PK review: Aamir Khan steals the show, it's a winner all the way

December 19, 2014

PK reviewMumbai, Dec 19: "Jo darr gaya, wo mandir gaya." It’s difficult to convince you of our impartiality with such a header, but this is where our job begins. In my defense, I begin by telling you that PK is the most ‘different’ Aamir Khan film you have ever seen. Now, let’s start cracking the code.

PK (Aamir Khan) is not his name. In fact, he has no name. His clan doesn’t believe in alienating people on their name, caste, creed, language or religion. Sounds like the preamble of our Constitution? Well, this is the essence of director Rajkumar Hirani’s PK. And it is high on emotions and full of drama.

Who is PK then? Well, he is a humanitarian, who lives in the hearts of millions. See, I am trying to be as secretive as possible about his distinctiveness. Let’s join threads from the scene all of you have seen in the promos. Of course, the transistor scene. So, here is a guy with unblinking eyes, fluttering ears and toned muscles walking towards the most treacherous of places -- in the middle of a desert. He is in Rajasthan. This man is helpless against people who have no moral qualms in making the earth a worse place than what it already is. But he is a firm believer in all things good, and therefore keeps going and soon finds himself in the middle of a megacity -- Delhi, the national capital.

The second part of his adventures begins in Delhi -- He is intrigued by the rules and ways of this big city. PK explores the big bad world with charming innocence and a lot of wit. All of a sudden, he finds himself pitted against a widely followed godman Tapasvi Jee (Saurabh Shukla), and the only person he can trust in this ‘holy’ war is Jagat Janani (Anushka Sharma), a news reporter.

Let's leave the character details here and get down to the nitty-gritties of the theme.

First things first. What is the film about? PK is a man’s journey through the paradoxes of Indian society. He cannot understand the meaning of religion, or the rituals most people busy themselves with. He cannot differentiate between a Hindu and a Muslim. He wonders why godmen ask for money. He disapproves the absurdities that make believers against believers. Think it is too much like Oh My God?

PK's problems are no different from those faced by Kanji Bhai. But the undertone is diagonally opposite. If it was atheists versus believers in OMG, PK showcases a tussle between believers of two different streams. Nobody is denying the existence of god (They didn’t do it in OMG either), but they are not willing to follow the norms set by the managers of religion. Yes, this is the term Hirani has used for godmen and it fits to the core.

This is one masterstroke for a simple reason. India is a country that deals with evils such as poverty, lack of basic amenities and religious corruption. In such a scenario, the almighty becomes the only guiding light. It doesn’t ease off your problems but gives you the strength to sail through the bad weather. It may not sound politically correct, but it suits the popular sentiment. That is to find the root of the problems inside the ‘immediate’ domain, inside your ‘local’ society.

Probably this is the cause behind Hirani’s fascination with the Gandhian philosophy. Bapu didn’t invoke the idea of armed repulsion but infused the unarmed masses with the pride of being a rebellion. This worked at two levels. First, it prepared the followers for a long and ruthless battle which would see many of them crushed under the boots of British army. Second, it complemented our old belief that a physically inferior guy can be heard if he can convince others of his pain. PK has characteristics that’ll remind you of the penetrating power of Gandhian philosophy. He is not a naïve guy, but he believes in others’ virtues. He gets bitten, cries and then goes back to the work he has been doing, like most of us.

There are some very powerful scenes in the film that will make you cry, uneasy in seat, and even laugh sheepishly at times. In one of the remarkable sequences, PK realises that small pieces of paper with an imprint of Gandhi Jee can buy him carrots. He collects big pictures of Gandhi Jee from adjacent walls and gives them to a vendor only to be scolded back in return. Then he says, “Gandhi Jee ki photo ki value sirf ek tarah ke kagaz pe hi hai.”

In another sequence, he goes to a church and watches people offering wine. Unfortunately, he tries to repeat the same inside a mosque and says, “Lagta hai bhagwan ko nariyal paani me maza nahi aa raha tha.” You can easily guess the result.

The makers haven’t spared any major religion of the Indian subcontinent. They have shown some Muslim girls being stopped from going to school in the wake of a fatwa. They didn’t know that something drastic will happen in Pakistan just before the release of PK.

The concept exposes the business of fear: It touches on how everybody from the religious leaders to media pundits are utilising fear to further their own business, or even how it is the biggest threat staring at us today.

Sushant Singh Rajput plays Sarfaraz, a Pakistani who falls victim to the hate game, but ultimately his issue gets resolved because of the open mindedness of some Indians. Didn’t we see #IndiaWithPak

trending on Twitter just a couple of days ago? On second thoughts, there couldn’t be a better timing for the film’s release.

The screenplay is linear and full of ‘talkative’ scenes. The story is perfectly paced at least in the first half. The latter part of the second half is extremely dramatic with crying characters live on air and immediate change of hearts but that’s more like giving the story a logical conclusion. Yes, it appears ‘over the top’ but not for more than five minutes, and that are the only dull moments. In PK’s language ‘lull hai’.

It’s Aamir Khan’s show all the way. It’s amusing to see him make an otherwise ‘absurd concept on paper’ plausible. He is the master of disguise and it’s good to see such a ‘projectionist’ on top of his game. PK will always remain among the most cherished characters in his kitty.

