PIKU MOVIE REVIEW

While a road trip without any stop is too ideal, a family without any drama is impossible to find; this is precisely what Piku gives us. Directed by Shoojit Sircar and starring Deepika Padukone and Amitabh Bachchan in the lead roles, Piku is not just a film but a travel into the world of a beautiful relationship between a father and a daughter. 

Now what makes this brilliant piece of work unique and a stand-out? Reasons are so many that writer, Juhi Chaturvedi couldn’t have given a better 2 hours experience. From the precise characterisation of Piku played by Deepika Padukone and Bhaskor Banerjee played by Amitabh Bachchan, the intense emotions wavering between the father and daughter, the constant pull with all the ‘shitty’ jokes which make you feel that ‘shit’ can never be an unparliamentary word to the very native connect of Kolkata, this film makes you sit for all the right reasons.

There are so many ‘potty’ jokes in the film that you may even forget to take a loo break. Deepika plays an adamant and irksome Piku but makes you love her by the end of the film. Amitabh plays a bizarre and an irritating 70 year old Bhaskor who prepares you to face any situation by being brutally true. Kudos to both these top-notch performers.

A perfect family drama combined with over-the-top characters that justifies the story in every small aspect, Piku has its own way to portray the struggle of a 70 year old man and the battle to live with that 70 year old man. The feel-good genre, flawless performances, comparison of two communities/states/cities, tussle in the extended family, conforming to the societal norms, the house in Kolkata and extreme forthrightness while discussing sex and shit, are not new for Shoojit Sircar as the resemblance to his previous outing Vicky Donor is very high in Piku.

Nevertheless the spot-on performance of Irrfan Khan, as the driver-owner of a car renting service who fits in as the sane man amidst the overly loud family, balances this family drama. Moushumi Chatterjee and Jishu Sengupta act out their parts convincingly as the bait in this overwhelmingly vocal family.

A brilliant film is incomplete if the technical crew is not strong. Be it the candid shots of the journey or while portraying high-intensity emotion via ‘motion’, cameraman Kamaljeet Negi has aced his job. To make a taut 2 hours movie, editor Chandrashekhar Prajapati has a good eye for crisp and clean storytelling. A special mention to Anupam Roy for creating a soul stirring and resounding theme track which rings in your mind even after you walk out of the theater. Blending this beautiful sitar based score into the title credits, Chandrashekhar has created an unexplainable magic that even a simple text-based credits roll makes you read every name clearly.

With a consistent sweater over a long kurta for Bhaskor and an indo-western and urban wear for Piku, costume designer Veera Kapur must be appreciated for keeping the clothing in-line with the film.

Overall, the film takes you through a journey that makes you come out of the theater with a wide smile. Even an annoying person may no longer be that annoying because Piku prepares you for the worst.