that I was having. I was least expecting the Chinese guys to recognize me. Hence, it was lovely.”

Sharman continued, “In China, the film got a lot of love because their ethos and principles on how kids should be educated are similar to ours. The pressure there is even more to excel. Hence, they related big time to the film.”

3 Idiots, adapted from Chetan Bhagat’s bestseller ‘Five Point Someone’, is a story of three friends in an engineering college. Sharman Joshi played the role of Raju Rastogi, who wants to graduate with good marks, so that he can land a well-paying job and ultimately lift his family out of poverty. The film also starred Aamir Khan, R Madhavan, Kareena Kapoor, Boman Irani and Mona Singh with Ali Fazal in a special appearance.

The success of 3 Idiots in China-Hong Kong-Taiwan benefited Aamir Khan’s forthcoming movies. Dhoom 3 (2013) and PK (2014) were bigger successes while Dangal (2016) earned more than Rs. 1000 crores in China alone.

Also Read: Vidhu Vinod Chopra CONFIRMS sequels to 3 Idiots and Munna Bhai are in development

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