PK: A Good Concept But A Failed Satire

Note: This post has dissected the movie and contain spoilers. 

Aamir Khan’s films are one of the most awaited ones in bollywood for he is not just an actor but a thinker and a perfectionist, complemented and even criticized for his involvement in the movie right from script to direction. It didn't change for PK because of the Aamir Khan - Raj Kumar Hirani duo despite the Dhoom 3 disaster. The suspense was well built, each motion picture slowly released followed by trailers, none revealing what the movie was all about. It surely worked as the movie has now ignited controversies and made 544 crores globally. But was it the best thing that could be done with the story? Here is how I see it.

Firstly an Alien, physically exactly like human lands on earth and the very next moment his spaceship takes off. You negate the logical flaw for the cause the story is aimed at, evident in the next instant when an earthling steals his pendant (the remote to the spaceship), the only way to go back to his planet. This was the "aha" moment for me, I loved the concept and the satire it hinted at. Since he is stuck here and has a mission to accomplish now, he has to communicate with people on the planet, understand how things function and get his remote back. So we get to revisit our world through his lenses. A living being who understands without words, from a planet where there is no religion or any kind of compartmentalization. The seriousness of it all presented in humor yet emphatically in Bhojpuri with a pan. The first thing he does of course is ask the question "where could he find his stolen remote", the answer to it as to most unknown is "Bhagwaan". The moment the film moved onto this track I marveled at the genius of an Indian backdrop in the story; for where else in the world would could an alien get so confused about clothing, prayer protocols, whom to pray to and what to offer in prayer? In his journey of understanding us, PK poses the greatest questions "What is the difference between the 20 rupee idol and the 500 rupee idol?" or out of confusion he asks the maker of the idol "Did God create you or you created him?"

He goes to the extent of wearing a yellow helmet so that he can catch God's focus just like a taxi is spotted from a distance. He also amuses us with the reasoning that the lord isn't listening to him and so he is lost. He distributes pamphlets with "Missing" for Gods and Goddesses, followed by his address.  He observes different religions, makes mistakes in his manner of offering prayers, thinking we are manufactured in different religious companies and in a very light manner we are ridiculed of our diversities in even in approaching the same God. The fact that each God and religion has everything to with fashion (meaning dressing style) is very emphatic.  As he tries to please every existing God in the precise manner as that specific religion dictates, the song "bhagwaan hai kahan re tu" plays and one can feel his confusion, pain and disappointment in the ways we take as normal. Till this point I felt an impact as great as Charlie Chaplin movie, I had put the team on the altar but alas! it was downhill from there.

The script goes in the direction of proving one religious guru wrong. An agent of God who cannot connect to the right person to discovering he is a fraud.  The debate is no where nearly as emphatic as the amplitude it began with. The film runs on a different platform similar to the movie Oh My God, but so mild that it cannot even be put on the same level for comparison. That isn't all, the worst thing they say about Indian film industry then follows "we just can't do without some romance". The romantic angle between Aamir and Anushka, resulting into a triangle was just not needed.

Just imagine how an alien would feel if he comes from a planet where there is no language, where ones thoughts can be read and where there is neither a currency nor something like religion, just existence of the species. This is such an amazing thought, a concept that can be used to pose very strong questions to everything that we call "human". To make humans rethink and be better at being human, to evolve.

What could have been a better script if they had to produce a bollywood romance is, an alien discovering love and relationships and their nature in our fast changing world. People their materialism beyond emotions or how circumstances change relationships, all from an alien eye would make a good story. The best script however would be the satire in the first half of the script limited not just to God but to every component of our world and ways. Money, Caste system, Illiteracy, Poverty, War, Terrorism, Sexism, the issues to address are endless. It would have sent such a strong message like nothing ever has. Charlie Chaplin I am sure would have done that with an Alien in hand. 

I agree everyone needs money to feed themselves but the creators of this movie seem to have backed off from what could have been one of the finest movie scripts just for a few hundred crores. I know you may mock me when I say "a few hundred crores" but it was the same man Rajkumar Hirani who put forward the philosophy "success nahi excellence ke peeche bhaago". Have you forgotten it sir?  Nevertheless, since the money has been made with this one, I hope the next is a creative and an intellectual pursuit. Its time we select stronger, ambitious scripts, ask difficult questions and answer complicated issues. Cinema is the strongest means to reach people in a country like ours. Lets make the best of it. As for Aamir I just feel sorry his dream for an Oscar could have come true with this film as his acting is marvelous but again one cannot, not do the experiment and expect an Oscar, right?