PK

The first movie I saw, featuring an extra-terrestrial in an important role, was the Steven Spielberg classic, ET.  Though I was just 8 years old then, I vividly recall my imagination running wild, wondering what I would be doing if I came across an extra-terrestrial in real life. I almost had a similar feeling whilst walking out of the multiplex after watching Aamir Khan’s PK, which features him in the lead role as an extra-terrestrial. The difference this time was that I was nodding in agreement with the thoughts of the director Rajkumar Hirani, about how an extra-terrestrial will view our (religious) beliefs!

The line between holding up a mirror for you to reflect upon your beliefs and hurting your sentiments is rather thin. The director treads this thin line with exceptional craftsmanship, ensuring that you only end up reflecting on your beliefs and not being hurt! He comes up with some wonderful real life situations, infuses witty dialogues and aided by a wonderful performance from Aamir Khan, who speaks Bhojpuri in this film, dishes out a memorable film! For a change, the heroine is not restricted to running around trees and singing duets with the hero. Anushka Sharma, as Jaggu, working for a television news channel, comes up with an enchanting performance, almost matching Aamir Khan!

It’s not that the movie is entirely flawless. There are times when you feel a particular scene could have been shorter. There are times when you are reminded of another wonderful Hindi film “Oh My God”. Towards the end, you definitely feel that the director could have avoided some “masala” elements in the movie. However, as a package, you will end up loving this film and would generously forgive the director for these minor flaws!

Special mention to Aamir Khan’s performance as an extra-terrestrial, struggling to come to terms with the (religious) ways of us earthlings. His choice of Bhojpuri as the language the extra-terrestrial learns/speaks is interesting and his dialogue delivery with a pan in his mouth (most of the time) makes the viewing more enjoyable. This guy definitely has mastered the art of striking an emotional chord with his audience. The last Aamir Khan movie I saw in a multiplex was “Taare Zameen Par”. It definitely struck a chord with me. It was déjà vu with PK towards the end, knowing fully well that the emotional element was an unnecessary “masala” addition to the film!

Or, may be, I was carried away by the emotions of Jaggu’s father, who is elated at the launch/book reading of his daughter’s novel. May be I was reminded of my father who was as elated when one of my stories was published in “The Hindu” last year!

Whatever, there’s no doubt I liked this film. Go watch it and enjoy! It’s worth your time and money!