A father introduces his daughter as ‘financially, emotionally and sexually independent’ and further informs she isn’t a virgin when a guy tries to hit at her during a party when he is present. His daughter Piku is exactly that and has physical relationships too. “It’s a need,” as she puts it to her Aunt when asked how her ongoing sex life is. These are clear instances of breaking stereotypes and Director Shoojit Sircar (‘Yahaan’, ‘Vicky Donor’, ‘Madras Café’) surely knows his craft well when it’s about filming a smartly scripted film.
Mr. Bhaskor Banerjee (Amitabh Bachchan) is a seventy-year old Bengali living in Chittaranjan Park, Delhi. A cantankerous and difficult man; he is obsessed with his bowels and suffers from constipation. “Insaan kaa emotion uske motion se hi judaa hua hain”, he says. Bhaskor’s wife (now no more) was a lady who gave up her teaching career at La Martiniere, Kolkata to serve her husband. Thus, he opines that there should be a purpose behind a marriage and not just ‘saaarve food in da day, sex in the night’ as he says in a heavy Bengali accent. That, however is not the only reason he doesn’t want his daughter Piku (Deepika Padukone) to marry. As Irrfan Khan’s character rightly analyzes him- ‘He is selfish.’ Piku (every Bengali has a nickname) is the independent strong-minded short-tempered daughter who takes care of his ageing father in every possible way. So busy is she in it that she hardly gets the time and right mood to have a dinner date. An architect by profession, she is into a physical relationship with her boss Syed (Jisshu Sengupta) as it’s a need. Syed’s friend Rana (Irrfan Khan) is an engineer-turned-businessman and owns a cab service company; not at all in good terms with Piku. But when Bhaskor desires to visit his hometown Kolkata and is adamant on going by road, Piku hires Rana’s taxi for it. As luck would have it, the driver doesn’t turn up and it’s up to Rana to drive them from Delhi to Kolkata. When Bhaskor asks him if he is a Bengali, he says- ‘Naa Naa… Thakur… UP se’. So, you can well make out he is the odd one out in the road trip; out of place, bewildered yet he turns out to give a new dimension to the father-daughter relationship and also getting attached to Piku in the process.
Sircar films ‘Piku’ in a very simple way reminding one of Hrishikesh Mukherjee films. There isn’t really a story yet there is one! It’s a beautiful slice-of-life film which doesn’t exaggerate on the emotions yet tells you the story of a father and daughter just so brilliantly. They are imperfect people. The father is selfish as he doesn’t want to be left alone; he wants Piku by his side all the time. He is also very possessive and protective about her. The daughter gets angry on him often and yet loves him so much. She tells Rana if someone marries her, he has to adopt her father too. I couldn’t find a single fault in the movie except the fact that it feels a little stretched. Humour is used smartly and you laugh at the little things that come up. But Sircar also makes a point on Death and let’s give him brownie points for keeping it non-melodramatic. There is a lot to admire in ‘Piku’ and at the end of it; you have a beautifully made simple film with strong performances.
Amitabh Bachchan plays Bhaskor in a way that you will find this old man just too cute. Though he overdoes the Bengali accent and doesn’t get it right or appealing all the time, his body language is perfect. He is like a child in the film and we all know humans grow into kids as they age. It’s so endearing a performance that you may excuse the accent which was not really needed. Deepika Padukone steals the show and is the best thing here. In an author-backed role, she brings to the character certain uneasiness and vulnerability even if she is portrayed as a strong independent woman. She gets the Bengali accent bang on! But more importantly, she gets the mannerisms of a Bong based out of Kolkata yet rooted to it so well that you want to applaud. Not to forget she looks graceful and gorgeous like always. It’s a fantastic performance and will be among the best this year. Irrfan Khan is an actor par excellence and how else could he prove it better. In a role not so important, he is simply marvelous and leaves more than a mark. Moushumi Chatterjee is remarkable in a small role. Jisshu Sengupta can barely emote. The remaining cast is adequate.
Watch it or not: Absolutely; though it might feel a little stretched and the Bengali feel will take some time for others to get accustomed to.
At the Box Office: Won’t start well but should pick up due to good word-of-mouth… I’m hoping and expecting ‘Piku’ recovers its costs.
My Verdict
4.5
‘Piku’ will make you smile, laugh and get you moist-eyed and you don’t need to be a daughter for it. It’s a beautifully made simple film. I’ll quote in Bengali here- “Khub Bhaalo! Daarun!” It’s my top pick of the year so far. I was excited about a movie after quite a while; I wasn’t disappointed. 3.5 plus an extra 1 for the Big B, Irrfan Khan and especially… Deepika’s performance… 4.5 on 5.
