May 18, 2015 01:17 PM
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One of my good friends- Tushar Jain has been an assistant director for the movie Piku. I saw the movie last week and thoroughly enjoyed it. Entertainment, like food, is digested well when wholesome- Piku- the movie is a wonderful example for the way ahead for Bollywood-given the constipated movies, churned out Friday after Friday.
Piku - proved that filmmakers don't need to add sweeteners to depict sweet relationships. Sweet relationships emerge despite the sour exchanges most of us have with our loved ones.The movie, about a hypochondriac senior-citizen affectionately looked after a level-headed and responsible daughter highlights how detailing of culture, locations, character sketches contribute immensely to the realistic quotient of any movie.
With three talented and powerful actors such as Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone and Irfan Khan carrying the film on their shoulders, one was always assured of good, engaging cinema.
However, a lot of credit should go to Shoojit Sircar, the director who has carved his niche with only four movies - Yahaan, Vicky Donor, Madras Cafe and Piku. Of course, he has established his credentials quite well in the ad-world.
Piku is no-nonsense cinema where you don't come across forced humour. Subtlety is the charm of the movie- especially for the scenes involving Irfan Khan and Deepika Padukone.
The Bengali director has assured that the Bengali family is not the typical Bollywood-ised version with cliches and unnecessary songs thrown at you.
Though it is reminiscent of old-world cinema, Piku also gives attention to current issues in its own subtle way- the challenges of a single kid having to take care of a widowed parent, the constant tug-of-war between'your future' and'your moral responsibilities' towards your parents, the challenges of senior-citizens in dealing with unwanted gifts of longer life-spans-medical conditions.
Deepika Padukone essayed the character of the new-age woman balancing career as well as an aged and demanding parent very well. One could see though that her diction of Bengali left scope for improvement. She had several difficult scenes. She plays a character who is aware of her difficult nature and yet someone who has no choice but to play the difficult roles life and nature have chosen for her. It does not mean she does not have dreams but for her, her parent is her priority.
Amitabh Bachchan as the hypochondriac senior-citizen highly dependent on his daughter seemed to enjoy while acting, though one wishes he was more subtle in his expressions. The brutally honest, insecure, caring yet blunt father and husband come across well through his act.
Irfan Khan seemed to be most effortless in playing the role of an annoyed taxi-fleet owner who is stressed with his own family problems but for the most part has a wonderful philosophy of respecting and enjoying life's twists and turns.The extended family only made the story more real and the friction shown between various characters is something audiences could easily relate to.
The movie, though addressing constipation as a primary theme-steered clear of easy paths. It indeed was a story well-told.One did feel that Amitabh Bachchan could have been less over-the-top but his act does well in keeping the audiences engaged.
Welcome the age of believable cinema-a badly needed pill to cure Bollywood of its chronic indigestion, coming in the way of good ideas and realistic setups.
