PK - Preachy Keraunoscopia. Review on PK

A film maker's passion is what drives the creation of good films, displayed in bountiful by Hirani. He has the masterful technique of weaving a heartfelt storyline with endearing characters.

We the audience at some point have been able to relate many aspects of his characters displayed on screen and that established an immediate connection.

Having heard, that the script of "PK" took about five years to write, I can only imagine the number of drafts and revisions that the screenplay underwent before it took its final form. Needless to say, expectations were humongous, adding to the fact that the lead role was to be assayed by one of the most talented actors of the country. Raju Hirani's films have always had a well-intended theme, that carried a message.

He has made many of us evaluate our thought process without being preachy. With clever screenplay and right doses of humor, drama, perfect turning points, and most importantly entertainment quotient his films have always managed to come out with flying colors. I expected PK to be no different, but was astonished at how preachy it turned out to be.

Like many others, I went to the theater with very high expectations from this film. I was expecting to be mesmerized and become completely immersed in the goings-on on screen for the next 2-3 hours. The last thing I expected from him was a sermon which I felt I was subjected to.

Being a lover of cinema, I normally tend to replay many of the scenes in my mind and think about different ways that the scene could be written or played by a particular character long after I am out of the theater, but very few scenes from "PK" stayed with me after the film was over.

From an outsider's point of view, someone who has never been to a place like India, where people from many religions, speaking a plethora of languages co-exist and follow specific customs, trying to comprehend these complexities may be a herculean task and will no doubt lead will to many confusing/ comedic situations.

Some of these situations were well translated into hilarious well-written scenes by Hirani. However, after a point some scenes got predictable and repetitive. Those scenes were watchable mainly because of the unquestionable brilliant performance by the lead actor who with his grey-lensed wide eyes and ears pointing outward was lovable and engaging.

While the quest for God almighty is an eternal quest, our protagonist asks poignant questions, "What's the best way to seek God"?  Which form does he truly exist in? God is housed in many houses(churches, temples, mosques) but where is his true abode?

In our failure to find God almighty, we have resorted to worshipping those who we think are the next best - the so-called Godmen, who for the most part prey on human fears to conduct their business. How long are we going to continue to be fooled by such Godmen?

In Hirani's previous films, the characters are woven around the main story, in PK the story in itself takes a backseat. Though the theme was well thought out, I felt that scenes were written more in a situational manner and the audience is basically made to follow the protagonist in his pursuit.

The pace of the film really takes a slump at certain points. The songs didn't really carry the story forward and served further in slowing down the pace. A commercial hindi film would not be complete without a heroine's character, and therefore we have a heroine who becomes the mentor/ friend character to the main protagonist.

A love story between an alien and a human may be ahead of its times at least for Hindi cinema, and therefore we are told at the very beginning that the heroine has already lost her heart to a fellow human. In the director/ writer's quest to promote communal harmony and cross-border friendship, the guy happens to be from a different religion and country.

Though there is some initial opposition/ misunderstanding thanks to blind faith, with a little help from the lovable alien, Hirani makes sure that all is well that ends well. Why in today's day and age with all kinds of social networking, available at the tip of your finger I fail to understand why two people from GEN Y fail to keep in touch, or even ask a question to clarify their relationship.

There is a sequence about a bomb blast, which I felt would lead to a turning point in a film, but didn't really add anything to the film. Rather, there was a disconnect and I ended up questioning the necessity of that scene other than just serving to add one more obstacle for our protagonist.

The climax was lackluster. The alien leaves, but not before leaving the audience (measly humans) with a few heartrending questions and adapting one of the worst traits of humans (lying). I left the theater, feeling just as dazed and confused as our alien after being subjected to a discourse about religious customs and promotion of cross-border friendship.

The last scene does leave us with a hint of a sequel, I only hope that if a sequel does happen Hirani would be in better form with a far better screenplay. From a technical point of view, cinematography was pleasing to the eyes. The UFO in itself though was déjà vu like many other aspects of the film.