This morning I read a short notice about Hindu nationalists vandalizing cinemas that had shown the movie PK.Browsing on I saw that this film would be shown today in Valby Kino.
Valby Kino is a strange place. I love the enthusiasm of the staff, but first you have to go in a backyard, then up a staircase. Actually it looks more like a porn cinema than a regular cinema hall. I wish they would concentrate more on movies that are not shown by every other cinema.
Now to PK, the biggest blockbuster Bollywood ever had. Yes, this is proof of popularity, but not proof of quality. Actually I have a problem with Bollywood comedies, as many are less than sophisticated. They often engage in very physical humor, like the fat guy stumbling, farting, compulsory peeing etc. Laughing about fat guys and big noses is not comedy, maybe farcical, but not comedy.
Rajkumar Hirani used these devices in Three Idiots from 2009, but he had also a superb blend of pure comedy and touching drama. Judging by the trailer I expected that the jokes in this movie would be far from elegant. However, the reaction of Hindu nationalists made me curious. Ultimately I watched the movie for their sake.Actually the trailer collects the least memorable scenes from this film.
So, what is this all about? An alien is stranded on earth; he needs his remote to call a space ship that will bring him bring to his home planet. But the remote is stolen from him and - as it turns out - sold to a leader of a sect, who then presents it to his devotees as personal gift of God. The alien - he doesn't bring a name from his home planet - is told that only God can help him.
So the alien tries to address God to help him get back his remote, but he is in a state of thrownness (as Heidegger would have called it), he is a stranger and has no clue how this planet is organized. Slowly he recognizes patterns, but he also questions all conventions with childlike (or autistic) logic. At last he comes to the conclusion that all those "managers" of God dialed the wrong number and got connected to some prankster. He also unmasks the holy man who has his remote, so that he at last can return to his home planet. But he returns after one year, to explore the gap between the gap between words and meaning (yes, langue and langage). Example: when we say 'I love chicken', we don't mean that we love animals, but that we put them on our menu).
Rajkumar Hirani has given us a very subtle film, with sentimental and funny elements, drama and comedy, laughs and tears - and "food for thought". His message is ultimately gnostic;: The real God is evading our perception, we reveal petty pretenders.
Amir Khan plays his PK with the scrutiny of a philosopher and the curiosity of a child. There are great supporting performances (e.g. by Anushka Sharma and Sushant Singh Rajput as a potential Zaara/Veer-couple -- Bollywood always manages to bring new and fresh faces to the screen) . But also Saurabh Shukla as the man and Sanjay Dutt as his disciple bring great supporting performances.
I left the cinema hall happy, almost elevated - very few films bring me in that state. Yes, this is a great film, with a few concessions to the crowd, but nevertheless a most lovable film.
Valby Kino is a strange place. I love the enthusiasm of the staff, but first you have to go in a backyard, then up a staircase. Actually it looks more like a porn cinema than a regular cinema hall. I wish they would concentrate more on movies that are not shown by every other cinema.
Now to PK, the biggest blockbuster Bollywood ever had. Yes, this is proof of popularity, but not proof of quality. Actually I have a problem with Bollywood comedies, as many are less than sophisticated. They often engage in very physical humor, like the fat guy stumbling, farting, compulsory peeing etc. Laughing about fat guys and big noses is not comedy, maybe farcical, but not comedy.
Rajkumar Hirani used these devices in Three Idiots from 2009, but he had also a superb blend of pure comedy and touching drama. Judging by the trailer I expected that the jokes in this movie would be far from elegant. However, the reaction of Hindu nationalists made me curious. Ultimately I watched the movie for their sake.Actually the trailer collects the least memorable scenes from this film.
So, what is this all about? An alien is stranded on earth; he needs his remote to call a space ship that will bring him bring to his home planet. But the remote is stolen from him and - as it turns out - sold to a leader of a sect, who then presents it to his devotees as personal gift of God. The alien - he doesn't bring a name from his home planet - is told that only God can help him.
So the alien tries to address God to help him get back his remote, but he is in a state of thrownness (as Heidegger would have called it), he is a stranger and has no clue how this planet is organized. Slowly he recognizes patterns, but he also questions all conventions with childlike (or autistic) logic. At last he comes to the conclusion that all those "managers" of God dialed the wrong number and got connected to some prankster. He also unmasks the holy man who has his remote, so that he at last can return to his home planet. But he returns after one year, to explore the gap between the gap between words and meaning (yes, langue and langage). Example: when we say 'I love chicken', we don't mean that we love animals, but that we put them on our menu).
Rajkumar Hirani has given us a very subtle film, with sentimental and funny elements, drama and comedy, laughs and tears - and "food for thought". His message is ultimately gnostic;: The real God is evading our perception, we reveal petty pretenders.
Amir Khan plays his PK with the scrutiny of a philosopher and the curiosity of a child. There are great supporting performances (e.g. by Anushka Sharma and Sushant Singh Rajput as a potential Zaara/Veer-couple -- Bollywood always manages to bring new and fresh faces to the screen) . But also Saurabh Shukla as the man and Sanjay Dutt as his disciple bring great supporting performances.
I left the cinema hall happy, almost elevated - very few films bring me in that state. Yes, this is a great film, with a few concessions to the crowd, but nevertheless a most lovable film.
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| Some have been waiting for this: Amir Khan in the nude |
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