Anushka Sharma is radiant and she is growing in stature. She seems confident and holds her fort in front of Aamir. By the way, her lips didn’t look any different to me, don’t know about you. Saurabh Shukla is the spine of the drama and as expected he doesn’t disappoint.

PK is a fun film with proper dose of ‘gyaan’. It’s a film that shouldn’t be missed and it’s brave because it attempts to create a better world. Another winner from Rajkumar Hirani. It would be hard to stop it from owning the box-office as well.

And yes, don’t leave the theatre till the credit rolls. There is a surprise for you.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
May 20,2020

New Delhi, May 20: Singer Justin Bieber on Wednesday thanked his Indian fans for showering love on his newly-launched song 'Stuck With U'.

The 26-year-old singer shared a video on Twitter, that featured many Indian music enthusiasts crooning and making their own individual creative videos with the song playing in the background.

In reaction to it, the 'Yummy' singer tweeted: "Thank You India"

Bieber and American singer Ariana Grande teamed up for the song earlier this month to help the people affected and who are in need during the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

The official music video was dropped on May 8. The romantic track marks the first collaboration of the duo.

The music video has cameos by the singer's partners and features many special moments shared by the couple amid lockdown.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
April 30,2020

Mumbai, Apr 30: Rishi Kapoor, the romantic star of many a Bollywood film who was diagnosed with leukemia in 2018, died in a Mumbai hospital on Thursday, his brother Randhir Kapoor said. He was 67.

Rishi, a third generation actor of the famous Kapoor dynasty, is survived by his wife Neetu Kapoor, actor son Ranbir and daughter Ridhima.

"He is no more. He has passed away," Randhir said.

Rishi was taken to the H N Reliance hospital by his family on Wednesday.

His death comes a day after after his "D-Day" co-star Irrfan Khan passed away, also of cancer. Three months ago, the disease claimed his sister Ritu Nanda.

"Our dear Rishi Kapoor passed away peacefully at 8:45am IST in hospital today after a two-year battle with leukemia. The doctors and medical staff at the hospital said he kept them entertained to the last.

He remained jovial and determined to live to the fullest right through two years of treatment across two continents. Family, friends, food and films remained his focus and everyone who met him during this time was amazed at how he did not let his illness get the better of him, the family said in a statement.

Rishi returned to India last September after undergoing treatment for his cancer in the US for almost a year.

In February, he was hospitalised twice.

He was first admitted to a hospital in Delhi where he was attending a family function. At the time, he had said he was suffering from an "infection".

After his return to Mumbai, he was again admitted to a hospital with viral fever. He was discharged soon after.

Rishi made his first screen appearance as a child artiste in his father Raj Kapoor's film Shri 420 , where he appeared in the song Pyaar hua ekraar hua . This was followed by "Mera Naam Joker". But it was in 1973, with the blockbuster Bobby , again directed by his father, that he made his debut as a romantic hero. He continued to be a favourite romantic hero for almost three decades.

His notable films as a romantic hero are "Laila Majnu", "Rafoo Chakkar", "Karz", "Chandni", "Heena" and "Saagar".

He was, however, more proud of his second innings as an actor, which he found more satisfying. His notable films as a character artiste are "Do Dooni Chaar" with wife Neetu, "Agnipath" and "Kapoor & Sons".

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
Agencies
August 3,2020

Mumbai, Aug 3: Megastar Amitabh Bachchan says he has immense gratitude for the doctors who provided him with medical care for Covid-19 and feels overwhelmed to be free of the virus finally.

Amitabh, on Sunday, tested negative for the novel coronavirus and was discharged from hospital.

The 77-year-old actor was admitted to Nanavati hospital along with son Abhishek after testing positive for Covid-19 on July 11. Abhishek, 44, is still positive and will remain under medical care.

"It has been heartening to be back from the Hospital after the ‘mukti’ from the coronavirus but a sour taste in the mouth when Abhishek has to still be in the medical care," Amitabh wrote in his blog.

The actor said doctors are tirelessly working towards battling the virus "each hour" through consultation, sharing of information and experience with their fraternity from other parts of the world which gives "the hope of repair."

"Assuring us each minute that ‘all shall be well’ , when in fact they themselves struggle to find that confirmed patent that can be used, delivered, executed to save lives and conditions from the virus.

"When I had addressed them as 'angels in white' I had never imagined that I would be supine in their midst to savour their angelic presence, as they give us hope, inspiration and the strength to fight. They are quite quite remarkable. My gratitude shall never fail for them... feeling bad for Abhishek .. prayers he comes home soon," he added.

On Sunday, Abhishek thanked well-wishers for their continued support and said he would remain under medical care.

"I, unfortunately, due to some comorbidities remain Covid-19 positive and remain in hospital. Again, thank you all for your continued wishes and prayers for my family. Very humbled and indebted. I'll beat this and come back healthier! Promise," he wrote.

Abhishek's wife, actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, 46, and eight-year-old daughter Aaradhya were discharged from the hospital on Monday after testing negative for Covid-19.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.