Maps of Movies

3 Idiots (2009)

Where 3 Idiots says it takes place, and where it was really shot.

The invented engineering college is a real Bangalore business school, and the story ends on a lake in Ladakh

Scenes and places

The flight that turns back to Delhi

Farhan sits in a plane that is about to leave when a medical emergency is called on board, and the flight turns back to Delhi.

Set in Aboard Farhan's flight — A passenger plane that is called back to Delhi after a medical emergency is declared on board.

Only the interior of an aircraft is shown; the sources name no airport or aircraft for the scene.

Back in Delhi: the call about Rancho

Back in Delhi, Farhan gets a call from Chatur, whom the friends have not spoken to in years, saying Rancho is coming. Farhan rushes to pick up Raju and the two head for their old campus.

Set in New Delhi — The capital the friends return to, where a phone call tells Farhan that Rancho may be found.

India's capital; a few Bangalore locations stood in for Delhi streets in the film.

The Imperial College of Engineering

Rancho arrives as a brilliant student who questions his professors and befriends Farhan and Raju. Their feud with the director, Virus, and a ten-year bet with their rival Chatur follow.

Set in Imperial College of Engineering (fictional) — The invented engineering college whose dormitory, lecture halls and director's house hold the friends' student years.

A real management-school campus used as an engineering college; it was the first film shot at an Indian Institute of Management.

Filmed at Indian Institute of Management Bangalore — The campus that served as the Imperial College of Engineering; the point is the campus centre, not a single scene. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

Raju's hospital room

Raju survives his fall from a window and spends time in a coma before he recovers. His friends gather around him.

Set in A hospital (city not named) — The hospital where Raju recovers after his fall.

A private hospital in Noida, on the Delhi side of the Uttar Pradesh border.

Filmed at Fortis Hospital, Noida — Wikipedia says the hospital scenes were shot here; the point is the location of a Commons photo of the building, not a scene spot. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

The gardener's house in Shimla

The trio reach Shimla and learn that the student they knew as Rancho was Chhote, son of the family's gardener. The real Ranchoddas Chanchad's father had paid for Chhote's education.

Set in Shimla — The hill town where the trio ask for the family of Ranchoddas Chanchad. Google Maps · Apple Maps

Capital of Himachal Pradesh, a hill town of colonial-era buildings.

Filmed at Shimla — The crew spent a 20-day schedule in Shimla; the sources do not name a street or house. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

Rescuing Pia from the wedding

The friends learn that Pia is being married off and race to reach her before the vows. They rescue her from the forced marriage and continue north.

Set in Manali — The mountain town where Pia's forced marriage is about to take place. Google Maps · Apple Maps

A Himalayan resort town in Himachal Pradesh, a long day's drive from Shimla.

Rancho's school in Ladakh

The trio travel to Ladakh and reunite with Chhote, who now runs a school built around alternative education. Chatur mocks his job as a village teacher.

Set in A school in Ladakh — The school in Ladakh where the friends finally find the man they have been looking for. Google Maps · Apple Maps

A school at Shey near Leh, known for its lotus-shaped buildings.

Filmed at Druk White Lotus School, Shey — Used as Rancho's school after the producers were refused permission to film at the founder's own campus. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

The lakeshore in Ladakh

The story's final stretch plays out on a Ladakh lakeshore, shot at Pangong Tso.

Set in A lakeshore in Ladakh — The high lakeshore where the story's last scene plays out. Google Maps · Apple Maps

A long high-altitude lake in Ladakh that crosses the border with Tibet.

Filmed at Pangong Tso — The climax was shot at this lake; the point is the lake's centre, not the scene spot. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

Characters

• Rancho (Phunsukh Wangdu) — A gifted student at ICE who questions how engineering is taught, and whom his friends later set out to find.
• Farhan Qureshi — Rancho's friend, who wanted to be a wildlife photographer instead of an engineer.
• Raju Rastogi — Rancho's friend, anxious and pressed by money, who ranks near the bottom of his class.
• Chatur Ramalingam — A competitive classmate who bets the friends that he will be more successful in ten years.