MUMBAI: It’s the most anticipated Bollywood film of the year and no one knows what it’s about.
“PK” opens in Indian cinemas today with audiences still in the dark about the film’s storyline or why its naive and unworldly protagonist with pointy ears never blinks.
Trailers and publicity stills released in the past few weeks have sparked a guessing game about the plot, with its green-eyed hero said to be an alien or an autistic savant.
The film’s makers have laughed off speculation that “PK” is inspired by the 1994 Oscar-winning film, “Forrest Gump”, whose slow-witted narrator becomes a Vietnam war hero, cross-country runner and a successful businessman.
“You don’t want to reveal your film and ruin the viewing experience,” director Rajkumar Hirani told Reuters in an interview.
“We are trying to shake some pre-conceived notions, trying to look at things differently.”
Trailers for the film feature the protagonist saying he doesn’t know his name, although people call him ‘PK’, similar to the Hindi term for a drunk, a conclusion drawn from his antics. His lips are stained red from chewing betel nut.
One controversial poster showed leading man Aamir Khan walking along railway tracks, in the buff. A trailer shows Khan in a ghagra, a traditional long skirt worn by women.
Trade analysts said curiosity about its storyline and the low-key marketing campaign would help “PK” at the box office.
REUTERS
