Rajkumar Hirani Says Son Used ‘3 Idiots’ Philosophy To Defend Acting Career Choice

Filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani has revealed that the central message of his blockbuster film ‘3 Idiots’ unexpectedly came back to him when his son Vir Hirani cited it while defending his decision to pursue acting instead of filmmaking.

Hirani said he had initially hoped Vir would follow a path behind the camera, particularly because he had shown considerable talent in filmmaking from a young age. According to the director, Vir taught himself the craft while in school and created several impressive short films.

Hirani recalled being surprised when Vir informed him that he no longer wanted to make films. Expecting his son to choose a different profession altogether, the filmmaker instead learned that Vir wanted to become an actor.

The director said he was puzzled by the decision, especially after Vir had spent six months working with him on ‘Sanju’ , where he witnessed actor Ranbir Kapoor’s performance up close. Hirani admitted that he tried to dissuade his son from acting because he had never seen him perform and believed filmmaking would be a more natural fit.

However, Vir countered his father's concerns by reminding him of the message promoted in ‘3 Idiots’ that people should pursue what they genuinely enjoy. Hirani said the reference to his own film effectively ended the debate.

Rather than opposing the decision further, he encouraged Vir to train seriously by participating in theatre and learning the craft professionally. Vir subsequently spent five to six years developing his acting skills.

Asked whether he had offered any special advice to his son, Hirani joked that while he could advise any actor, children rarely listen to their parents.

Vir is now set to make his major OTT debut with ‘Pritam and Pedro’ , a cyber-crime drama that also stars Arshad Warsi and Boman Irani , both known for their roles in Hirani’s popular ‘Munna Bhai’ franchise.

The series marks Hirani’s first OTT project , with the filmmaker serving as creator, co-writer and producer. Directed by Avinash Arun , the show follows an old-school police officer and a technology-driven investigator who join forces to solve crimes.

Hirani described long-format storytelling as a challenging shift from filmmaking, noting that streaming content requires multiple narrative tracks and frequent story hooks to maintain audience engagement. Inspired by cyber-crime stories from author Amit Dubey’s books Hidden Files and Return of the Trojan Horse , the series also features Vikrant Massey and Mona Singh , with cameo appearances by Sanjay Dutt and former cricketer Virender Sehwag .

‘Pritam and Pedro’ is scheduled to premiere on JioHotstar on July 3 .