PK Movie Review

5 years after 3 Idiots, arguably the most entertaining film of the last decade, Aamir Khan, Rajkumar Hirani and Abhijat Joshi (writer) return with a film titled ‘PK’. Expectations of a wholesome entertainer are sky-high. The buzz around PK has slowly but surely built up and the trailers have created tremendous curiosity amongst the audience. Comparisons with classics like Munnabhai M.B.B.S, Lage Raho Munnabhai and 3 Idiots will be inevitable. So does PK fulfil all those lofty expectations? Let’s find out!

Story: Jagat Janani (Anushka Sharma) encounters a strange man (Aamir Khan) with strange habits and an unusual lingo while traveling in Delhi. He says his name is PK. He says a lot of things which makes Jaggu feel that he is lying. No sane human would take his words as the truth. He pees in public places to get himself locked up in Delhi lockups to escape the rains. He steals money from beggars. He doesn’t understand how life on earth works. He is looking for a thing very dear to him. He asks God for it repeatedly, but doesn’t get any reply. There begins his journey to understand life and in that process he makes us all understand what life is all about.

First things first, when you go to watch a Rajkumar Hirani film, the yardsticks are different. You don’t just pay to get entertained, but also to get enlightened, as each of his films carry a social message. In that regard, PK falls well short in the second half after an outstanding first. The first half is rip roaring and brings the house down with plenty of trademark Hirani moments. In the second half, the pace begins to dip. (Spoiler alert) The bomb blast scene was unnecessary and you fail to understand the purpose it served. The romantic angle between Jaggu and PK was definitely not needed when a cute friendship would have sufficed just as much. The second half felt a little too similar to ‘OMG: Oh My God’ and the TV show scenes just did not hit home the point as well as it should have. It wasn’t even clear what Hirani was trying to say. Was the film about inter-religion marriage, atheism or superstition?

Anushka Sharma, Aamir Khan – PK

The technical aspects of PK are top notch. The cinematography is excellent. Both Delhi and Bruges are captured beautifully. The editing by Hirani himself is spot on although the duration could have been cut short by a further 5-10 minutes to speed up proceedings in the second half. The music of PK suits the tone of the film and the songs are pleasing to the ears.

PK has to count amongst the best ever performances of Aamir Khan. To say he is amazing in and as PK would be an understatement. The type of commitment he has shown in the film is terrific. His mannerisms, his expressions and his hold of Bhojpuri sets an example for other actors to emulate. PK will always be a special Aamir Khan role. Anushka is very good as Jagat Janani although there are shades of her character from Jab Tak Hai Jaan in PK. She is charming and lovable. Sushant Singh Rajput plays his part well. Saurabh Shukla is a knockout as the main force of opposition in PK and is probably Hirani’s all out black character. Boman Irani has an insignificant role. Sanjay Dutt has a small role to play, he does well.

Overall, if the first half of PK made us feel like Hirani was at his very best, the second could possibly be his worst so far. It felt like the post-interval portions were directed by a different director and not Hirani. One of the hallmarks of a Hirani film are the strong supporting characters and PK has no character that stands out. There was too much focus on PK and that’s what undid the film. Having said that, PK is definitely better than 95% of the films that are made in Bollywood. It deserves a watch but doesn’t have the repeat value of 3 Idiots or Munnabhai films. Don’t make the mistake of expecting too much and PK will keep you hooked.

Box office: PK is expected to create history with 3 open weeks at the box office, and the goodwill of Rajkumar Hirani and star-power of Aamir Khan will help tremendously. However, the lack of repeat-value, limited appeal towards the masses and a poor second half, might affect the film in the long run.

Rating: Way better than most films this year, but you expect more from a Hirani – Aamir film.