While going through Sushant’s body of work, in his remembrance, I watched PK again recently. This post assumes that you have watched PK or at least know about the story. All the discussions I had with friends and family members about the movie and what it represented when it was released came flooding through my memory lanes. While having those discussions, one of the things I had noticed was that PK asked some very good questions on God, religion, practice of religion. Unfortunately, the questions were asked from the people who were not qualified to answer.

I believe this was by design. The story writers wanted those questions to remain unanswered. There isn’t any attempt at answering anywhere, those questions are an end in themselves. Those questions are designed to put a doubt in the viewers about the practices they follow.

The questions are directed to the people whose character and intelligence are questionable. The first question is to the shopkeeper who is selling God idols in front of a temple and the other three are to Tapasvi ji.

In the story, both of these gentlemen are presented as questionable characters and Tapasvi is presented as outright crook. We as the viewers know this early when we see Tapasvi claiming PK’s remote as some divine boon. Still, he is the main representation of religion and its practices. In fact in this story we only see caricatures when anyone even remotely religious is concerned. The character of Mr. Sawhney (Jaggu’s dad) is another example. The one always in traditional clothing, complemented with tilak on his forehead and laden with rudraksh beads. Or, that gentleman in Church who says God got crucified for you two thousand years ago. 

As a writer, you can make your story say anything in an engaging manner. A story is a one-way communication, there is no dialogue. There is no place where you can disagree and have a debate. But, PK asks four questions which should have been answered. If an alien actually visits our planet, we can at least try to assuage his curiosity. Let us begin.

PK asks this question to the idol seller. Do we need idols? If we want to communicate with God, and he is everywhere then do we really need idols? The answer depends on what is your relationship with God? Do you really believe that God is everywhere? Are you able to see God in everything? If you have reached a state where you realize that this whole universe is a manifestation of God, this laptop is God, this phone is God, the words on these pages are God – then you don’t need an idol. Because then everything and everywhere is God and when you communicate with everything you are communicating with God. Where is the need of an idol?

However, PK’s relationship with God is transactional. Once on this planet, he learns that God is a service provider. The idol seller did not explain the emotional involvement required in visiting a temple to communicate with God. He simply said go inside, offer these offerings and some money and He will do your work. He has actually presented God as someone who takes fees to provide services. What an alien concept? PK takes this learning to his heart and tries to purchase God’s services in various ways. But eventually he learns.

There is a song about his attempts to buy God’s services in which he tells that he has tried everything that the God has asked him to do and still his remote is not found. After the song, he is in a workshop where idols of various manifestations of God are in various states of completion. There for the first time in the story, he actually communicates with God. He doesn’t offer money or anything for the services and simply states his problem with full belief that these idols are representations of God. PK simply asks that he needs to go back to his home. He says – Help me, Please.

In the next scene, while he is distributing missing posters of God – he actually meets God. I know that there are various ways to look at that scene. But even though the story writers meant that scene to be farcical and funny, tell me – if an alien came to our planet and really pleaded with God for help, and if God shows up, will not He show up in a form that the alien can recognize. That is exactly what happens in the movie. Moreover, God in that form actually leads PK to the remote control that he was seeking. It could have been a story of faith.

To get back to the original question, do we need idols? Yes, if we need to have a recipient in order to communicate fully. If our emotions need a direction or an object towards which we can pour them, then yes we need an idol or picture or any object.

This reminds me of another scene where PK starts a business of fear by establishing a stone under a tree. He actually shows that any object will do. It is your emotional investment at work and not the object itself. People do not visit places of worship only out of fear, they do so in gratitude as well. If the writers of the movie would’ve let PK stay at his business place till the examination was over, he would’ve witnessed the other part as well. But by then the story had an agenda, unfortunately in their agenda to undermine blind faith they have undermined all faith.

Interlude – An alternate trajectory 

Imagine, if you were PK and after going through many troubles you’ve finally found a way to communicate with God. Next day you even see God in one of his incarnations and He leads you to the object that you were desperately searching for. The object is in possession of a crook who claims it as something that he has received from God and he gets you beaten up and thrown out of his program.

What will you do next?

You see, this story could have taken another turn where PK again meets the man who was dressed as Shiva when he met him first. That person then could’ve helped PK take down the evil empire of Tapasvi. It is not hard to imagine a story on these lines. This would’ve been a story of faith. But the movie makers had decided to undermine faith and they took on an approach where PK is helped by folks who are openly derisive of religion and tradition. 

The question is genuine. Will God ask you to visit another place if you are already communicating with Him? Obviously no. And we know that Tapasvi is actually not communicating with God. He was playacting. It’s just that he is the representation of any such practices, and by associating these practices with him who is a proven crook – the practices themselves are being undermined. So to answer this, I will only talk about the practice of visiting God’s abode which is far away. In short, the practice of pilgrimage.

Let us start with the person who has asked for help from Tapasvi. His wife is paralyzed for six months and the doctors have said there is no hope. He comes to Tapasvi for help. 

PK suggests that real God will tell him that “Child, your wife is ailing. You should stay home and spend time with her, serve her. Don’t run after me”

Do you see any merit in this suggestion? The man knows his wife is sick, he has been spending time with her for past six months. Now he wants her to become better and the medical science has said that there is no hope. 

Any person can see that the only hope this couple has is through faith, hope, positive energies of the universe. In short, through Grace. And how do you become available to Grace? By making yourself a recipient. Pilgrimage is one of the ways that serves that purpose.

The man had two choices – First, sit by his wife and wait for her to die paralyzed or try to get her better. Sitting by his wife and waiting for her to die, what kind of life will that be?

