PK Review: Quintessential Hirani all the way

Ameet Bhuvan

It is the most awaited hyped and talked about film of the year; a Rajkumar Hirani film starring Amir Khan would not be anything else now would it? This fact, and the pressures it brings on not the just the makers but even movie goers like us, was enough for me to fear I would be disappointed with the end result. Thankfully, Hirani doesn’t just deliver a masterpiece, he makes you think while you are entertained.

Anushka is a journalism student who returns to India post her course and meets PK, a wide eyed saucepan ear-ed weirdo who has no limits to his curiosity and in the process has everyone curious as to who or what he really is. PK asks some very relevant questions, that most of us in the real world have but never bother or dare to ask, and he asks these aloud. Together the two decide to find answers to them. In the process they meet sushant, Boman, Sanjay Dutt and a sundry other characters; I can only give out this much without spoiling the film for you!

PK is silly, far fetched, super exaggerated and yet warm at the core and laden with pathos. It has some hilarious inspired moments, pieces that drag and stretch (mostly due to the over simplification Hirani is infamous for) and yet it  is never for once dull or boring.

Large part of the credit for this goes to Hirani- he is a master story teller, his grip on narration is something no one in the current lot of Bollywood can conjure up. He creates moments at once poignant and at once unbelievably out of this world. Aiding him in this journey is Amir Khan, delivering his career best, breezing through the role of PK with sincerity rarely seen in leading men these days.

The other scene stealer in the film is Anushka- a bravura performance, her best as well, she matches Amir nuance to nuance and never once picks a false tone. If only the songs and music were as memorable as well. The songs, the way they jut out in the narrative and the way they hinder the film is simply sad.

It is rare that a film questions beliefs, especially of a god fearing nation like ours that has million gods smiling on us every single day. It is even rarer that the film does this with a smile on its face, without pontificating and sermonizing. PK does all of this with a flair only Hirani can manage. After Munnabhai, PK is the next buzzword for years to come. All Hail PK!

Rating: 4