PK (2014)

Aamir Khan redeems himself from the Dhoom 3 debacle after his sincere and comedic performance in pk.

What looks like a drama on religion is actually a very clear message about how to be human. And it’s even more effective when told from pk’s character. It shows us how complex our lives are especially when it comes to matters of faith and love.

Though the message isn’t new, it has been told with a zest and humour which made it more appetising and definitely less preachy. Anushka Sharma plays the reporter and comrade Jaggu with an ease of a seasoned actress. It was nice to see Sanjay Dutt, Boman Irani, yesteryear Pyarelal aka Ram Sethi, Saurabh Shukla and of course Sushant Singh in short but effective roles.

Not relying on special effects or long winded theories this film goes straight to the heart of what it means to be human and have faith. While pk mimics the actions of those around him, he asks an age old question. He provides a fitting answer too, in a signature ‘finale mass media’ Vinod Chopra Raj Kumar Hirani way.

They have come up with a concept which is very delicate and a potential time bomb of a subject in a country like India, but they have walked the tight rope well. Since the ‘perspective’ is pk’s, its ownership too lies with his species. The writing is crisp, light and doesn’t leave anything unexplained. Logic and reason take center stage in a debate which was engaging as it was entertaining.

In the end it took ‘no understanding of ourselves’ to reflect what we have become and how we can still save ourselves. That was the films larger message amongst it’s many commentaries, all of which are sensitive, appropriate and not tipsy but very much in their senses!

4/5

Happy New Year (2014)

Shah Rukh Khan is the newest member of the ‘Crap Crore Club’. Aamir with Dhoom 3, Salman with Kick, Hrithik with Bang Bang and now this spectacle which lacks soul or originality.

Am going to keep it short. SRK looks scary and the macho image looks forced. Deepika is gifted with accents, she entertains like she did in Chennai Express and looks fab. They all have convenient back stories. Boman plays a 50 year old Parsi with a few ticks. Sonu Sood looks great and does a decent job, while Abhishek shouldn’t have agreed to the not-so-funny puking. Vivaan Shah makes a confident debut.

Needless to say common sense was left out, focusing on scenes and songs strung together to hopefully entertain. Some unexpected laughs did escape my mouth, but overall the long length and illogical proceedings made it tiresome. Dubai looks great.

If you haven’t got enough of Reality Dance Shows on TV, watch this.

1.5/5