After the Munnabhai movies and 3 Idiots, it is natural to have mammoth expectations from a Rajkumar Hirani. A movie that hits you hard, delivers a strong message and makes the public question some age old conventions and beliefs, that's what his past movies had (some of them in bits and pieces, others in spades). PK though, is the strongest of his efforts on that front.
PK is about Aamir's character (named PK by the public) arriving from a distant planet on earth on a research mission only to have his "remote control" stolen. This remote, is the sole means by which he can summon the spaceship that brought him here to get him back. Without the remote, he is essentially stuck on earth. He slowly starts learning the nuances of earthly culture and language and gradually moves closer towards finding the remote. He also realizes from the public that it is God alone who can help him find it. In the process, he ends up questioning and challenging the religious belief system that India has built involving multiple religions, each with their own set of traditions.
That last part is what hits you hard about PK. The fact that there is only one God, the true God, the one who created us all unlike the many Gods that exist and are worshiped on a daily basis is something worth taking home. Also, by this time, I wouldn't call PK being an alien a spoiler since this is very much clear from the start of the film itself (and in fact, is something that the screenwriter Abhijat Joshi has heavily hinted at in a Plot Summary written by him on IMDb).
Aamir is spot on with his portrayal of PK and one almost feels that he's back in form after the disastrous (but still financially successful) Dhoom: 3. His performance is again going to be a talking point for months to come and perhaps, may even land him the Filmfare yet again. The others complement Aamir well enough especially Anushka, who, despite having considerably fewer films under her belt almost feels like a seasoned performer by now.
But the laurels all go to Rajkumar Hirani and Abhijat Joshi for the wonderful script and direction; the script has so much material it moves at a break necking speed, never quite running out of events or situations. The crisp editing allows them to pack in a lot of stuff without it taking way too much time. The romance could have been toned down a bit as it was the only part that felt a bit unnecessary but in the end, that is a minor quirk in an otherwise outstanding effort. Shooting in real locations in Delhi such as the Red Fort and even a metro station lends an authenticity to the film that sets can simply not achieve. The music is strictly functional though and unlike the "Give Me Some Sunshine" song in Hirani's 3 Idiots, such a hard hitting number is missing.
For a country like India with an over-surge of religions, languages and traditions that sometimes border on meaninglessness, PK as a movie is an eye-opener. Sure it has its cheesy moments and it may not exactly be a "complex" piece of art in the league of Terrence Mallick or Christopher Nolan movies. But in an industry like Bollywood which is plagued with commercial no-brainers from one Khan after another, PK is not only a strong film, it is a laudable effort. I'd recommend every Indian to watch this film at least once and wake up from the nonsense that is being served in the name of religion to truly realizing what God is all about.
Overall Score: 8.0 / 10
PK is about Aamir's character (named PK by the public) arriving from a distant planet on earth on a research mission only to have his "remote control" stolen. This remote, is the sole means by which he can summon the spaceship that brought him here to get him back. Without the remote, he is essentially stuck on earth. He slowly starts learning the nuances of earthly culture and language and gradually moves closer towards finding the remote. He also realizes from the public that it is God alone who can help him find it. In the process, he ends up questioning and challenging the religious belief system that India has built involving multiple religions, each with their own set of traditions.
That last part is what hits you hard about PK. The fact that there is only one God, the true God, the one who created us all unlike the many Gods that exist and are worshiped on a daily basis is something worth taking home. Also, by this time, I wouldn't call PK being an alien a spoiler since this is very much clear from the start of the film itself (and in fact, is something that the screenwriter Abhijat Joshi has heavily hinted at in a Plot Summary written by him on IMDb).
Aamir is spot on with his portrayal of PK and one almost feels that he's back in form after the disastrous (but still financially successful) Dhoom: 3. His performance is again going to be a talking point for months to come and perhaps, may even land him the Filmfare yet again. The others complement Aamir well enough especially Anushka, who, despite having considerably fewer films under her belt almost feels like a seasoned performer by now.
But the laurels all go to Rajkumar Hirani and Abhijat Joshi for the wonderful script and direction; the script has so much material it moves at a break necking speed, never quite running out of events or situations. The crisp editing allows them to pack in a lot of stuff without it taking way too much time. The romance could have been toned down a bit as it was the only part that felt a bit unnecessary but in the end, that is a minor quirk in an otherwise outstanding effort. Shooting in real locations in Delhi such as the Red Fort and even a metro station lends an authenticity to the film that sets can simply not achieve. The music is strictly functional though and unlike the "Give Me Some Sunshine" song in Hirani's 3 Idiots, such a hard hitting number is missing.
For a country like India with an over-surge of religions, languages and traditions that sometimes border on meaninglessness, PK as a movie is an eye-opener. Sure it has its cheesy moments and it may not exactly be a "complex" piece of art in the league of Terrence Mallick or Christopher Nolan movies. But in an industry like Bollywood which is plagued with commercial no-brainers from one Khan after another, PK is not only a strong film, it is a laudable effort. I'd recommend every Indian to watch this film at least once and wake up from the nonsense that is being served in the name of religion to truly realizing what God is all about.
Overall Score: 8.0 / 10