The second choice is full of hope. The moment the man thinks of going on a pilgrimage with the belief that it will positively impact his wife’s health – both of them get hope for betterment. The mindset changes. For the duration of the pilgrimage, the man will have this satisfaction that he is trying his best so that his wife can get better and the wife will have reciprocal emotions. The thoughts for the couple will be of expectations of a positive outcome rather than full of morbidity. Universe works in mysterious ways. Maybe on his journey he will find a cure as well. 

But overall, which choice is towards life and which is towards death? 

PK says that Tapasvi dialled a wrong number. PK’s wasn’t right either. The man had not come looking for status quo.

I recall a discussion on the examples of wrong numbers in the movie. A friend who was very impressed with the movie and found it to be an eye-opener teased me about an example of a wrong number. It was about the guy who wanted to get a job and visits a Baba. The Baba tells him to feed cows and he will get a job. My friend knew that I do feed cows whenever I get an opportunity, hence the teasing.

The job aspirant calls on video to the wrong number hotline and says derisively – “He says feed the cow and you will get a job. Now will this cow become an employment agent and will take my bio data from company to company, or will post my bio data on recruitment websites? This is a wrong number.”

My friend asked – “Tell me whether the cow will become his agent?”

I said – “What was the guy’s expectation? Why did he visit the Baba? Did he expect Baba himself to become employment agent and take his bio data company to company? If yes, then there isn’t much difference between his expectations and the actual outcome. What does it matter to him whether it’s the Baba or the Cow who is forwarding his bio data to companies. And if he knows what he needs to do, as he seems to be knowing in the clip, he should do it and shouldn’t go to a Baba.

However, the Baba is not asking him to feed the cow or any other animal or for that matter people so that they can become his employment agent. That is simply a suggestion to generate good Karma for the guy. Maybe once he has done all that is required for him to do, his good Karma will help him in securing an interview. That happens sometimes.”

Somehow, in such situations an explanation involving Karma works. Specially when the cause and effect both are set in motion during this life. Let us move to the next question.

PK asks this question to Tapasvi. Where is the stamp which says that you are a Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Jew, Atheist? Where is it? And if it is not there then isn’t religion more a matter of fashion preference, as he so cleverly puts.

If PK considers Jaggu a friend, more than a friend – first maybe he should show where is it stamped on his body? How do you stamp your body with a belief system? It was a farcical question which was made into more of a farce by PK asking everyone to remove their clothes. After that, who can think about the merit of the question.

If you revere your parents, love your spouse, hate your colleagues, are friendly with some of them, where is it stamped on your body. A belief system is something that is held within. And you are allowed to change your belief systems over time.

If we were all stamped since the dawn of humanity, all of us will be nature worshippers stamped on our forehead. No further evolution of thought will be allowed. Still afraid of the gods like Fire, Water, Thunder and Volcano. 

Humanity has evolved through time. And the beliefs have evolved with time as well. If the beliefs were stamped on the body, there wouldn’t be any evolution. 

In fact there is another wrong number that directly relates to this stamping of religion. A person says on the wrong number hotline – “a Christian Father is saying become Christian or you will go to hell. If God wanted me to be Christian I would’ve been born a Christian. Why change now? It’s a wrong number.”

By this logic, actually no one will be a Christian or Muslim. The first Christians or Muslims weren’t born Christians or Muslims. At one place the movie wants us to believe that our religion is not something stamped on us, and at another it also wants to say you are born in a religion.

PK asks this to Tapasvi towards the end of the movie. And he is right in his assessment of Tapasvi’s capabilities as far as saving God is concerned.

However, the question is not about saving God. The story writers deliberately made Tapasvi mis-speak. No one in his right mind will say I will save God. The conflict on earth is not about saving God. It is about the right to have a belief about God. 

The conflicts are a result of “my belief is right and your belief is wrong”. In that context, if someone forcibly stops me from pursuing a belief that I hold then use of counterforce is justified. The conflicts will go away when people accept that everyone is free to have or choose their own belief system without any undue consequences. But if the choices are forced upon us then conflicts are inevitable and in those scenarios, as Tapasvi says – “if you attack our belief system then we will not remain quiet. We know how to save our beliefs.”

When this movie had released a few years ago, I had the opportunity to have many interesting conversations with fans of the movie. A colleague at my workplace was of the opinion that this movie is a lesson in morality and ethics. How we as a community have become superstitious about things and all of that is driven through the fear that these religious Babas drive through us. This movie helps to expose them. Planetary positions, auspicious things, inauspicious things etc.

During one such discussion I told my colleague – “We have had quite a few stories about ethics over the millennia in our country. I am not sure that we should put all of them under superstition.”

“You are talking about the various Puranas? Aren’t you? And maybe Mahabharata and Ramayana? I mean how can you take a story for your moral guidance where there are flying contraptions thousands of years ago, or mythical weapons. Battles fought on Deva Loka and Pataal? I really thought that you are intelligent,” he sniggered and continued, “how can you believe in those superstitious stories? Gods visiting from other planets.”

I laughed out. A laugh that I had to fight with myself to control. My colleague was baffled. He asked why do I laugh?

I said through suppressed laughter – “Because I am a superstitious fool who thinks that those old Puranas, Ramayana and Mahabharata are stories about ways to pursue ethical living even though they have Beings visiting us from other planets. And you are the most intelligent person around who gets morality lessons from a story where an alien visits our planet and his remote control is stolen by the first man he meets. How is your alien story better than mine?” 

“It’s different.” He stuttered. “We do not have temples of PK, where we worship him.”

“It’s different, you do not YET have a temple of PK.” I said.