Piku..

#Piku : Long ago ,before noise became the norm,  there was a Hrishikesh Mukherjee & Basu Chatterjee school of cinema that taught life lessons through simple stories , beautiful narrations , believable acting & mellifluous music .  Almost half a century later director Shoojit Sircar & writer Juhi Chaturvedi decides to revisit the old school. And they make their intentions amply clear with a simple Title “Piku”. It is a simple story of relationships told with lots of heart and humour. It is a story that unfolds in every house hold with an old parent or grandparent. It is a story you & I have been witness to all along.

The Narration:

A cantankerous hypochondriac old man, his thirty odd year old daughter and a single businessman who comes in touch with the father-daughter duo. Sounds familiar? What if the story revolves around the old man’s eccentricity and constipated bowel movement?  Eh! Sounds like a shitty story? This is where writer Juhi Chturvedi & Director Shoojit Sircar’s genius elevates a simple everyday poop story to deliver the philosophy of life, to depict real yet beautiful human relationship, celebrates feminism , makes you laugh and weep and ends up making an endearing film. Mind it, Piku is an extremely difficult film to make at screen play and direction level precisely because of the simplicity yet absurdity of the subject. It could have so easily ended up being crass and boring .Yet walking on a tight rope the screen play – director duo manages to pull it off and how ! The beauty of Piku lies not in the story but the way it has been narrated.

Light, Camera, Action

More than four decades after immortalizing Bhaskar Banerjee in Anand, Bachchan embraces the same name albeit with an “O”. As an aging, selfish, whimsical, annoying yet adorable Bhaskor Banerjee, ever concerned about his health, Amitabh Bachchan is simply magnificent. His comic timing and body language is jaw dropping. Mark my words; you would search for those old parents or grandparents of yours in Bhaskor Babu. With a Bravura performance, Bachchan reiterates why he is the ultimate thespian in Hindi film industry.  

Deepika as Piku is astounding. If in Ramleela she marked her arrival as an actress, with Piku she has consolidated her position as one of the finest actresses of our generation. With each release her acting prowess is growing by leaps and bounds.  As a modern girl  who is strong yet fallible, who is independent yet longs for support, as a girl who feels driving liberates her yet she enjoys being just a co passenger her eyes speak louder than her words. She doesn’t act, she just reacts the way you and I do. Do I need to explain any further!

Irfan is the final cog in a casting coup. He is superb as usual. He is a perfect foil to an eccentric Bhaskor and moody Piku. Moushumi Chatterjee & Jisshu Sengupta plays their parts well.

And the Background Score

When was the last time you watched the black and white opening credits roll with a sitar & sarod playing in the background? Anupam Roy’s music is distinctive.  It has a sense of calmness and equanimity around it. It integrates so beautifully with the story and becomes a part of the narration.

The Father- Daughter relationship in Piku makes you fall in love with the eccentricity and simplicity of life .It touches your heart through the bowel. After all emotion is all about motion!  Alright then ,do yourself a favour this weekend, take your folks out to watch Piku , watch them as they discover the Bhaskor Banerjee in them , cherish those  moments with smiles on their lips and moist eyes and as you walk out of the theatre give them a tight hug. And for those asking for stars, I bet you will come out celebrating life.