Let’s start with the alien, shall we? The naked alien. Oh, he looks just like us. Well, a hot version of us, but they don’t wear clothes or talk on his planet. They communicate telepathically through touching hands. I’m not sure how they do lectures or seminars. That wasn’t discussed. So we got a naked hot “Indian” guy in the desert. It took a fair amount of blocking to adhere to the Indian Puritan streak, but let’s just say it remains in tact. The only thing he wears is a glowing medallion that looks a tad like a video game accessory; it’s a communication device and E. Tea here needs it to return to his planet. And within two minutes of landing on Earth, somebody steals it.
That’s messed up. I always wonder when I see things like this in Indian films if this is cultural or not, because the thief didn’t seem especially evil or desperate, just opportunistic. However, when a dude is in the desert naked and you steal the only thing that isn’t attached to him, that’s looooooow. Seriously. Does this happen in India a lot?
Meanwhile, in another film, Jaggu (Anushka Sharma) falls in love with Sarfaraz (Sushant Singh Rajput). They’re both starving students in Bruges who substitute an inability to meet scalper prices for a meet cute. All goes Belgian waffles until Jaggu announces her home of Delhi and Sarfaraz claims Pakistani and Muslim roots. Uh oh. As he departs alone, singing his troubles away, she joins him so the two can share a montage. This culminates in Jaggu asking daddy for permission and he immediately goes to their local holy man (Saurabh Shukla). This is the same holy man whose face 
appears on their luggage, toiletries and linen. – Look, I’m not saying you can’t live a fulfilled life or anything, but if the face of somebody alive appears on your bedspread and you’re more than eight years old, you’re kind of a tool – HM advises Jaggu to break it off and when a note instead of Sarfaraz appears at the Marriage Registrar’s office the following day, well, she takes that midnight train to Delhi.
This is all important, eventually. I swear it. This movie is actually about the alien, PK (Aamir Khan) – this is a running gag. It means “tipsy” In Hindi, so that whenever a person stunned by his alien ways asks him, “Are you Tipsy?” He responds, “yes.” The film is much funnier than this running gag – unable to locate his amulet, PK needs some basic necessities. He discovers “dancing cars” (a vehicle that is -ahem- occupied by a couple) are a good source of free clothing and money. I loved an ensuing scene in which the alien hands a picture of Gandhi to a street vendor … then a newspaper article of Gandhi … then a booklet of Gandhi’s teachings … then a 1000 rupee note. “Ahhhh, this I understand,” says the vendor, handing over carrots. Apparently, you have to pic the right picture of Gandhi to make a trade successful. There’s also a moment when PK tries to learn the language by holding hands – this leads to a fun, if slightly homophobic, musical number in which a friend tries to convince him what he can and cannot do with random citizens. We eventually get to a brothel, where all problems are solved. Winkwink.
The more PK fails in his quest, the more he is pushed to God, which amazes him. “These being know who created them! And they talk to Him!” This is where the plot happens – PK soon discovers you can’t offer the Christian God a coconut and you can’t offer the Muslim God wine. Sure that he just hasn’t figured out how to find this God who can return his commu
nicator, he hands out leaflets depicting images of various gods with “MISSING – Have you seen me?” written on them. It is here where Jaggu, now a local reporter, discovers and takes on PK in his quest for God.
Hey! This is a message movie … secular shit! I never would have seen that coming.
Aamir Khan decided to approach his alien as a bugged-eyed Forrest Gump. His expression in blank; his language and gestures are child-like and simple and yet his indictment of organized religion is wickedly spot-on. Why does your God need money? Why does your God ask you to travel? Why does your God ask you to fast? This is exactly the kind of movie which cannot be made here – because it attacks organized religion relentlessly, but never waivers from the idea that God exists. Oh, He exists all right; I just know your approach is wrong and manipulative. Hence, in a way, PK is a greater statement about faith than any of the cinematic proselytizing tripe advertisements for the Christian God so common in recent days. Wish there were more films like this.
The Earth is a bad place for greening
In this wonderful anti-religious leaning
In Bollywood
With alien, nude
“Dancing with the Stars” takes on new meaning
Not Rated, 153 Minutes
D: Rajkumar Hirani
W: Rajkumar Hirani, Abhijit Joshi, Sreerag Nambiar
Genre: Givin’ religion the business
Type of person most likely to enjoy this film: Organized religion detractors
Type of person least likely to enjoy this film: Zealots
