PK...meaning a person who has had one too many...well, this movie was certainly not made by anyone inebriated, it is creative, coherent, comical yet attempts to take on a dynamite subject - religion. A subject fraught with danger esp in a multi-religious country like India, where all religions co-exist within the confines of say a dynamite depot..all is fine till someone lights a match.
A movie by Rajkumar Hirani with Aamir Khan in the lead is a movie I look forward to...its bound to be different, with some interwoven social message but not in a preachy way. Two masters of their craft who give thought provoking movies made for not the intelligentsia alone but the masses.
Ranga and I found time to go on Dec 31st at Mysore in a single screen theatre which was frozen in time in the 90s and since it was a morning show on a working day, we only had a few others for company, so it was like a special screening..complete with a small packet of popcorn at Rs 10 ?- !!! - but believe you me, the taste was as delicious as the movie...
The movie is about an alien who lands on Earth and promptly is relieved of his "remote" which he would need to recall his spaceship and the ensuing search. You will say ET !! But no, this guy is smart with a wide eyed straight face and gets into muddles, gets out of them and is then forced to take on self-style God men who hold sway on superstitious masses...and finally espouses what the knowledgeable know - that we should have faith in the creator, not the creation of the creator's creation ! This, the director has seamlessly woven in a story and brought out that profound truism in a simplistic manner. but Man - "Oh! Ye of Little Faith" as usual managed to misunderstand and take him on that he was against a particular religion. Granted that he has focussed on the fallacies of Hindu God men more than the others, but he has shown them too. Giving him the benefit of doubt that being a Hindu Raju Hirani felt more comfortable writing a story around a Hindu God man, OR that 2 1/2 hours is too short to depict all fallacies of all religions...can we give more credence to the fact that even in the 21st century people are gullible and can be taken for a ride by a slick talking scamster, who uses religion to strike fear in the hearts of the ignorant and ensures that he/she is a slave to his so-called interpretation of the scriptures rather than believing that religion is personal, a way of life and God loves us all, God is our friend, philosopher, guide and will NEVER be vindictive, or petty enough to wreak havoc in your life just because you have been truant...He is benevolent beyond our understanding, all knowing and all pervading...so as the movie ends with believe in HIM not his self - proclaimed representatives...you can't help but wonder why this simple truth is so difficult for most to grasp? We both enjoyed the movie and somehow seeing such a movie made and released gives one hope for the future...a future of peace.
Watch the movie for its simplicity, flawless acting by Aamir Khan, Anushka Sharma is good too but is hamstrung by her weirdly botox-ed lips, wonderful cameo by Sanjay Dutt etc. the director is masterful and does not allow the pace to flag. This time round he has depicted the Hindu God-man, maybe the Mullah who is preventing girls from getting an education, sheltering and training terrorists or the Christian padre who in his quest for increasing his flock stoops to converting desperate people bribing their souls will be the fodder for his next flick? Yes, unsavory truths, uncomfortable issues but ones that need to be addressed. Instead of pussy footing around flammable topics, can we have an open discussion and take a look at the rot in our society without a jaundiced eye?
Kudos to the film makers..instead of banning such films encourage them - they are willing to beard the lion...more strength to them to take on more controversial issues...controversy rises only when the arrow strikes close to home...too close for comfort, no?
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