Six reasons PK hit the Rs 300 crore jackpot
1. The 3 Idiots effect: Aamir Khan is known for doing a limited number of films. Ask any movie maniac and they'll say it's worth the wait. But this time, it was Rajkumar Hirani who was the centre of people's expectations. The screenwriter-director's last film, 3 Idiots not only became a rage as an all-time entertainer, but also strongly critiqued the country's crippling education system. PK was bound to receive a resounding welcome.
2. Nanga punga dost and the transistor: Aamir Khan is a maverick when it comes to film promotions. But the response went through the roof when PK's first poster came out, flaunting a bare-bodied Aamir Khan, strategically holding a transistor, grasping on to whatever threads of self-preservation he can find. The poster went viral. All we can say is that no actor in Bollywood has had the nerve to go nude as Mr Perfectionist. Yet.
3. PK is anti-Hindu: That's not what we are saying. These are the views of some misguided elements who swear by the doctrine of Hindutva. Following suit are the torchbearers of Islam and Christianity as well. There are protests, film screenings are being disrupted and the whole charade. But what has this led to? Even people who don't watch movies, are queuing up in front of theatres to watch what all the fuss is about.
4. Anushka's duck-face: The vivacious actress is in the news. On one hand, her beloved boyfriend, Virat Kohli is having a whale of a time, knocking tons in Australia, and here she's getting showered by his much-in-news-blatant-PDA in the stadium's box seats. Secondly, her bee-stung lips are being discussed more than her acting prowess in PK. Whatever may be the reason, one does get used to the duck-face after a while.
5. Highly-priced tickets: PK was a no-show at single screen theatres. The distributors, or let's say, the producers were adamant on increasing ticket prices. So, in a way, the film was released in a slightly less number of screens than Dhoom 3. But all the basic economics went out of the window as the whole brouhaha of expensive ticket rates helped PK rake in the moolah.
6. Three-week run: Amid the protests, it was the film that emerged the clear winner. The news of PK's release date had been floated in the market way back. Sensing imminent danger, other big banners carefully vacated the floor for the film. There was also an alleged tiff with Anurag Kashyap's Bombay Velvet whose release was coinciding with PK. A film that did release, that too a week after PK, was Kashyap's long-awaited-doing-the-rounds-of-film-festivals-yet-very-remarkable-small-budget-experimental-film, Ugly. However, owing to its release in less number of screens, limited promotion and average star cast, Ugly couldn't challenge PK's hold over the box-office. Christmas and New Year celebrations added to the film's three-week break free run.
(Translated from Hindi by Radhika Sharma.)