PK Movie Review

Of all films this year, PK is the one that bears the greatest weight of anticipation. On this front, PK does not disappoint. It’s a very entertaining film with something important to say.

I skim through the plot here, without revealing much, for that might dilute the film’s experience. PK lands on earth from another planet, and loses an object of great importance on arrival. His confusion, attempts to cope with life here and search for this object creates many natural moments of hilarity. Concomitantly, a broadcast media student, Jaggu (Anushka Sharma) suffers heartbreak when her Pakistani boyfriend, a gorgeous Sushant Singh Rajput as Sarfraz, ditches her at the altar in picturesque Bruges, Belgium. Jaggu’s fate is predicted by the family god man, played by Saurabh Shukla; reinforcing her father’s (already) overwhelming levels of superstition. Meanwhile, PK’s paths cross with a generous Rajasthani folk singer (Sanjay Dutt). The singer inadvertently ends up leading him to learn Bhojpuri and suggests he go to New Delhi to find his object. Here, he meets Jaggu, a reporter in a news channel who smells a curious story in this funnily dressed man. PK has been advised to seek his solutions with God, and it is his constant quest to find God and communicate with the Supreme Being that drives the crux of the story.

The film’s flaws first- it’s second half can be preachy and at certain points, there are missing threads of logic (For instance, Jaggu never tries to once find out what went wrong with Sarfraz. Not one phone call or email is ever exchanged). Some incidents in the plot also occur too quickly, giving the narrative an artificial touch.

But the film’s brilliance lies in its ability to seamlessly engage entirely individual concepts into one single, smooth narrative. Here, a rank outsider seeks to understand the belief systems of India today, inadvertently questioning superstition, the business of religion & the ‘God’ industry. While ‘PK’s quest is executed in a funny, entertaining manner, the questions he raises are valid and have universal appeal for us. While the use of a news channel is once again, disappointingly shallow in this otherwise brilliant film, it’s utility to create public spectacle perhaps justifies the means.

The film’s humor is it’s biggest pull. An instance where PK chases a ‘God’ quite literally, is the funniest, followed by a second one- where PK seeks God’s direct help through statues at a crowded temple. That a man can be branded a drunk for asking perfectly logical questions about prevalent norms and beliefs is an argument that Hirani presents beautifully.

An underlying point here is that of hypocrisy- as good behavior. I found this element the most remarkable part of the film. The art of this film lies in its writing- Abhijaat Joshi & Rajkumar Hirani excel on that front.

Aamir Khan plays PK flamboyantly, and convincingly, not an easy task in this film. His Bhojpuri though could be better. Anushka Sharma is controlled & endearing. Saurabh Shukla delivers a commanding performance. Boman Irani & (a rather dishy) Sushant Singh Rajput do pretty well. But the performance that delights and makes you wistful is that of Sanjay Dutt, who dominates the screen with his presence.

Watch PK as soon as you can, you might just turn optimistic about a rather banal Bollywood this year! The film entertains and makes you look around yourself. For all you know, you might just want to repeat this one.

The Final Verdict

It's worth 85 percent of your ticket price.