PK Review: Why Bollywood should take the ‘Road less traveled by’ more often

As we near the end of a drought-stricken year with only a handful of impressive Box Office releases- the much-awaited ‘Rangeelo Mehmaan’ a.k.a PK arrives and provides an interim halt to our whining. After almost half a decade later, the Aamir-Hirani duo consistently succeeds to repeat their ‘outwordly’ magic on screen with their latest release. Somewhat halfway between “The Gods Must be Crazy” and “OMG”, P.K is a fresh, engaging and dauntless satire that is indisputably one of the better releases of this year.

There are films that come with an unofficial disclaimer that you must leave your brains at home to truly enjoy them and unfortunately Bollywood was flooded with such instances throughout this year so much so that I almost considered withdrawing my faith from this industry. Amidst this deplorable situation, P.K takes ‘the road less traveled by’ and emerges as the Dark Knight saving an ailing Gotham. With it its core in an effective screenplay, unorthodox execution, striking performances and a riveting narrative- this Aamir-Anushka starrer is a sheer winner and the rightful successor of earlier Hirani directorials namely Lage Raho Munnabhai and 3 Idiots.

The film revolves around the uncanny and hilarious journey of P.K (essayed by Aamir Khan), whose name traces its origin from numerous people retorting him as ‘drunk’ in effect to his eccentric and irrational manners. With goblin ears, arched eyebrows, protruding eyes and robotic pace- P.K is an unlikely extraterrestrial who makes you burst out in cackle and also ponder on the existing societal dictums deeper than usual. As he loses his way back to his own planet, he discovers a whole new world in our planet that is amusing and confusing at the same time.

 In an outright contradiction to the bulk of stereotypical fictional heroes who embark on the journey of finding either love, adventure or freedom; P.K explores an extraordinary pursuit of a non-human for the “Supreme Being” who is hailed and worshipped as the Creator and Savior of the people on earth. On this curious quest, he befriends the buoyant, feisty TV reporter Jaggu (played by Anushka Sharma) who buys his story and tries to help him out to revive an object of great significance.  

The greatest strength of P.K. is its well-outlined and pretenseless screenplay. At every turns and moves, the film takes a dig on the established and distinct traditions of different religions and prudently questions the hoaxes and fallacies promoted by the religious gurus and godmen in this country. The film’s approach is unapologetically bold and evidently effectual. Though it cannot be termed as an ideal black comedy, yet it leaves its mark as a promising and highly-entertaining dark mockery that is a rarity in Indian Cinema these days. It is emblematic of Raju Hirani to direct a film where he juggles with logic and yet strikes the psyche of the audience with a deeply-rooted emotive appeal. It is amusing to see how through crunchy dialogues and dash of slapstick comedy the film touches upon controversial subject matters with such admirable ease and laudable sarcasm. It really takes some balls to pull such an audacious directorial like P.K in a society that is extensively defensive about its religious beliefs and habitually takes offence in any blow against their faith.

Aamir in the titular role is expectedly brilliant. His commendable ability to get into the skin and soul of every character that he plays stands established yet again. He is an actor who knows how to engage his gargantuan clientele of fans even with an avant-garde and experimental role that is quite unlike the pick of the regular, formula film lovers. Anushka duly compliments Aamir with a convincing and endearing performance. The supporting cast comprising Sanjay Dutt , Saurav Shukla and Boman Irani also proves its horsepower and can be undoubtedly called the best ensemble of this year.

However, P.K does hit some lows that kinda blight the otherwise immaculate and savoring production. The film tends to get a little too stretched out and overtly dramatic post-interval and even the ending seems a bit rushed and overdone. There are some plot points and imageries that leave you wondering if their inclusion in the film were at all required.

Barring that, P.K is the perfect festive delicacy you must treat yourself this Christmas Holidays with. This ‘out-of-the world’ cinematic experience is worth every penny you bet on it.