| Director | Rajkumar Hirani |
|---|---|
| Budget | ₹35 crore |
| Box office | ₹400.6 crore |
Past
At the Imperial College of Engineering (ICE), Ranchoddas "Rancho" Shamaldas Chanchad arrives as an academically gifted student, challenging professors with his unconventional beliefs. He befriends fellow engineering students Farhan Qureshi and Raju Rastogi. After the suicide of Joy Lobo, a student whose project was rejected by the director, Dr. Viru "Virus" Sahastrabuddhe, Rancho holds Virus responsible, leading to a prolonged rivalry between them.
The conflict escalates when the three attend a wedding hosted by Virus, where Rancho meets Virus's daughter Pia, a medical student. In retaliation, Virus pressures Raju into moving out of Rancho's dormitory and into the room of Chatur Ramalingam, a competitive student. During a formal event welcoming college administrators, Rancho and Farhan alter Chatur's speech with obscene phrases. Following this, Chatur challenges Rancho to determine who will achieve greater success in the next ten years.
Farhan and Raju consistently rank at the bottom of their class, while Rancho tops the examinations. Rancho encourages Farhan to pursue wildlife photography instead of engineering and Raju to confront his insecurities. After urinating on Virus's residence during a night of drinking, Raju is caught and given two choices: betray Rancho or face expulsion. Raju subsequently attempts suicide by jumping from a window. He survives the fall and secures a prestigious job after recovering from a coma. Farhan obtains his father's support for his photography career.
Wanting to undermine Raju's placement, Virus designs a particularly difficult exam. With Pia's help, Rancho and Farhan break into his office to obtain the exam paper. Raju refuses to use it, and all three are caught and expelled. Pia reveals to her father a suicide note left by her late brother, who had died by suicide due to academic pressure.
That night, a severe storm cuts off the city's power grid. Virus's elder daughter, Mona, goes into labor. Using makeshift campus equipment and with the assistance from his classmates, Rancho helps deliver the baby. Virus rescinds the expulsion and acknowledges Rancho's contributions to the college.
Present
Chatur Ramalingam, now a wealthy businessman, returns to India to secure a contract with the reclusive inventor Phunsukh Wangdu. He reunites with Farhan and Raju and the three embark on a journey to find Rancho, who vanished after graduation.
Arriving at Shimla, the trio learn that the student they knew as Rancho was Chhote, son of the Chanchaḍ family gardener. The real Ranchoddas Chanchad's father had sponsored Chhote's education, to obtain a degree for the family, under the condition he never contacted his former classmates.
The group find and rescue Pia from a forced marriage in Manali before proceeding to Ladakh, where they reunite with Chhote, who now operates a school focused on alternative education. Chatur mocks his profession as a village teacher and demands he sign a declaration of surrender. Chhote then reveals himself to be Phunsukh Wangdu, the inventor Chatur had sought. Chatur accepts defeat as the four run along the shoreline laughing