A satire that forces alien PK to question religion as a point of blind-faith pretty much sums up this is no ordinary Bollywood film, at all. Made with this intention or not, we've got to praise Hirani for giving us a film like PK for crossing conventional Bollywood boundaries and pointing out the bleeding obvious! But, there's more to the films success that just this - here's what makes PK a worldwide phenomenon...
Yet again, another Aamir Khan starrer film, PK, has gone on to become a worldwide box office hit - collecting over $70 million dollars internationally, thus beating other box office hits such as Dhoom 3 (2013) and 3 Idiots (2009). But, what makes Rajkumar Hirani's PK so extraordinary that it has reportedly become the highest grossing Bollywood film of all time?
- Class acts: Everyone, from who made the film to who starred in the film have played an important role behind PK's success.
- Rajkumar Hirani, popularised as the man behind Munna Bhai MBBS and 3 Idiots, both of which have also broke previous box office records, is a man we audience need no introduction to. He's a man of many talents and has given us some of India's finest films - so why should we expect any less of PK?
- Aamir Khan may not make screen appearances as often as we'd like, but every time he does make an appearance he manages to leave a longstanding mark on us all. After previous worldwide successes of 3 Idiots and Dhoom 3, Aamir Khan is no longer recognised as just a Bollywood actor, but a global star. We all know of him, applaud his great acting skills, and look forward to his films. I mean, if Aamir Khan is lead actor in PK, then PK's got to be a box office hit, right?
- Anushka Sharma and Boman Irani are both incredible actors and deserve their due for being involved in the film too. Boman Irani did a fantastic job in 3 Idiots, and although he had a smaller role to play in PK - his involvement has been and is till date applauded by film critics. Anushka Sharma last made an onscreen appearance in 2013 with Matru ki Bijlee, but she is one of the finer Indian actresses of our time - who could have played her role better than she did?
- Music: Composed largely by Shantanu Moitra - PK's music wasn't exactly ground-breaking or ground-shaking, but every song within the movie did have a special purpose, a reason to be there. The music, for me, made PK's storyline come together, and is therefore another reason behind its success.
- Combine a little bit Shaan, Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghoshal and there you have melodious songs for the ears to bear with! It goes without saying that three of the finest singers of India were correctly identified for the songs of this film. And they have all respectively earned a strong position in the Bollywood music industry that you need them involved in a film like PK.
- Bhagwaan Hai Kahan Re Tu, in the voice of Sonu Nigam was one of my favourite songs from the movie. Both soulful and lyrically powerful, it's a song that will tug at your heart strings and move you. Who doesn't love a meaningful track?
- Storyline: It's not the first time we've had an alien story turn into a Bollywood production (Koi Mil Gaya), but PK, as another alien-depicted-film comes across a lot more real than unreal.
- The absurdities of organised religions on planet Earth are unmasked through a storyline that brings audiences together to a point of reflection. Making us think long and hard about what our belief-systems truly stand for, PK's a honest yet simple film with a very obvious storyline. It's just sometimes we need the obvious pointed out to us to reveal some home-truths. And this movie does exactly that.
- Full-on entertainment: Add in some laugh out loud moments to keep you engaged, PK is a real entertainer for the spectator.
- Although the film reflects a pretty serious, and albeit controversial issue that is inundated with religious references, it does a very good job at keeping audiences entertained. To reveal a serious issue in a comic light is both brave and creative of Hirani. He leaves no tables unturned when it comes to making audiences smile - and makes sure those of you who don't like the serious element of the film will nonetheless enjoy the film thanks to the comic references. After all everything is said in all good humour!
What did you make of PK? Share your thoughts and opinions below, or use the hashtag #PK and tweet me with your views @KinDevgun.
