Film Review: PK

#PK touched my heart

Cast: Aamir Khan, Anushka Sharma, Sanjay Dutt, Sushant Singh Rajput, Saurabh Shukla, Boman Irani, Parikshit Sahani
Director: Rajkumar Hirani

I was a trifle hesitant to go see the movie in the theatre after watching the promos for PK. Aamir Khan with wide open eyes that forgot to blink kind of put me off. But then the film is by Rajkumar Hirani. I loved Munnabhai MBBS, Lage Raho Munna Bhai & 3 Idiots. As I was oscillating, unable to decide whether ‘to see or not to see’, Venkat told me that Aamir Khan plays an alien in the film. That clinched the deal. I had to see the film. That’s how Venkat, Viggy and I landed up at Cinemax Sion for a 11 o’clock show on Saturday night. 

THE STORY

PK (Aamir Khan) travels through space from a distant galaxy and lands on the deserts of Rajasthan, buck naked. The only thing he’s wearing is a neckpiece, a brilliant green medal that’s actually a remote control that will help him recall his spaceship when he needs to go back home. Within a few minutes of landing, a local steals his neckpiece and PK (not named yet) is stranded on earth.

Jagat Janani aka Jaggu (Anushka Sharma) is studying in Belgium and that’s where she meets Sarfaraz (Sushant Singh Rajput), a Pakistani. They fall in love and move in together. When she tells her parents about her love, her father (Parikshit Sahani) insists on consulting the family astrologer-advisor Tapasvi Maharaj (Saurabh Shukla). The Maharaj plays on people’s fears and insists that he has a direct dialogue with the Creator. His prediction that Sarfaraz will ditch Jaggu comes true when he stands her up on their wedding day. 

Jaggu is refused entry into her home when she returns to Delhi. She lives by herself and works for a TV channel. Hunting for stories, she meets PK who fascinates her. But is he what he is claiming he is? 

MY PERCEPTION

Rajkumar Hirani has done it again. Instead of going the Hollywood way and presenting aliens as horrible, negative creatures, he has presented PK as a Highly Evolved Being. A special Kudos for that to the director!

The story goes back and forth connecting the incidents that lead to a meeting between Jaggu and PK. While the first half is totally hilarious, there were times that I shed a few tears for the wonderful soul who is visiting the earth and is caught up in our quarrels and dishonesty. The character of PK is built beautifully and Aamir Khan has given an outstanding performance. 

Anushka Sharma has always been an excellent actress and I must say that this is her best so far. Congratulations!

Sushant Singh Rajput has done very well in his cameo as Sarfaraz. While Boman Irani, Sanjay Dutt and Parikshit Sahani have small roles, they were important enough to keep the story going. Good show guys!

Saurabh Shukla as the mean and cheating Tapasvi Maharaj has given a super performance. Shukla has been seen in a variety of character roles and he has been consistently great in each performance. Awesome! 

The music was soothing. This is typical of Vidhu Vinod Chopra Productions and I find it a loveable trait. Though I heard most of the songs for the first time, both the lyrics and tune were too good and added to the film’s value.

One thing that struck me was that some of the dialogues overlapped with those in OMG Oh My God! I agree that both films promote similar messages. I only wish that they had checked things out and stretched that little bit extra to make it completely different. It doesn’t take away from PK being a great film though.  

I like a creative work – both books and films – that makes me emote. Whether it’s joy, love, anger or vengeance, it should touch my heart. PK did that to me. Need I say more?

VERDICT: A Must-see

*Silly
**Shaky
***Smart
****Snazzy
*****Super

Film Review: PHATA POSTER NIKHLA HERO

It’s a fun watch if you are fond of masala flicks!

Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Ileana D’Cruz, Padmini Kolhapure, Saurabh Shukla, Darshan Jhaveri, Mukesh Tiwari
Director: Rajkumar Santoshi

Vinitha, Venkat and I went to watch this film on Friday night, the same day it released, at Cinemax Sion.

THE STORY

Even as a kid, it has been drummed into Vishwas (Shahid Kapoor in the adult avatar) that he should become an honest police officer. His mother (Padmini Kolhapure) is an auto-rickshaw driver in a small town where the duo lives. In the meanwhile, Vishwas dreams of becoming an actor, a hero.

On the pretext of giving an exam for the post of a police officer, Vishwas goes to Mumbai to try his hand at acting. There he meets Complaint Kajal (Ileana D’Cruz), who believes that he is a Police Inspector.

After taking a number of twists and turns, the film goes on to prove that Vishwas is a hero through and through. You have to see the movie to find out whether he realises his mother’s or his own dreams.

MY PERCEPTION

The film was a total fun watch with a number of hilarious moments. Shahid Kapoor is an excellent actor and even better dancer. There were a couple of songs that made for superb dance moves and Shahid has made perfect use of these opportunities.

It’s just that he disappointed me in the last scene. Just before he goes up on stage to receive an award, Shahid shows a strange expression on his face. There is a lot of emotion, but one is unable to make out whether he is feeling that way because of sorrow or joy. I was thoroughly confused and did not understand whether the film ended on a happy or sad note.

Ileana D’Cruz looks glamorous and has a very good dressing style. But her acting skills need to improve a lot. All the best!

I somehow did not like Padmini Kolhapure’s character of a loving mother. It was absolutely unconvincing. She dotes on her only child, but is absolutely clear that he should become only what she wants of him. She is aware of his childhood dreams that continue into adulthood. I am not able to understand how such an adoring mother does not give a damn about her favourite child’s dreams, not one jot. The actress did well as an emotional blackmailer, of course.

Saurabh Shukla is simply superb in his role as a local don. He brings forth ripples of laughter with his comic timing, again and again. Just loved it!

The rest of the cast including Darshan Jhaveri and Mukesh Tiwari performed quite well.

VERDICT: All in all, it is fun watching the film if you are fond of masala flicks.

RATING: ** ½ (could have been smarter)

*Silly
**Shaky
***Smart
****Snazzy
*****Super