Bollywood's major Christmas release is a warm, witty and provocative satire on all the things considered ‘wrong’ with modern Indian life. The preposterous plot demands some suspension of disbelief, but the execution is always engaging and credible.
The film opens with a spaceship landing in the Rajasthani desert, dropping off humanoid hunk PK (Aamir Khan). When he’s robbed of the medallion he needs to arrange his transport back home, PK is forced to go to Delhi to retrieve it. There he encounters Jaggu (Anousha Sharma), a fiery journalist charmed by his childlike innocence, particularly when it comes to life in the Indian capital.
Director Rajkumar Hirani has fashioned a clever film which asks progressive questions about dogmatic beliefs and does not attempt to bombard us with ‘right’ answers, encouraging viewers to rethink accepted social and religious beliefs. The performances are pitch perfect, with A-lister Khan proving yet again that he’s the most versatile and intelligent Indian actor of his generation. The result is probably the best mainstream Hindi film of 2014. But do be sure to stick around for the final credits!