Get
set
for
an
epic
take
in
the
offing.
This
year's
most
anticipated
release,
3
Idiots,
has
a
running
length
of
close
to
3
hours.
Taking
audiences
through
different
locations
in
the
country
and
across
time
zones,
this
Raj
Kumar
Hirani
film
is
in
fact
his
longest
ever
when
compared
to
his
earlier
two
efforts
-
Munnabhai
MBBS
and
Lage
Raho
Munnabhai.
"That's
true," confirms
Hirani.
"Both
the
films
in
the
Munnabhai
series
were
under
2.5
hours.
However,
3
Idiots
required
a
longer
duration.
I
am
not
worried
about
the
length
factor
though."
Well,
even
for
audiences
it
should
be
pretty
much
the
case
of
'
all
izzz
well'.
Longer
stories,
if
told
well,
have
traditionally
worked
quite
well
at
the
box
office.
Some
of
the
biggest
classics
in
the
history
of
Indian
cinema
like
Lagaan,
Sholay
and
Mughal
E
Azam
have
all
crossed
the
3
hour
mark.
Yes,
those
were
the
times
when
only
single
screens
ruled
and
hence
the
revenue
earned
through
a
larger
number
of
shows
wasn't
a
criteria
for
a
film's
length.
However,
the
fact
remains
that
the
biggest
ever
grosser
in
the
history
of
Indian
cinema,
Ghajini,
lasted
for
a
couple
of
minutes
over
3
hours.
Says
a
trade
follower,
"I
am
aware
of
people's
expectations
where
they
want
to
see
more
of
an
actor
or
a
director,
if
their
body
of
work
over
the
years
has
been
impressive
enough.
Remember
those
Amitabh
Bachchan
films
in
the
80's?
Or
the
ones
directed
by
Subhash
Ghai?
Each
of
them
was
mandated
to
be
magnum
opus
and
it
was
an
unwritten
rule
that
their
films
have
a
running
length
of
at
least
3
hours.
Similar
are
the
expectations
from
an
Aamir
Khan
film
today."
His
comments
do
see
good
validation
if
one
looks
at
every
film
that
Aamir
has
done
in
the
current
decade.
The
running
length
of
Dil
Chahta
Hai
(180
mins),
Lagaan
(225
mins),
Mangal
Pandey
(165
mins),
Rang
De
Basanti
(150
mins),
Fanaa
(170
mins),
Taare
Zameen
Par
(165
mins)
and
Ghajini
(180
mins)
has
been
close
to
3
hours
or
even
more.
"At
the
end
of
the
day,
it's
the
story
and
the
story
telling
that
does
the
trick,
not
the
film's
length.
Yes,
we
have
seen
audiences
rejecting
What's
Your
Raashee?
due
to
its
length
of
close
to
3.5
hours
but
also
because
the
film
dragged
at
places.
Seeing
Hirani's
work
over
the
years,
the
length
is
a
non-issue
and
one
truly
believes
and
hopes
that
the
screenplay
holds
audience's
attention.
3
Idiots
is
carrying
great
vibes,
the
holiday
season
is
on
and
the
festivities
would
be
in
progress
well
into
the
New
Year.
I
don't
see
any
reason
why
anyone
would
even
think
about
the
length
factor,"
concludes
the
trade
expert.