Bollywood is famous for its dance routines, dramatic visuals and songs across the world.
But India’s most popular movie industry also produces films that initiate social debates on issues that matter to the country.
Aamir Khan’s PK is one such movie.
It questions superstitions in a country where religion is deeply rooted in social consciousness of the people.
Khan plays an alien in the film who comes to visit the earth and almost immediately falls victim to human greed.
His “remote control” – a device without which he cannot go back to his planet – gets stolen.
From that moment, he embarks on a journey to discover the world. He meets people, “both good and bad”, visits places and learns the language.
He painstakingly discovers that many people believe that only god can help him find his remote control.
He visits remote temples, mosques and churches. He follows advices given by priests and religious leaders to convince the god of every faith.
But Khan’s character slowly finds out some self-styled gurus or “godmen” use superstitions and “fraud” to “cheat” people.
Thought-provoking drama
PK is not the first movie that has taken a controversial but critical look at religious practices in India.
But then why is the film generating strong reactions?
The answer lies in the movie’s simple narrative. It doesn’t reach any conclusion on the existence of religion, but simply questions superstitions.
