Rajkumar Hirani On Whether He Can Make ‘PK’ In Today’s Climate: ‘You Can’t Start Diluting Your Beliefs, That’s A Scary Place To Be In’ (EXCLUSIVE)

After delivering slice-of-life stories with social messages like “Munna Bhai MBBS,” “Lage Raho Munna Bhai” and “3 Idiots,” Rajkumar Hirani came up with a sci-fi satirical dramedy with Aamir Khan starrer “PK” in 2014, which addressed superstitions and pseudoprophets.

While “PK” was a blockbuster, in certain quarters its theme and treatment were panned, and the filmmaker was attacked for allegedly mocking religious rituals and promoting anti-religious views.

In an exclusive chat with Variety India, we ask Hirani if he could make “PK” in today’s climate, he responds that in today’s time, people are ready to bash you through comments and sometimes that is a cause for concern.

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“Times keep changing and conversations in the universe around you keep changing. Right now, most of the time, the worry is the comments you get to hear. Anything you do, there will be comments that will bash you,” shares Hirani. However, he opines that a filmmaker should make his film with utmost honesty and hope for the audience’s approval. “But I think the moment you start worrying about it, then that’s a bigger cause for concern. You should try and make your film with honesty and hope people will appreciate that, because the moment you try to be extremely careful or make something that you think is safe, you’re going to get bashed for it. You might as well make a film with conviction. Because there will be an equal number of people who will love you for that. You can’t start diluting your beliefs; that’s a scary place to be in. Then there’s no point in making a film,” he explains.

“PK,” which was bankrolled by Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Rajkumar Hirani, also featured Anushka Sharma, late Sushant Singh Rajput, Boman Irani, Saurabh Shukla and Sanjay Dutt in key roles. It was the highest Bollywood grosser of 2014.