A section of audience always gets put off with toilet humour in films. However, Piku is an exception. Toilet jokes are not included just to induce laughs. It is an intrinsic part of the film. Also it is very nicely done and would be accepted whole heartedly by people. And the performances are simply outstanding, especially by Amitabh Bachchan!
The story of the movie: Bhaskor Bannerji(Amitabh Bachchan) is 70 and lives in CR Park, Delhi. His biggest grouse in life is constipation. Over the years, he has become grumpy and childlike. He lives with his daughter, Piku(Deepika Padukone) who loves him but at times, Baba’s irritating habits get on her nerves. When Baba decides to go to Kolkata for a family issue, Piku obviously has to accompany him. They choose to go by road and Rana Chaudhary(Irrfan Khan), owner of Himachal Taxi Stand, has to himself turn up to ferry the father-daughter duo.
Piku begins with a very unusual introduction of Baba and Piku. For few moments, one does think that the baap-beti is irritating and one might wonder if the rest of the film would be a torture. But in no time, such thoughts go out of the window. The conversations becomes interesting and hilarious and the situations straight out of life and relatable. But the film shows it’s true colours when the road journey begins. The manner in which poor Rana tries to get used to the eccentric Banerji’s ways is hilarious. The intermission point is a masterstroke.
The second half is equally fun. Kolkata is depicted beautifully like never before and the change in Piku-Rana’s equation makes for a great watch. But it’s the interactions of Piku and Rana that takes the cake. The climax is a bit sudden and might not be liked by all. But director Shoojit Sircar makes it look very convincing and complete.
Every actor has delivered a memorable performance. But without a shred of doubt, it is Amitabh Bachchan who takes the cake. He’s simply outstanding and this is surely one of his greatest performances of his glorious career. He would be remembered for years for this performance. It is mindblowing to see the way he gets totally into the character. Hats off! Deepika Padukone too delivers an award-winning performance. In fact, it is better than what she delivered in Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-leela as the character is rooted in realism. At first, she does seem a bit cranky but after a point, one falls for Piku and a big amount of credit goes to Deepika Padukone for making it happen! Watch out how lovely she looks when she’s swaying while having a drink at her home. And check out how she reacts the next day when the slight tragedy takes place. She mouths no dialogues and yet makes such a huge impact. It is brilliant! Irrfan Khan, as always, delivers a versatile performance and contributes a lot in raising laughs as well. His dialogue delivery is killer and as said before, his interactions with Big B are too good! Both he and Deepika look quite lovely together. Moushumi Chatterjee is fine and makes an impact in a supporting role. Same goes for Raghuvir Yadav and Jisshu Sengupta. The actors playing Baba’s caretaker, brother and sister-in-law deliver credible performances. Akshay Oberoi looks dashing in the special appearance.
Anupam Roy’s music is subtle but effective. All songs work equally well. The background score is quite pleasing and I wish the music in the opening credits was a part of the soundtrack as well. Veera Kapur EE’s costumes are realistic and stylish, especially the ones worn by Deepika Padukone. Juhi Chaturvedi’s story, screenplay and dialogues are the soul of the film. Story is unique, out of the box but so sensible and something that would appeal to everyone. Screenplay compliments the story well and the dialogues are a masterstroke! See the film to believe it! Shoojit Sircar’s direction does complete justice to the writing. It is a risky venture as he had to make sure that the characters have to look real and endearing and not irritating. This is especially in the case of Big B, his character turned out to be slightly ‘pakav’ in Shamitabh! But that doesn’t happen in Piku – his character is kind of adorable despite the eccentricities and kudos to Shoojit da for pulling it off. And he doesn’t overdo things, especially in the end during the sudden development. He keeps it subtle but real. The pace of the film is superb and is one of the few films where one won’t be checking the watch or get bored even for a second! All in all, a fantastic work by the entire team!
Some of the best scenes:
Baba makes allegations on the bai
Piku and Baba at the party and thereafter
Piku angrily calls Rana at 4 am
The car journey begins
The intermission point(hilarious)
The Varanasi episode
Rana slams Baba
The Kolkata Darshan sequence
The last 15 minutes
On the whole, Piku is a lovely, slice of life film that is guaranteed to win hearts. Juhi Chaturvedi’s writing and Shoojit Sircar’s direction are extraordinary and the lead performers – Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone and Irrfan Khan – take the film to dizzying heights. Also, the best part is that the toilet humour quotient is not something that’ll put off a section of viewers. It is nicely done and will be wholeheartedly accepted. Don’t miss Piku and its eccentricities for anything!