Under the lockdown, I ended up revisiting 3 Idiots. And though not all the comedy-segments of the film have aged well, the majority of the film still elicits the same uncontrolled laughter.
But there is one scene from the film that has its own fan base for being the most gross yet comical scene ever. It is the scene where Raju’s mom cooks food for his friends.
If your face instantly scrunched up in disgust, even as your lips immediately curved in a smile, then you know I am right. But, in case you have forgotten, then let me refresh your memory.
Virus (Boman Irani) sends a letter to Farhan (R. Madhavan), and Raju’s (Sharma Joshi) family that the two are not keeping good company. Following this, Farhan and Raju, along with Rancho (Aamir Khan), visit their houses.
After all that they receive at Farhan’s house is a good dose of scolding, they head to Raju’s house. Madhavan’s impassive narration and the change in cinematography ensures the audience is prepared for a few laughs.
Raju’s mother’s (Amardeep Jha) rant, where she informs everyone how expensive bhindi, gobhi, and paneer have become, is a hilariously relatable start to the drama that’s about to unfold.
Like most friends, Rancho and Farhan decide that the best course of action is to ignore everyone and focus on the food – until they watch Raju’s mom’s cooking in action.
Because Raju’s mom cooks the rotis with the same rolling pin that she uses to scratch her paralyzed husband’s chest.
And Rancho and Raju see not only the multi-purpose belan in action, but also the not-so-secret ingredient being rolled with roti – Raju’s father’s chest hair.
*There’s no stopping the gag reflex, trust me, I tried it while watching the scene again for this article.
The scene is gross and comical in its own right, but Amardeep Jha’s flawless dialogue delivery and Madhavan and Aamir’s expressions ensure the scene remains lodged in your memories.
There’s comedy, there’s cringe, and then there is this. Talk about giving a whole new twist to ma ke haath ka khaana.
You can watch the exact scene here:
All images are from Netflix, unless specified otherwise.
