A spaceship lands in the dusty desert of Rajasthan, and a wide-eyed alien steps onto the Earth, his only adornment a flashy remote around his neck - which is stolen by the very first human he encounters. Without the remote, he cannot summon his spaceship, and he is stranded on a planet alien to him, with no means of communication or support. And so begins his quest - to retrieve his remote, and to return home. His search brings him to Delhi, and when told by a number of people that only God can help you now - he very literally begins to search for the seemingly elusive 'God' that would return his remote.
Meanwhile in Belgium, an Indian student, Jagatjanini, or Jaggu (Anushka) falls in love with a Pakistani, Sarfarash (Sushant). Their relationship founders on the rocks on religion and parental disapproval, and Jaggu returns to Delhi, nursing a broken heart. On assignment as a television reporter, Jaggu encounters PK on the Delhi Metro, handing out 'Missing - call if seen' leaflets - she is intrigued when she sees that these leaflets have pictures of various Gods on them. Sensing a story, she tracks down PK, and soon becomes a part of his incredible journey. Where do they find the remote? Will PK be able to go home? Will Jaggu be reunited with Sarfarash? Watch the movie to find out...
Just like Dhoom 3, PK is Aamir's film through and through - and just like Dhoom 3, his performance left me cold. The wide-staring eyes, the odd body language, jerky hand gestures - it's all too much, there is no subtlety - every scene screams, "Look at me, I'm an alien, I'm different, I can get away with anything!"!! Even the Bhojpuri dialect - I understand the logic - but really, it feels like Lagaan is being channeled here - especially when PK talks about different planets as gola - if I closed my eyes, it could be Bhuvan exhorting his team-mates to catch the gola! Truly Missing - the charming, natural Aamir Khan that wooed an entire nation!!
As for Anushka, I have to admit that she's never been one of my favorites - and while she does stay in character as Jaggu, she is little more than a glorified side-kick - even Munnabhai's Circuit had a meatier role. Sushant Singh exudes sincerity and boyishness - who wouldn't fall for him? I think I totally missed the point of Sanjay Dutt's character - sentimental casting, maybe? The other cast, too, is a motley of usual suspects from other Hirani films - Saurabh Shukla's self-serving Godman seems to be an extension of his role from Lage Raho, and he brings no additional menace or cunning, which I think was sorely needed. But Jaggu's parents - Farhan's dad and Raju's mom - together??!! I appreciate Hirani's loyalty - but the mix-and-match cast is very distracting.
The best parts of the film show PK learning to live by the standards of society - whether it is stealing clothes from 'dancing cars', to trying to understand the intricacies of currency - it is quite funny to see PK collecting pictures of Gandhiji, and then use them to buy food! Stealing from the temple donation boxes, and pasting pictures of Gods on his face so that people won't hit him, and using a cycle lock to chain his chappals at the temple - all very delightful, the jabs are all light-hearted. Of course, with such a weighty theme - the search for God - the metaphysical is not too far away!
Inevitably, there is comparison with Paresh Rawal's OMG. With all its eye-opening questions, OMG remains a deeply religious film - PK comes across as merely irreverent. The questions are all over the place - for example, what is the point in highlighting that white is worn both by Hindu widows and Christian minorities? That seems to be more of a social tradition, rather than anything religious. And while OMG denounced various religious traditions - PK seems to be questioning the very existence of God. I don't think that was the intentional message, and PK's search was meant to symbolize the true spiritual search of God. What comes across is a petty pointing of fingers, which is quite distasteful.
Hirani also seems to have a very cynical view of our society and people in general. Starting with the initial scenes - naive as it may seem, I would like to believe that a person who comes upon a naked and clearly lost human being in the desert, would stop and provide succor, rather than rob the helpless person of his only possession. Or the whole setup with the tickets to the show - it's a meet-cute for Anushka and Sushant, but it also shows an elderly gentleman cheating these two, and what makes is worse is the way Anushka berates the said elderly gentleman. No, I am a firm believer in the best of people, and these characterizations make me uneasy - we're casually accepting irresponsible, bad behavior as the norm?
And the protests? Really, people, what is so threatening about this film? In one of the best and truest lines of the film, roughly paraphrasing PK - Are our Gods so weak that they need our puny protection? The demonstrations actually work in the film's favor - the controversy increases curiosity and interest, leading to bigger collections. Take away the hype and the big names, this is a very mediocre film. Watch ET instead - that little alien still has the power to bring tears to my eyes with his 'ET go home'!!
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