Rajkumar Hirani on ‘3 Idiots’: ‘It’s The Same Characters 20 Years Later’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Whether he is taking on the intense pressure of school systems or questioning blind faith, Rajkumar Hirani's films always spark conversations. Now, the filmmaker officially enters the world of streaming. Hirani is backing the upcoming web series "Pritam and Pedro," directed by Avinash Arun, which also marks his son Vir's acting debut. 

In an exclusive interview with Variety India, the filmmaker speaks about the status of the "3 Idiots" sequel, his inspiration behind "PK," the democratization of modern cinema, and his constant hunt for his next great script. 

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What's the update on the '3 Idiots' sequel? What can you reveal?

So, to be honest, at this moment I am still working on the initial script. It's a very early draft. Aamir (Khan) has heard and liked it, but we still have to work on it. So, at this moment, Abhijat Joshi and I are literally locked up out of Mumbai, trying to write it. So I guess we will be in a better position to know when we are starting it in the next two months.

Is it like a complete fast-forward from the first movie, or will there be new characters?

It's all the same characters; all of them are the same characters. It's like a time leap, like 'What are they doing now?' It's "3 Idiots" 20 years later, so what's happened is that these characters have grown older. They are not in college anymore, they are in their professions, married, with kids, and now we see what happens in their lives.

Hollywood has recently seen a lot of young directors and YouTubers making movies. Do you see many young directors in their early 20s in India now starting to do the same?

I think learning cinema has become far more simpler than it was when we were growing up.

We had to go to the institute to learn or you had to assist somebody to learn, because there was no access to a camera or editing rooms. Now, everything you need to make a film or even a decent film can be done on your phone. You can edit, put music on the phone, just get a bunch of friends and you can do it. So, people are learning on their own and what they're coming up with is so amazing.

Now, when somebody comes for a job, or to be an assistant, the very first thing I ask them is, 'Have you made a film?' And if they say no, then I'll say there's no excuse. That means you're not interested. You can't say that you can't make a film, you can at zero cost. You can get five friends and make a two-minute film. I'm not saying make a feature film, make a two-minute film, but you can learn. 

You've made so many films with comedy and humor in their backdrop. Will you consider making a horror comedy?

You never write films thinking this is a way to make a film. But if you get a script, which is extremely funny and serves this purpose of our comedy, sure. I constantly keep looking out for scripts, it's just that I don't get enough. People think I'm writing myself, but the reality is I'm actually constantly hunting for scripts, books, and if somebody comes up with a great film - it could be a horror comedy, a thriller, an emotional story - that catches you completely, I would really go out and make it.