Zip Your Lips For 3 Idiots

It’s a first for Bollywood. At least 100 people from various age-groups have been shown the first half of Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s 3 Idiots as an exercise in gauging public reaction to his most ambitious venture to date. The chosen ones have been – lead actor Aamir Khan’s teenage son Junaid’s classmates, a group of middle-aged women, and some big trade names. But wait before you envy this lot of ‘privileged’ people… here’s the catch. Those who had seen 3 Idiots were given a Non Disclosure Agreement or an NDA to sign before they entered Vinod Chopra’s editing studio where the sneak previews were held. So what does this NDA say? It apparently is a proper legal document which prevents the people who have seen 3 Idiots from discussing it publicly or passing any opinion or judgment on it.

“If they do, then they are liable for legal action,” says a trade insider.
Anyway, the point is that this exercise was going great guns. Random people who were selected to watch 3 Idiots were actually thrilled. Many of them even partook in a film-discussion with the lead actor Aamir Khan after watching it, where Aamir encouraged them to speak their minds.

“Junaid’s friends were surprised that Aamir wanted a no-holds barred critical view,” says an insider.

And as said earlier, this exercise was paying dividends for the most part. Except when one leading exhibitor threw a fit and refused to sign the NDA. Other members of his family, who were present for the viewing exercise, signed the legal document thrust under their noses; but this gentleman categorically refused. He apparently even volunteered to walk out of the trial show, but said he would not sign the NDA simply because he felt the document was questioning his integrity.

Now it so happens that the practice of signing an NDA is commonplace in Hollywood Studios who hold ‘screenings for a discerning public across the board’ nearly six months before a movie makes it to the screens because they truly value the feedback.

However, as far as Bollywood goes, this is a first and hence, it is still considered offensive by a certain segment.

The official spokesperson from Vinod Chopra Productions confirmed the NDA story.

He said, “3 Idiots is an extremely guarded and prestigious project. So, yes, we got everyone to sign an NDA.”