Movie Review : PK (2014)

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Rating : Good (4.3/5)
Genre : Romance
Year : 2014
Running time : 2 hours 33 minutes
Director : Rajkumar Hirani
Cast : Aamir Khan, Anushka Sharma, Saurabh Shukla, Sushant Singh, Boman Irani, Parikshit Sahni

Rajkumar Hirani generally makes good films, but one is always beset with misgivings going to see one of his earthy productions, fearing he might tip over to the wholly commercial side. Well, that hasn’t happened yet, much to my relief, and PK is one of the best films of the year.

Lovable urchin PK (Khan) cannot go home, until he retrieves lost valuables. He roots around trying to find the thief who has made off with the loot, and wanders from place to place, chewing paan, and conversing in Bhojpuri. PK has a curious mind, coupled with almost no sense of tact or diplomacy and that lands him in peculiar situations. His woes seem to have come to an end when he meets nosy news reporter Jagat Janini aka Jaggu (Sharma).

This was a fun film with quite a few laugh-out-loud hilarious scenes. PK does have a strong message but director Hirani couches it in a light-hearted manner, and asks very valid questions through PK’s childlike simplicity. PK starts off well and milks all the funny situations to the hilt. It slackens in the middle where I was wanting it to pick up a bit, which it does soon enough.

Amir Khan is superb as the lead character, skillfully portraying PK’s innocence and charm. Anushka as Jaggu does a good job, only I kept being distracted by her face – or precisely, what she’s done to it. I’d remiss if I didn’t mention how fabulous Saurabh Shukla was as a holy baba. Sushant Singh Rajput, Boman Irani and Parikshit Sahni have minor roles.

PK has decent music, although it’s nothing you’ll hum around the house. This is a typical Hirani product – earthy, wholesome and well-meaning. It is a little hammy; Hirani doesn’t believe in subtlety or allowing the viewer to make up his/her mind, but for this kind of product, I’ll overlook that. PK does not have the sophistication of say, a Barfi, but it is still a pleasure to watch a film with a story and a goal, and none of the sleazy crap that passes for entertainment these days.

PK is well worth your time. Go see it.

Kidwise : This is a fairly clean film. Precisely 2 scenes might give you pause. One is when PK is taken to a brothel, and the other is where the use of condoms is discussed. Note that nothing adult-ish is ever shown on screen, it’s mostly all talk and some posturing. You should be OK if your kids are too young (they don’t have a clue) or too old (the cup of knowledge already overfloweth). However if they are at the curious-minded stage :-), you might want to be prepared to impart a few grains of wisdom.