The sequel to the 2009 Bollywood hit 3 Idiots is currently being written, with director Rajkumar Hirani confirming that the story will be set 20 years after the events of the original film.

Hirani said the script is still in development and that the project has yet to reach the stage for an official announcement.

“We are still writing. Once it reaches the right point, then we will talk about it,” Hirani said in an interview with Asian News International (ANI).

He also confirmed that the casting would remain the same if the sequel pushes through, potentially bringing back Aamir Khan as Rancho, R. Madhavan as Farhan, and Sharman Joshi as Raju.

Hirani clarified that the sequel will not focus on the trio as college students, but on what happens in their lives two decades later.

“It’s not about the students; it’s about 20 years later, what happens in their life,” he said.

The director also revealed that the sequel was not initially conceived as a continuation of 3 Idiots. The idea emerged while he and his team were developing another story, which they later felt could fit the characters and premise of the hit film.

Released in 2009, 3 Idiots follows three engineering students as they navigate friendship, ambition and the pressures of India’s rigid education system. The film starred Khan, Madhavan, Joshi, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Boman Irani.

The film became a major international success and was widely praised for combining comedy and friendship with commentary on academic pressure and society’s expectations of students.

Hirani has stressed that the sequel will only move forward if the story reaches a point where the team is convinced it is worth telling.