Banner: MSM Motion Pictures, Saraswati Entertainment Creations Limited & Rising Sun Films
Producer: N. P. Singh, Ronnie Lahiri & Sneha Rajani
Director: Shoojit Sircar
Cast: Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan, Irrfan Khan, Moushumi Chatterjee, Raghuvir Yadav, Jishu Sengupta, Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury & Akshay Oberoi
Music: Anupam Roy
Director Shoojit Sircar of ‘Vicky Donor’ fame is a good & powerful director no doubt and he raises earth shaking humor in most of his films with the aid of a substance then be it a “sperm” (‘Vicky Donor’) or a man’s absolute necessity “motion” (the film in question ‘Piku’). So ‘Piku’ is a delightful journey of emotions via motions
Interlaced with comic interludes.
The plot of ‘Piku’ entails the story of Piku. Deepika Padukone portrays the titular protagonist, a Bengali architect living in New Delhi and Amitabh Bachchan plays her hypochondriac father. Irrfan Khan, Moushumi Chatterjee & Jishu Sengupta portray supporting roles. Piku Bannerji (Deepika Padukone), a successful architect is struggling to manage both her career and the responsibility of her 70 year old father Bhashkor Banerjee (Amitabh Bachchan), who can be quite the handful. The cranky Bengali senior is a hypochondriac and also happens to be perpetually constipated. His motions, or lack thereof, are the subject of virtually every conversation in their Chittaranjan Park home. He’s obsessed with details of the color, the texture, the size, and the consistency of his poop, which he insists on sharing with his daughter even when she’s at work or out on a date. In the father – daughter’s constant petty squabbles there are other character’s like Bhashkor’s 3 times divorced sister – in -law (Maushami Chatterjee), Sayed Afroz (Jishu Sengupta) Piku’s prospective suitor who is also the victim of his own motion problem & completing the triangle with Piku & Bhaskor is Rana Chowdhary (Irrfan Khan), the owner of a private taxi company who volunteers to drive Piku and her father all the way from Delhi to Kolkata when the old man strongly insists on visiting his ancestral home. The film takes the shape of a road – trip movie from this point on and it’s Rana applying his trademark dry humor, who gets some of the best moments here. Amused by Bhaskor’s fixation on his tummy issues, Rana explains the merits of squatting on a Western style toilet, and in another hilarious scene draws out the entire digestive route of food for a fascinated Bhashkor.
Director Shoojit Sircar does not let even once the lead characters idiosyncrasies, turn into caricatures while all along delivering big laughs thanks to all the actor’s spot – on comic timing. Also bringing his best game to the film is Irrfan Khan. But it’s with the character of Piku that writer Juhi Chaturvedi pushes the envelope farthest, giving us a fully flesh & blood modern woman. Unembarrassed to admit she has sexual needs, unafraid to pursue a casual relationship with a colleague Sayed Afroz and never shy of snapping back at her patience – testing father. Shoojit Sircar and his entire team of the crew in lieu with the cast deserves a standing ovation for bringing such a marvellous film for the “meangful film” starved cinegoers. Shoojit Sircar keeps a breezy, light – hearted tone throughout, infusing a hint of humor even in the decidedly emotional or motion bits.
Performance wise Amitabh Bachchan towers above all with his towering performance. His mannerisms, his gait, his get up, his body language, his representation of a 70 year old man’s whimsical eccentrics in tandem with the finely tuned gamuts & nuances speaks volumes of his eternal histrionics skills. While the film also belongs to Deepika Padukone, she is just a bit too perfect as Piku. She has matched Sr. Bachchan step by step, scene by scene in fact in every single frame. Irrfan Khan, the 3rd angle of the eccentric triangle, is as usual too good to be true. In fact the trio of Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone & Irrfan Khan are simply outstanding. The rest of the cast comprising of Moushumi Chatterjee, Raghuvir Yadav, Jishu Sengupta, Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury & Akshay Oberoi not only form a far from perfect foil to the lead actors but they are all just too superb in their “Brief” roles.
Tail Piece: Film’s like ‘Piku’ comes once in a while bringing along with it a whiff of fresh air. So go ahead partake of its aroma before it gets withered & weather beaten. Once again a cautionary advice “Don’t Miss ‘Piku’ At Any Cost”.
