Rajkumar Hirani reveals 'PK' was never meant to be an alien

Indian filmmaker says protagonist was originally conceived as a human boy raised in isolation

Indian filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani has revealed that the central character in his 2014 blockbusterPKwas originally conceived as a human boy rather than an alien. before a creative challenge prompted a major change to the script.

Speaking at a recent promotional event, Hirani explained that the idea behindPKwas to tell a story about religion. faith through the eyes of an outsider unfamiliar with human beliefs.

“My reason to use an alien inPKwas purely that if there's an alien who lands on Earth. he would know nothing about the way we see God. Through his innocence, we'll be able to tell a story about God and religions,” Hirani said.

According to the filmmaker. the character played by Aamir Khan was initially envisioned as a boy who had grown up in complete isolation, away from society, before entering a modern city for the first time.

However, as development progressed, Hirani and his team encountered a problem.

If the character remained human, audiences would inevitably question his background, including his nationality, family history and religion. The filmmakers feared those associations would undermine the neutral perspective needed for the story.

To solve the issue, Hirani transformed the character into an alien, effectively removing any social, cultural or religious identity. allowing him to observe human behaviour with complete innocence.

The decision ultimately became one of the defining elements of the film, enablingPKto combine satire, comedy. social commentary through the perspective of an outsider.

During the same discussion. Hirani also expressed concern about the shortage of films made specifically for children in the Indian film industry. “Studios hesitate to make a film because they might feel that there's not a market. But I always feel there's always one,” he said.

The filmmaker argued that the lack of children's films is driven less by creative reluctance. more by concerns over commercial viability.

He cited films such asKoi Mil GayaandChillar Partyas examples of successful family-oriented storytelling, while noting the difficulties such projects often face in securing distribution. financial backing.

“Hrithik and Rakesh Roshan went ahead and made beautiful films for children. Even forChillar Party, director Nitesh Tiwari made a beautiful film. At the same time, I remember that they were struggling to sell it,” Hirani said. “I don't think anybody's deliberately not making it; it's a choice of individual filmmakers. studios to put it out there.”

Hirani is also preparing to expand into the streaming space. His production company is backing a new web series,Pritam and Pedro, directed by Avinash Arun.

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