PK is the next film from the team that gave us one of the most successful bollywood films of all time, 3 Idiots. Therefore, it goes without saying that the expectations were high. Were they met? Yes, of course they were.
3 idiots enjoyed a tremendous success owing to its satirical comedy and a clever and fresh take on the problems of Indian educational system. However, critically the movie was not as acclaimed as say, Aamir Khan's Lagaan but at the same time, the movie wasn't just mindless fun. It had the right amounts of fun, message and heart that made it the benchmark of a successful film that it is today in Indian cinema.
P.K is similar in technique and style but the subject is different. This time, its religion. Its about an alien who accidentally landed on earth and in the process of finding his way back, observes the religious beliefs of people in India. Without spoiling much, how/whether he finds his way back forms the crux of the story. The movie is not eventful and not a lot happens in terms of the story but the director more than makes up for it with the treatment and characterization. All the characters have done their part very well and Aamir Khan stands out for a stellar performance as PK, an alien who observes everything with child-like curiosity as he tries to fit in the secular society of the country. Though some inspirations could be traced back to a few Hollywood films, he adds an eccentric touch to the portrayal and it does work very well. The music was apt and pleasant, though not 'pop' enough. Editing was very good and the director Rajkumar Hirani should be lauded for giving a movie that does not really waste time and utilizes the medium of cinema very well, just like his previous films. Movies of this kind are rare, we all can concur.
Its easy to understand why the movie could work so well at the box office. Just like 3 Idiots, it has the right amounts of fun, message and heart, making it extremely suitable for the clever commercial movie format. But that was all. Pk raises a few good questions, none of them new. Instead of suggesting an equally clever way of 'solving' them, the movie becomes opinionated and could rub off as slightly childish, naive and pseudo-intellectual, all its intelligence lying in trying to ask the question right. As a consequence, though it provokes thought about contemporary fear-mongering, superstitious and idol-worshiping practices and rituals in the major religions in India, it does not give something solid out of all the satires, questions dressed as jokes and emotions partly induced by music. Unlike the first two films of Mr. Hirani (Munnabhai duology) that had some distinct 'hitting' moments that worked so well, there was no such scene in P.K. At the least, I couldn't find any. Clearly the director has a lot to say intellectually but there had to be some sacrifices made to make sure that movie wasn't preachy and is commercially palpable. That was exactly what P.K achieves. Would the movie have been as much successful commercially, if not more, if there was more intellectual 'content' about the subject it took up? Well, I wouldn't bet on that.
So it goes without saying that P.K features Aamir khan's best work, is definitely one of the best films of the year and is surely recommended.
3 idiots enjoyed a tremendous success owing to its satirical comedy and a clever and fresh take on the problems of Indian educational system. However, critically the movie was not as acclaimed as say, Aamir Khan's Lagaan but at the same time, the movie wasn't just mindless fun. It had the right amounts of fun, message and heart that made it the benchmark of a successful film that it is today in Indian cinema.
P.K is similar in technique and style but the subject is different. This time, its religion. Its about an alien who accidentally landed on earth and in the process of finding his way back, observes the religious beliefs of people in India. Without spoiling much, how/whether he finds his way back forms the crux of the story. The movie is not eventful and not a lot happens in terms of the story but the director more than makes up for it with the treatment and characterization. All the characters have done their part very well and Aamir Khan stands out for a stellar performance as PK, an alien who observes everything with child-like curiosity as he tries to fit in the secular society of the country. Though some inspirations could be traced back to a few Hollywood films, he adds an eccentric touch to the portrayal and it does work very well. The music was apt and pleasant, though not 'pop' enough. Editing was very good and the director Rajkumar Hirani should be lauded for giving a movie that does not really waste time and utilizes the medium of cinema very well, just like his previous films. Movies of this kind are rare, we all can concur.
Its easy to understand why the movie could work so well at the box office. Just like 3 Idiots, it has the right amounts of fun, message and heart, making it extremely suitable for the clever commercial movie format. But that was all. Pk raises a few good questions, none of them new. Instead of suggesting an equally clever way of 'solving' them, the movie becomes opinionated and could rub off as slightly childish, naive and pseudo-intellectual, all its intelligence lying in trying to ask the question right. As a consequence, though it provokes thought about contemporary fear-mongering, superstitious and idol-worshiping practices and rituals in the major religions in India, it does not give something solid out of all the satires, questions dressed as jokes and emotions partly induced by music. Unlike the first two films of Mr. Hirani (Munnabhai duology) that had some distinct 'hitting' moments that worked so well, there was no such scene in P.K. At the least, I couldn't find any. Clearly the director has a lot to say intellectually but there had to be some sacrifices made to make sure that movie wasn't preachy and is commercially palpable. That was exactly what P.K achieves. Would the movie have been as much successful commercially, if not more, if there was more intellectual 'content' about the subject it took up? Well, I wouldn't bet on that.
So it goes without saying that P.K features Aamir khan's best work, is definitely one of the best films of the year and is surely recommended.