Was 'Virus' Played By Boman Irani In '3 Idiots' Really A Villain?
The villains in select Bollywood movies do not enjoy the luxury of being portrayed in the grey area. Their accompanying background score, the 'villainous" dialogues they utter, the animated mannerisms they exhibit, or them being clowned on the screen over and over again by the 'hero" throughout the movie, make the audience return to their homes and wonder, 'Well, that character was a total jerk!" Over the years, Indian janta that enjoys Bollywood movies has revisited cinema and changed their stance on some of the characters they hated growing up.
Anshuman in Jab We Met (2007) could have handled the Geet situation with empathy and respect, but was he really the bad guy or just stuck in a sticky situation as his love interest Geet? Sure, Subodh was a walking and talking calendar in Dil Chahta Hai (2001), but isn't it a green flag that a partner remembers the minute details of their dates, which could mean they really care? Dr Asthana's sole crime in Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. (2003) was that he made Munna's father cry, aware that their son was a local gangster with no real medical background. Was Munna hanging out on the hospital campus around real patients safe then?
And now, Reddit has turned the clock back and revisited the curious case of Virus aka Viru Sahastrabudhhe, the iconic character portrayed by an exceptional Boman Irani in the coming-of-age comedy-drama 3 Idiots (2009).
Out And Out Villain?
'Thoughts On Him? I Am Slowly Realizing He Was Correct All The Time," Reddit user Fun_Cookie7135 titled his post.
'i think the point was simply that even if you are correct you have to be a nice person for other people to respect you and understand you, (sic)" a user, responding to the post, wrote.
The OP added to the conversation by saying, 'The movie presented him as a villain rather than showing that his saying was & remains correct in real world."
A third asserted that Virus's favourite student succeeded in life, but so did the students he disliked – implying that his teachings were misplaced, and he was wrong in preaching that marks were everything to thrive in the real world.
Virus' Impact
First Rancho, then Pia (Viru's daughter) – both remind Virus about the suicides of Joy and the director's son. The unempathetic head of the college declines a deadline extension to Joy Lobo, who is building a drone but hasn't completed his project yet owing to his father's ailment. Joy is devastated as he proceeds to take his own life.
Additionally, Viru's son is pressured to pursue engineering instead of literature, his preferred career path. Piaa reveals to him in the tail end of the movie that her brother did not lose his life in a freak train accident but had died by suicide.
The arrogant director, though not directly involved, refuses to admit his part in the loss of two lives.
When pressured by Virus to betray his friend Rancho to avoid expulsion from college, Raju jumps out of the window from the director's office. He, however, survives and makes a full recovery.
The movie shows Boman Irani's character in a moment of 'redemption" when he holds his grandchild, whom Rancho and fellow hostlers help deliver at the campus, and says that he could become a footballer instead of imposing his idealistic take on 'excellence".
But was that enough to redeem him? Virus was a flawed man who lacked accountability, and his ego damaged those around him.
A page called ' Villains Wiki" summed up Virus' crimes which, according to them, were as follows:
1) Abuse of power
2) Psychological abuse
3) Wrongful termination
4) Enforced suicide
5) Attempted sabotage
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July 24, 2025, 13:22 IST
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