Movie Review: "PK"

Raju Hirani’s “PK “, a satire on God & Godmen, with Aamir Khan as the chief protagonist, is a good movie - not a great one. The transition from “good to great” was eloquently brought out by Jim Collins, in a book, by the same name; however that is not the topic of this review & hence we shall let that pass. Readers could be perplexed with this argument especially when the film is racing towards becoming, perhaps, the biggest grosser of all time, overtaking "Dhoom 3"; therein lies the crux, for "Dhoom 3", too, by no means would be categorized as a great movie since collections alone doth not make a film great. Needless to add that collections are pushed northward courtesy controversy & agitations.

Raju Hirani’s "Munnabai MBBS", its sequel "Lage Raho Munna Bhai" & "3 idiots" were great movies for they were trailblazing not only in their script selection but also plot treatment. Likewise, Aamir’s "Lagaan" & "Sarfarosh" too were outstanding movies for they explored new niches. "OMG (Oh My God)" belonging to the same genre as "PK" is of a far higher standing, embossed as it was by an outstanding performance by the redoubtable Paresh Rawal.

Now coming to PK, we are introduced to a humanoid alien, played by Aamir, who lands up stark naked, with only a transmitter for company, in a Rajasthan desert. The transmitter is the only connection between the extra-terrestrial & the spaceship; a signal is necessary to facilitate travel back home. The action starts when his device is flipped by a thief who mounts a speeding train leaving the ET in the lurch; not before our protagonist snatches a boombox to cover his modesty. This shot was frozen & all of us exposed to the same in promos & posters which courted controversy but in the theatre invited catcalls & guffaws.

The journey of the alien to retrieve the device forms the remaining part of the movie; in the process the people’s leanings - of the religious kind - form part of the alien’s learnings. The alien bred in a planet where there is no language spoken & communication is only through telepathy has to first learn the language on earth. This necessitates data transfer of knowledge from a native to the alien, the prerequisite of which is a data cable - alien clasping a native's hands. While making such attempts he is shooed off by all, mistaking it for his depraved sexual proclivity, till a prostitute shows him mercy. Language learned, the alien, now, blurts out excellent Bhojpuri. Introduced to the sweet juices of a paan, by the prostitute, he enjoys it consumption throughout the movie.  Aamir supposedly ingested more than 1000 paans during the course of the movie to make it realistic. Not sure if the alien too was impressed by the “Swatch Bharat’ message since he refrains from turning the earth into a red spittoon as all of us lesser mortals are wont to do. The world, exposed to his quirky disposition & awkward questions, pronounces him as PK (tipsy in Hindi). The alien, now, has a name.

PK learns that the snap of a person, later identified as Gandhi, when exchanged, facilitates transfer of goods which in his case is a bunch of carrots for consumption. Not sure what the medium of exchange in his planet is, for a spaceship to earth indicates a remarkably advanced race; do they use plastic or something better still? Surely, he is perplexed & he hands over posters, photos et al bearing Gandhi’s image but is repeatedly rebuked till he hands over a currency note bearing the same image, when, finally, he is rewarded. The revelation is stark: Gandhi is useful only on a currency note. The posters of Gandhi are later seen strewn on the roads a veritable “grounding to the dust” of the man & his principles. It is a poignant sight. Raju Hirani, to his credit, shows consistency in sticking to the Gandhian track from Munnabhai to PK.& if Goebbels is to be believed such repetition shall lead to a genuine beliefs. Needless to say, it is welcome.

The writer duo, Hirani & Abhijit Joshi, has sharp insights into the quirky eccentricities across religions. A coconut is a must in a temple while it is unwelcome in a church just as wine is a "must have" in the latter while it is resented in a mosque. Likewise, a woman in white indicates widowhood for Hindus, while wedding gowns are only in white for Christians, whose colour of brooding is black, which incidentally is the colour of the burkha, a regular wear for Muslims. Are these differences of attire in faith part of what marketers call “brand differentiation”?

The ET, though in love himself, manages to reunite the 2 lovers Anushka Sharma (Jagat Janani) & Sushat Singh Rajput (Sarfaraz) living across the borders which is a common thread across many recent movies including Veer Zara, Agent Vinod, Ek tha Tiger et all, perhaps, due to box office considerations. We are however told that it is to promote peace across borders & religions.

PK retrieves the device after a verbal duel with Godman, Saurabh Shukla (Tapsavi) & finally returns to his planet. Not sure why he carries so many batteries to charge his boombox; does the advanced race not have any other energy sources?  He revisits Earth, a year later, with his mates, which includes Ranbir Kapoor. Would we see Ranbir as part of the sequel. Well, your guess is as good as mine.

Recommend viewing since it is a courageous film which does not question the presence of God but questions in its own quirky way the business of religion under which middlemen flourish.