Now that Rajkumar Hirani’s PK (also spelled Peekay) has been watched by audiences all over the world, is in the news for grossing more than 300 crores in India and 600 crores (including overseas markets), lot of people are asking whether Rajkumar Hirani’s PK is really as good as Aamir Khan’s ‘3 Idiots’ or even Sanjay Dutt’s ‘Munnabhai’?
But then why has it taken so long for people to voice their disappointment (minor one though) with the movie?
Film by Respected & Intelligent Filmmakers
I still remember the day when I saw the movie, when the movie got over and people started walking out of the hall, there was pin-drop silence, as if everybody had attended a funeral.
Usually, you hear people talking good or bad things about the movie, but most discuss about the movie, while leaving the hall. But this time, almost everybody was silent.
Which means, either most of them were still digesting what they saw in those 3 hours.
Or, people chose to stay mum because the movie was by RajKumar Hirani and Aamir Khan, considered to be among the most intelligent people in the movie making business. And because the film was also on a sensitive subject, most probably chose to stay mum lest they would be seen as NOT intelligent people.
A week or so down the line, I met my friends and while chatting with them, the movie PK came up for discussion, and that is where I could see that, although most liked the movie, they were disappointed with the fact that the movie bore resemblance to several movies.
The more we chatted the more shortcomings of the movie started coming out in the open.
So, although PK’s a good movie, it cannot be described as the best of Raju Hirani, not on par with ‘3 Idiots’ & Munnabhai.
Here are some of the reaons:
Not Completely Original?
Had Akshay Kumar & Paresh Rawal’s ‘OMG!Oh My God’ not released, PK could have been considered an original movie, but that’s not the case. Once could see several obvious similarities between the two movies, especially in the second half.
There are some who feel that the first half was almost inspired by the Hollywood flick ‘The Terminal’, featuring Tom Hanks. However, that comparison is not very obvious and there’s lot of difference in the screenplay. In fact, first half of PK was excellent with several funny and original moments.
The second half also had lots of similarities with the Munnabhai series, its just that this time it was a television studio whereas in Munnabhai it was a Radio station. Those scenes could have been filmed differently.
Weak Production Value
The filmmakers also decided to cut down on production costs at several places. Godmen in India have huge number of followers and their ashrams look huge. However, nothing of that sort was shown in the movie. Besides, few scenes looked as if it was shot in chroma and later blended with the huge crowd during post-production.
Even the Pakistan embassy shown was just a big room, with a pretty-looking lady in a uniform; embassies look different!
Weak Characters
It seemed lot of actors did the film, either out of goodwill or just for the sake of friendship.
- Sushant Singh Rajput would have been better-off had he not done the movie; he had such a small role. And even his looks remained the same, he looked the same at the beginning of the movie and when he was shown towards the end (few years later).
- Sanjay Dutt also had a small role, a fraction of what he did as Munnabhai; he definitely did it for friendship.
- However, the biggest disappointment was ‘Boman Irani’. The guy who has played characters like Dr. Asthana, Lucky Singh, Viru Sahastrabuddhe (Virus), the guy who has the ability to overshadow the biggest of stars, is virtually non-existent in the movie, and that was the biggest disappointment for me.
Saurabh Shukla played the role of the godman ‘Tapasvi Maharaj’…could it not have been played by Boman?
‘3 Idiots’ had so many actors, but each of them had roles that were important and you can still remember their parts/characters. PK is all about Aamir (who’s excellent in the movie, does every scene with conviction) and Anushka Sharma.
Sushant Singh Rajput, Sanjay Dutt, Boman Irani are in the movie just for the sake of friendship.
Its Still a Must Watch
I’m sure Raju Hirani & Aamir Khan would also have realized the shortcomings before the movie was released, but then Raju Hirani is not a director who likes to improvise a lot on the sets or make changes once everything has been finalized.
I think they took a gamble here, which paid off. Besides, Aamir Khan has got a sharp marketing mind and the team were able to generate enough curiosity before the movie released.
Also, there was virtually no competition to PK; probably the other filmmakers decided it was best not to release their movies along with PK.
Despite the shortcomings, the movie is still a must-watch. Its just that this team is among the best creative team in India and people (including many from the creative field) look forward to their films.
What do you guys think? If you have seen PK, please share your thoughts!
