PK
Year: 2014
Director: Rajkumar Hirani
Cast: Aamir Khan, Anushka Sharma, Sushant Rajput, Sanjay Dutt, Saurabh Shukla           

There were speculations and counter-speculations aplenty when it came to discussing PK, which arguably was 2014’s most eagerly awaited movie. As it is, Rajkumar Hirani and Aamir Khan coming together again after their stupendous Three Idiots success was one big news and on top of that, both these talented artists made sure that practically nothing about their new venture leaked out to press and public.  Even the promos seemed to be carefully edited, confusing (Remember the transistor?) and to be frank, less than impressive! Yet such was the mystery surrounding PK that many major newspapers and TV channels ran stories debating what the film could be about. Now the cat is out of the bag. So how does it look? Is it worth the hype?

Well, first things first. The mainstream media must get a pat on the back (and so should my nephew!) for correctly guessing who PK could be. After seeing his bulging, unblinking green eyes and large flappy ears in the TV promos, they all had said that he could be an alien, and alien he turns out to be!

The story goes like this. A large spaceship descends in the desert of Rajasthan to leave behind an alien (a stark naked Aamir Khan, sporting six pack muscles, in addition to those aforementioned weird eyes and ears!). But his earth expedition immediately hits a snag as a petty thief steals his shiny locket, which incidentally is a remote control device to call back the spaceship. Now alone on this earth and desperately trying to find that stolen remote, the ‘outsider’ has to learn the ways of this new planet, right from learning to wear some clothes and speak some language. But even after overcoming these initial hurdles, he is still unable to get back that locket-cum-remote. The only advice he keeps getting from every earthling is to get help from the almighty God and he decides to follow that. But the question is from which God should he seek help? In a rustic Rajasthani truck driver (Sanjay Dutt) and a spunky TV reporter (Anoushka Sharma), he finds friends but then, his antics end up turning a powerful, fake god-man (Saurabh Shukla) into his foe! Will PK (It is a sobriquet earned for his silly acts that seem drunken!) somehow get back that elusive remote to return to his own world? Or will this planet’s mean machinations prove too hot for him to handle?

Director Rajkumar Hirani turns this ET-story into a thought-provoking yet thoroughly entertaining debate about God, religion, godmen and ongoing questionable religious practices. Through some hilarious and highly plausible situations and some sharp and witty dialogues, he manages to point out the idiosyncrasies of mankind and the problems caused by the excesses of different faiths and their dogmatic teachings.

The first half is fast and funny but the second half loses steam and turns melodramatic. The film seems a bit too long with some needless story-tracks and the editing could have been much tighter to make it shorter and crisper. The music fits the situations but doesn’t appear to have enough popular appeal.

When it comes to performances, it is an out and out Aamir Khan film. Barring the lapses in the continuity of his weird wide-eyed looks, Aamir delivers a superb performance. His PK is a goofy, likable character whose ‘unearthly’ guileless perspective and disarming candor makes us introspect, while tickling the funny bone. Anoushka Sharma somehow seems like a misfit and it doesn’t help that her face keeps changing throughout the film (clearly indicating the plastic surgery effects)! The rest of the cast don’t have enough to make much impression.

PK is not in the same league as Munnabhai MBBS and Three Idiots, Hirani’s two best films to date. It is lengthy; it is melodramatic and preachy at times and its quality of humor is inconsistent. Even its core message of not falling prey to pompous preachers, who are bending religions to their advantage has already been delivered by films such as OMG. But still PK has enough fun, wit and intelligence to recommend it as a must-see family entertainer. After all, in the current hate- and- fear-filled world scenario, every voice of reason tempering religious fanaticism is welcome!

Rating

3.5 stars