Piku

The trailers told us what to expect, and the film definitely lives up to what it endorses. Piku may have taken the subject of constipation quite too seriously, but it really is a realistic depiction of (familial) relationships.

Story of a septuagenarian Bhaskor (Bachchan) who is more concerned about his health issues, especially his holiday tummy, has a daughter named Piku (Padukone). Piku takes care of Bhaskor like a child SHOULD take care of her parent. And that is what the primary theme of the film is, and it slightly preaches that towards the end. Although one cannot call the film preachy, it does convey a message or two.

The plot begins with Bhaskor diagnosing his Delhi belly and ends when he finally empties his bowels, literally. His violent relationship with his digestive system is the reason he acts temperamental, which has far-reaching effects, mostly on Piku. How Piku tackles his snappiness forms the essential part of the film. It is appealing to watch the story unfold, and if one concentrates on the natural dialogs that are delivered by the characters, one is sure to lay back and enjoy a hearty chuckle. The humor is natural and the family ambiance is ideal for an afternoon watch with your family.

How old age has to be handled the same way infancy is handled should be learned by the titular character, played beautifully by gorgeous Padukone. She is shimmering throughout the frames, but for me personally, Bachchan takes the pie. His portrayal is simply fantastic. That brings the attention to the perfect casting done by the makers; Irrfan is phenomenal and so are the pillaring cast. The subject of constipation is so comprehensively addressed one doubts if it is a guide for dummies. The soundtrack and score by newcomer Anupam Roy sounds repetitive, but strictly complements the theme of the film, which is part road drama.

BOTTOM LINE: Soojit Sircar has carved something essential in Bollywood with Piku - a fine story whose effect may not stay for long, but its themes and performances certainly remembered in years to come. 7/10 - recommended.

Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES

Director Mr. #SoojitSircar has done wonderful job. He was very clear about the emotions of every character. He has taken far ahead the script by his visualization. Writer #JuhiChaturvedi breaks the all taught grammar of a script but still succeeded to posses its soul. Hats off to her. She had just an idea on the name of story but she developed this beautifully which was not an easy work. Screenplay is good. Dialogues are sweet and witty. Writing and direction are so gelled that it is hard to believe that actually that is written by two persons. Both were creatively tuned on the same note. This film is a great example that good rapport of writer and director can even carry a very thin subject to an entertaining flick. All characters are very real. You start believing them very soon. Love scenes are realistic, unusual but project the correct emotions. Film is slow but you still enjoy it throughout like home made food. You will be wearing smile and sometimes burst in laughter too. Brilliant performance by all actors is icing on the cake. One can watch any film just for Mr. Amitabh Bachchan. He is par excellence. Deepika Padukone is one of very fine actor, who can carry very glamorous character as well as hard core real, authentic and girl next door role with ease and conviction. Irrfan Khan is fabulous. Moushumi Chatterjee and Raghuvir Yadav are very good. Music by Anupam Roy and lyrics by Manoj Yadav and Anupam Roy are impressive.

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.

Shoojit Sircar has once again made a film that touches a chord in each one of us, and entertains us at the same time. The movie revolves around the love-hate relationship of a daughter, with her father. Mostly love, and a very very slight hint of hate towards each others idiosyncrasies. I won't disclose the details of this beautiful story, but you know it's going to be a fun ride, when the most talked about topic in the entire movie is the bowel movements of the protagonist of the film, Mr Amitabh Bachchan :)

Kudos to the casting department, for choosing the finest actors in the industry. A movie like Piku reminds us of why Amitabh Bachchan, is Amitabh Bachchan!! He is an absolute delight to watch. I am tempted to say, his acting was impeccable..but that would not be doing him justice. Not once throughout the movie did i feel that he was 'acting' - it just felt so REAL, so relatable, so genuine, so simple! And i think that's the best compliment any actor can garner from the viewers. His expressions and mannerisms were so cute, that sometimes you just felt like leaping into the screen, and giving him a warm bear hug :D

This movie would not have been what it is, without two more of the finest actors from the current crop - the effervescent Deepika Padukone and the ever-so-versatile Irrfan Khan. They too were extremely natural - their look, dialogue delivery, emotions, expressions were all so real, you could actually feel what they were feeling.. their frustrations, their ire, their subtle chemistry, their happy moments and the quiet understanding and rapport they built over their journey from Delhi to Kolkata.. Deepika Padukone, as always, looked absolutely stunning, but this time sans the heavy make-up and blingy costumes.

Another thing that stood out for me 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 with you, as you walk out the theatre.

