First of all, I did not want to write any more personal blog posts, for reasons I can't divulge. But I just could not resist not writing anything about PK, simply because I truly feel the response gathered by this movie is not what it deserves! And I am not saying this because I am an Aamir Khan fan. Fact is, that most of us have got it wrong big time, which has led to mixed reviews and perceptions (mostly negative) in the minds of general public.
Let's start with movie review first. Well you expect and keep expecting more and more once you get movies like Munnabhai series and 3 Idiots from Rajkumar Hirani. Quite naturally, this movie has many aspects which pale in comparison to previous movies made by the same creative team. Like, songs, except Bhagwan Hai Kaha Re Tu, are not even OK. Aamir's sudden love interest for Anushka Sharma seems to be forced into the storyline. Sanjay Dutt's role also seemed to be forced into the script. Boman Irani has been royally wasted, I mean, you really needed him to do that role? For that matter, I was able to ignore the stupid pregnancy situation in 3 Idiots because rest of the movie caught my unadulterated attention. But here, NO, I could not ignore these blunders, if I may call it, and these were few of those put offs. Certainly, you don't expect these from Hirani & Aamir, atleast I don't. As mentioned before, high expectations are equally responsible here and not just bad film making!
This film has received a lot of flak from 'Hindu' supporters, read this in some articles like this. Apparently 'Hindu' community is shown in poor light as they are a 'soft' community, who bear whatever is being said or done to them. Then, many have found the nude act by Aamir too much to digest, as well as the alien thing. Infact, just saw a meme saying Koi Mil Gaya + Oh My God = PK. Many have said that if you have watched Oh My God, you don't need to watch PK. Many feel it's a one-time watch movie, as it hovers around an already addressed topic about God and God-men. To all these people and their respective perceptions, I just have to say this - you have got it terribly wrong guys!
Let me elaborate. Starting with this movie about God and God-men, yes, I agree it was a part of the movie. Yes, a part of the movie, not the entire movie itself! Oh My God attempted to look at this subject from an atheist, frustrated person's point of view. PK, however, looked at this subject with virgin ignorance. Don't you feel an atheist will have a strong prejudice when he talks about these things? But will an alien have any prejudice at all? About anything at all on a new planet? Puts you in some thought right?
Poor Aamir, the alien, lands on earth and the 1st human who sees him robs him! He has nothing except a shiny little locket, and the robber could not resist his temptation one bit; not once did he think of offering some help to the poor, naked man. Humanity has stooped to extreme low levels, isn't it? Recent killings of school kids in Pakistan by Taliban terrorists does prove this, right? There I drift again!
Coming back to the core subject, the Gandhi incident in the movie is equally thought provoking. Our nation's father has practical importance only on currency notes, not on any other printed paper. Have we forgotten his deeds after all? Oh, and did we completely miss the India-Pakistan mention? A few recent movies like Filmistaan, Total Siyapa & War Chod Na Yaar have touched upon this sensitive issue with a fresh perspective, one which makes us realize, perhaps, that most people beyond the border are not as hostile and vengeful as we have been thinking for so many years. Infact, even they wan't to have good relations with us. I happen to hear from some friends, who stay abroad now, that in a foreign land, they do not feel any difference between Indians and Pakistanis, and infact bond well with Pakistani people! Why, then, should we still keep hatred in our hearts against common Pakistani folks?
Is it really not that man has created 'religion' and not God? When we are born, who decides our 'religion'? Do we come with some 'Made of religion _________' mark, where the blank is duly filled by Him? Isn't 'religion' nothing more than a specific 'fashion' decided by humans from the past? Did He decide that Brahmins need to have a tiny plait, that Muslim men should grow their facial hair except mustache, that Christian Gods prefer wine and not coconut like Hindu Gods? The complexities are many fold and I really don't think God would have had the vision and stamina to create these in first place.
And then, performing varied 'rituals' to please God, or may I say, bribe Him to get your things done. Right from sacrificing animals to climbing up 1000 steps to a temple barefoot to keeping hardcore fast for entire day, denying your body even a drop of water! God, our creator, can he be so cruel with us? Has he created us or have we created Him?
How can somebody from this country/continent/world/planet look at these things from these perspectives? Maybe somebody alien could, and nobody else. Thus, I think, Hirani thought of bringing out Aamir as an alien to our world. Aamir could thus look at our day-to-day lives from a very different (alien) angle. His questions would not be out of frustration, rather out of sheer ignorance. And what does this do to us, atleast in my case, is give us an unprejudiced view to these things. Showing a naked Aamir Khan was just for fun on superficial level, but perhaps what Hirani really wanted the audience to do was look at these things with naked eyes! And my God, how many of us, have been unable to do it so far!
I feel, PK is certainly not a one-time watch movie. You will get it's true essence once you watch it a few times and all themes portrayed in it strike you, make you think, think without any pre-conceived notions. Hirani has a wonderful message to tell in an entertaining story, like his previous works. His comedy is very clean, subtle and a welcome change unlike slapstick comedies like Golmaal, Hera Pheri, etc (Big fan of Golmaal series!). I still feel he could have made PK better, but it's true essence hasn't skipped me. If only everybody who have watched it, and plan to watch it sooner or later, notice it! Well let's just hope they do :)
