Day: December 26, 2014

Raju Hirani has directed Munna Bhai MBBS, Lage Raho Munnabhai, 3 Idiots and now PK. With Munnabhai and the sequel he made it cool for the youth to follow Gandhi. With 3 Idiots he took a pot shot at parents obsessing forcing their kids to pursue career choices that left the kids cold. Hirani is back. This time with PK and he is taking a pot shot at a theme that most people side step for the fear of offending the sentiments of the masses.Here comes Hirani’s master stroke. People get offended if anyone makes a critical comment about their religion. The comments are made by an alien whose innocent observations bring out prickly issues like blind faith, religious diktats and godmen who con the masses. If the alien happens to be Aamir Khan, he can pull off this satire with a modern Charlie Chaplinesque performance.Hirani has shown time and again that a film that appeals to the critics can also be a box office rage. All his films have proved to be huge successes commercially. As soon as PK was released we read about Reliance buying 58000 tickets for its employees. Other companies have followd suit. Hirani is smiling all the way to the bank and is soon likely to be smiling all the way to the ATM as well once we have all done our share of viewing.The film is not without its debates. Each controversy only seems to generate curiosity about the film and the publicity machine has worked overtime to ensure everything from the first poster with the 83% nude shot of Aamir, to all the press about offending several religious sentiments will ensure that the film will only continue to do better at the box office. The marketing machinery behind the film deserves credit.What did I like about the film? Some of the visuals of the film are breathtaking. Don’t miss the breathtaking visual of Ugrasen Ki Baoli – a step well situated in the heart of Delhi with its arches and steps. It has to be Delhi’s best kept archaeological secret.As for its music, while Tharki Chhokro is hitting the airwaves regularly, my pick of the film is Chaar Kadam by Shantanu Moitra is a delightful waltz. Anushka and Sushant Singh Rajput’s love story is brilliantly depicted in a matter of minutes. This song should get the credit for bringing their chemistry alive.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDIXUnUkDmkThe film is an Aamir Khan show all the way. He spouts Bhojpuri, eats paan, strips naked and runs in a weird manner and demonstrates his versatility (which no one ever can doubt). Saurabh Shukla is as always brilliant as Tapasvi Maharaj. Anushka Sharma as Jaggu is a well etched character.What did I not like about PK? Unlike Munnabhai and 3 Idiots this time Hirani disappoints with the storyline. There are stories and side plots in PK, but they do not finally come together the way they do in older films of Hirani. The film is courageous but not coherent. It reminds me sometimes of Spielberg’s ET, Forrest Gump and sometimes of Oh My God. Someone commented that it was like watching an Bollywood version of Aamir Khan’s television show Satyamev Jayate.But still if you don’t go and watch you will miss out on one of the biggest movies of the year. You cannot not afford to watch a Hirani-Aamir Khan film. Absolutely yes, you must.—————Join me on Twitter @AbhijitBhaduriMy review of 3 Idiots