3 Idiots

Apart from a few rare hiccups, the decade has been near flawless for Aamir Khan. Not without reason does they say "Aamir is the only guarantee for quality in Hindi Cinema". With mass hysteria surrounding the film much prior to its release, the expectations from Aamir Khan and Rajkumar "Munnabhai" Hirani coming together is HUGE. But does 3 Idiots deliver?
It's hard to match up to the high standards set by Rajkumar Hirani himself with his Munna Bhai films and with 3 Idiots he tries hard, probably too hard to be a mass pleaser. The formula is the same; a feel good uplifting story, an angel like hero who solves every problem and a perfect blend of comedy with a socially relevant message. 
But in an attempt to make it a massy entertainer, Hirani goes overboard. The comedy is no longer situational or restrained, instead more in your face slapstick. The delivery scene of Mona Singh, for example, was crass and overdone. The scene showing Raju's poverty stricken family, making fun of their poverty and problems too was unnecessary. And finally the Javed Jaffrey twist, wonder what that was all about? Just to add shock and suspense value to the movie? 
To the director's credit, several sequences work well. Chathur's speech on teacher's day was funny and college moments were heartwarming. The romance between Kareena and Aamir is subtle and the scene which she sneaks into his hostel room was cute, so was a drunken Aamir proposing inside her house.
The chemistry between Sharman, Aamir and Madhavan works well. But due to the dominance of Aamir's character, which is sketched out to be awe inspiring, Sharman and Madhavan are relegated to the back seat. Kareena too has few scenes and does well. In an attempt to make it strikingly different and likeable, Boman Irani's character is way too exaggerated and unreal to be funny. Aamir's character is a mass pleaser and the actor does bring in enough exuberance to make it work.
The music works well with the narrative. The camera work and sound design too is just about perfect.
To sum things up, 3 Idiots is a distant third compared to Hirani's previous works. Yet, it has this perfect combination of comedy with a social message that should work well with the masses. If the audience reaction was anything to go by, Aamir has well and truly scored his third consecutive Christmas hit.