Synopsis – A quirky take on the father-daughter relationship.

My Take – This year has been quite dull for Hindi cinema so far, with mainly dark themed film like Badlapur, Baby etc finding success at the BO & audience alike. Just when all hope seems lost director Shoojit Sircar ups the bench with his latest release, a comical, heartfelt tale of an aging father and his sacrificing accommodating daughter. From critically acclaimed films like Yahaan, Vicky Donor and Madras Cafe, Shoojit Sircar explores an untouched area which I guess no other Indian filmmaker has attempted before! The tagline ” Motion se hi Emotion” makes sense here as the entire movie talks about the constipation, bowel movement and even the color which Sircar does succeeds to bring humor without making it distasteful. The story follows Piku Banerjee (Deepika Padukone), a 30-year-old Bengali architect living in New Delhi with her father Bhaskor (Amitabh Bachchan), who has suffered from constipation throughout his life and has to yet find a cure for it. From his medication to his health reports and his regular blood pressure checks, Piku is responsible for every aspect of his health and constantly finds herself nursing her demanding father, often at the cost of her own sanity and her personal life. Everything he says is a call for attention or a complaint about his health. Piku, on the other hand, appears to be frustrated with her father’s childish behavior and his constant need for her attention for the smallest of things. She gets irritated when she is updated on each and every cell’s movement in her father’s body, and they often argue and banter about his self-imagined health issues. The film progresses as Bhaskor demands to take a trip to Calcutta to visit the family property, and insists on traveling by road as being in a train or a plane will disturb his bowels. Piku then arranges a car and a driver to drive them. When the driver of the rent-a-car company ditches them, due to Piku’s rule breaking demanding behavior the owner Rana Chowdhary (Irrfan Khan) steps in and decides to take charge of the journey.

And so, the 3 principle characters of the film set out on a long road trip full of disagreements, toilet breaks, and eventually, some bonding sessions between the characters. While the first-hour builds-up the structure of the film with some hilarious moments, the second-hour shifts into the emotional zone, especially in the penultimate portions. The film never distracts itself from its central subject which is Bhashkor Banerjee’s stomach just like the Banerjee family never gets time to discuss anything else. The film is a joyride for the whole of 2 hours and 5 odd minutes. It makes you laugh out loud for phases lasting from few minutes to tens of minutes, only to slice new layers of sensitivity in the next few. Even though the span of the film is a few days, Sircar so skillfully is able to show us the deeper traits of all the characters that you begin to relate with each one of them. There are hardly any weaknesses in the film, but the strongest of strengths is the realness of the film. There are quite a few slice of life films that Bollywood has been able to create in last few years, none is as natural as this. The movie possesses a convincing run-time replenished with absolute innocence. No overused romance sequences, no illogical flying cars, no unnecessary dance acts and above all, a heartfelt story contributes towards the film’s charm. Yet another time, a road trip depiction capitalizes in bringing a smile to the audience’s faces. Also, an uncustomary climax categorizes the film as a disparate one, unlike majority of the Bollywood films today. The narrative wonderfully narrates the relationship of an overbearing, constipated father & his hard-working daughter. Even the part of the car-hiring company owner is so nicely written. In fact, the diversity between its primary characters is what makes this film is such an absorbing watch. There are moments when you laugh-out-loud & there are times when your heart just melts. You feel for the characters & that kind of connect, is a huge bonus for any film. The scene where Irrfan Khan describes the benefit of Indian toilets over the Western one will certainly bring down the house! Kudos to the casting department for setting up such a brilliant troupe of performers. Deepika Padukone surprises with her simple and yet so powerful role. She is natural and makes her acting so easy as it is a cup of tea for her.

Deepika Padukone, who portrays the central character in the film, is unquestionably impressive. She certainly manages to delineate her charisma throughout the movie. Irrfan is fabulous. He’s given some of the film’s best moments & the talented actor only elevates those moments with his superior act. At 70, Amitabh Bachchan is still at the top of his game. If you have ever been a big Bachchan Saab fan and have not got the best of him lately, this is going to be your dope. His comic timing will put all comedians of today put together to shame. The way he has played the part of an over anxious, aging and well-meaning Bengali is only something that he could have done and no one else. Moushumi Chatterjee and Raghuvir Yadav are very good. Another thing that stood out in the movie was the absence of song and dance sequences. The songs played only as background scores and blended in beautifully with the story. The beautiful words and soulful music is definitely something you will carry on with you! Director Shoojit Sircar’s film strives for excellence in cinema focusing on human relationship, strong bonding between characters and acting style which approximates real life and is relatively free of contrivance and device. Shoojit Sircar is definitely the future of the industry. After Vicky Donor and Madras Cafe, the director has undoubtedly managed to maintain his reputation in the film circle. On the whole, ‘Piku’ is a hugely entertaining, simple & sweet film, that also has some amazing performances working for it. Here’s a film that has humor, emotions & the pace, one expected from it – a different tale, filled with relish able moments. Your age won’t make a difference, since, the movie is for everyone. Go, experience something new. If you are looking to be a part of an endearing journey of a father and daughter, do watch this movie at the very earliest. If you are looking for make-up laden actors, designer costumes, over the top acting, actors bursting in a song & dance sequence at the drop of a hat, this movie is not for you. Otherwise must watch!

Director – Shoojit Sircar

Starring – Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Irrfan Khan

Rated – G

Run Time – 123 minutes