It has been 5 years since Raju Hirani’s last release. It was the movie that attempted to change the way we treat our children’s education. It did make many of us think if we had got the choices at that stage in life maybe, just maybe, we would have chosen alternate career paths, might not be with the same results. But maybe that regret would not be there which we see existing around us.
11 years since his directorial debut with an aging action star, the movie that changed a lot of things for a lot of people and gave the world a new way to show love – JAADU KI JHAPPI…
The sequel went a step further. It took the basic idea which was core to our freedom struggle, used that icon who was majorly relegated to the currency notes and made it a global phenomena, part of our daily lingo…- GANDHIGIRI
The last film spoke about a strong social message regarding education, but gave the resolve that all would be fine, as long as we had self belief…ALL IS WELL
Mind you, all the above films had a very strong social message but they were not social dramas, there was oodles of rib tickling, jaw hurting intelligent laughter which made everyone from 6-60 laugh.
We are truly blessed to be living in an era, where Raju Hirani makes films. This one, mind you, has its own punch line, WRONG NUMBER.
Set in the present times, PK is about a person’s search, for trust, peace, love, humanity and in turn GOD. This is a bold and daring subject Raju and his writer Abhijat Joshi have undertaken. The topics touched, the questions raised and the suggested answers at times so simple, are so deftly handled. They could have easily fallen on the side of controversy and raised unnecessary reactions from factions looking for a shoulder to jump on. But nowhere is that line even touched. Yet, it makes one question one’s beliefs and ones basic values.
It would be criminal to discuss the film’s plot and story, not due to any suspense element, (there are enough spoilers who are sending messages on social networks disclosing the entire plot) but more so because it is imperative that you see the film in the innocence that it was perceived in. Let it shock you, scare you and make you cry.
Sushant Singh Rajput in his extended cameo does a commendable job. Parikshit Sahni, a regular in Hirani’s films as the doubting father is decent. Wish Boman Irani had a more meatier role to play. He has always given his best in Hirani’s films. Saurabh Shukla as the Godman does a very good job.
Sanjay Dutt’s Rajasthani Bhairao Singh is excellent. Wonder had he been available, would he have got a bigger part to play? Reminds us of the brilliant work he and the makers have given in the Munnabhai series.
Anushka Sharma is the soul of the film. She manages to stand her ground in front of an inspired Aamir and she has done a fantastic job. She is as lively as her Akira 2 years ago, at the same time conveys the maturity of today’s single girl living in Delhi. Her bubbliness, her distraught at being left alone, relief at the realization and the shock at the end are so beautifully conveyed. Another winner at her hands.
Coming back to the man at the centre of all this, literally, PK. Aamir gives us one of his best performances ever. He has a child like crazy excitement at all things around him, the curiosity in his eyes, the control over the Bhojpuri dialect… this is the perfection that he is known for, what the audience expects from him and he delivers it in style. He has taken great pains to get into the skin of the character and it shows and pays off well. His chemistry with Anushka, camaraderie with Sanjay and face offs with Saurabh are all so difficult to achieve for some even in multiple films and he manages all with great elan in just one.
Kudos to Raju Hirani. Yet again. His music is topical, well woven into the film’s narrative, as always and does not hurt your eyes and ears. The screenplay by Abhijat Joshi and Hirani will strike a connect instantly with all. Yes, the plot’s similarities with the 2012 OMG can’t be ruled out. But that was a fight against GOD and his GODMEN, this is a search for GOD. One might say there are certain parts which seem irrelevant, citing the train blast, India/Pak, Hindu/Muslim angles, but essentially, it are these very angles that are the root of all communal issues in our current lives. Something we are seeing playing out across the country repeatedly, even today.
Hats off to the eccentric yet lovable, one of my favourites, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, for having the patience and the vision to make this film. Sanjay Dutt had made a statement once, the element of pure goodness in Hirani’s films, comes from the pureness of his soul.
RATING : 4.5/5