Kudos to everyone who put this movie together - the artists, the director, the producers, the costume department, the make-up team, the set designers, the script writers, the music directors, the cinematographers :) Thank you for not just giving us a movie, but giving us an EXPERIENCE!! We sure enjoyed our time with the endearing Banerjee family :D

Go, watch! :)

The film begins with a soothing sitar recital in the titles and then the film straight away steps on to the 3rd gear in its first sequence itself showcasing the father-daughter having a tensed, high pitched conversation. The few other key characters in the script get quickly introduced in the next 20 minutes with fast intercuts between its short scenes and the progression never really gives you some time even to look at your mobile phone (following the routine habit). In the middle PIKU turns into a road movie with the team of four (Amitabh, Deepika, Irrfan and the servant) deciding to go to Kolkatta via road (car) from Delhi and then the city of joy greets you well with another impressive Bengali couple strongly demanding your attention with their noticeable act. Its final moments make you feel the pain of separation with moist eyes and the climax leaves you thinking on an indecisive note, probably shying away from having a routine, predictable end.

Based on a unique and unusual plot about constipation, PIKU is certainly not an easy film to make as it doesn't have any descriptive storyline and it more or less remains predictable too once its basic premise gets revealed in the initial moments. The topic of toiler humour is quite difficult to express in dialogues being spoken on dinner tables but Juhi does it superbly establishing the loving relationship between the old age father and his daughter in the early thirties. The sequences keep delivering many enjoyable moments and good laughs regularly till the finale and one doesn't feel tired at all watching only 4-5 characters in the entire film simply conversing with each other on the topic of constipation. In other words, the film has no conflict as such (as it was there in VICKY DONOR) but Sircar still successfully manages to make it all fun and nothing boring or dragging with an amazing ease reminding you of the classic films from Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Basu Chatterjee.

An intelligent film made straight from the heart, PIKU fearlessly talks about many serious issues in a comical mode such as old age ailment, the lonely life of a widower or a widow when their grown up kids are willing to start their own family, the attention seeking nature of old people and the nostalgia they like to keep living in remembering the gone era. It focuses on a weird, over-indulgent father who feels no shame in telling a stranger that his young daughter is not a virgin and a visibly frustrated but caring daughter who only has the topic of constipation to talk about on the phone even when she is sitting in a restaurant on a dinner date.

Besides the best part of the film turns out to be its particular scenes and dialogues dealing with Bengali language, culture and the city of Kolkatta, making it a visual treat to enjoy along with the touching relationships developing between its various characters. Musically, PIKU has few average but soothing numbers from singer- songwriter-composer Anupam Roy (his debut Hindi project) perfectly suiting the mood of the film. Plus the beautiful cinematography, crisp editing (though too quick at times) and casual costumes designed quite authentically establish an instant connection with the viewer enhancing its overall impact.

Moving into performances, though the film has two towering male personalities having their own distinctive screen presence known to all, the film still completely belongs to Deepika Padukone alone as conveyed by the title PIKU that happens to be her nickname (the original name not mentioned anywhere). The actress truly gives another career best performance as the young, casual, middle class, working girl (with minimal make-up) who has twinkling eyes, killer looks and an adorable controlled grin that slowly makes you fall in love as the film proceeds further.

Amitabh Bachchan as Banerjee is a sheer delight to watch and that too minus his baritone voice in an eccentric kind of character conversing in an enjoyable Bengali tone. He is simply outstanding slipping into a different body of an old man annoyed of his own non- existing or self-assumed diseases. And I really doubt we have any other actor around who could be giving these kinds of performances at the age of 70. Completing the trio, Irrfan Khan as expected plays the travel agency owner with an incredible perfection. The way he calls out his drivers to take up different duties and his entertaining interactions with Amitabh Bachchan on the road trip generate a good laugh in the theatres.

In the supporting cast, that always has been the highlight of a Shoojit Sircar film we have the return of Moushumi Chatterjee on screen as the talkative Mausi who is delightful talking with Amitabh Bachchan about his dead wife, her sister. Raghuvir Yadav makes a decent impact as the friendly doctor and then the actors playing the Bengali couple, Irrfan's family and the accompanying servant, all remain fairly entertaining in their respective roles, particularly the servant.

Having praised the film whole heartedly, I still found PIKU as a project majorly made only to entertain its audiences (and not enlighten them), focusing less on the drama and emotional aspect of the relationships that happened to be the key element of films of Hrishi Da and Basu Da. Music being the soul of our Hindi films, the melody was once again missing though the lyrics were right there expressing it fine. Moreover it simply touches many sensitive issues of life but avoids getting into them in details fearing the viewer's loss of interest.

Having said that, with PIKU as one of the best films of 2015, Hindi film-makers do expand their vision of mainstream cinema exploring new ideas undoubtedly and therefore the film deserves to be seen as a must supporting the progressive move.

Innocent, honest, thoughtful, funny, that is what is ‪#Piku‬. The movie leaves you with a weird sense of responsibility, something we all know but don't want to accept Or have forgotten down the road. The movie will come across as a slow paced in some scenes but that is not really the case, it is just the building up of emotional connect that the scene needs with the audience. Even though the movie portrays a Bengali family, I am sure all families in India can relate to the struggles and laughters that this family goes through. All the actors are just so fine in their craft that you end up believing that you are watching someone's life and not a movie. Still thinking? Don't! Just go watch a movie where the acting is as real as it can get. In the end, if nothing works for you, then you'll at least learn a few tips on how to deal with constipation! :)