Movie Review : Piku

Piku: A “Mishti” Father Daughter relationship… Bong style

Shoojit Sircar right from his first film “Yahaan”(2005) has dabbled in distinct subjects which showcases our society in various forms. “Piku” looks at the father daughter relationship with a refreshing twist.

Juhi Chaturvedi after her impressive debut “Vicky Donor” comes up with a simple yet refreshing story of father daughter relationship. The plot is a simple tale of Father Bhaskor Banerjee (Amitabh Bachchan) a hypochondriac and his daughter Piku (Deepika Padukone). The story is essentially the bitter sweet of the father daughter relationship and going to one’s roots. The story does not have any conflicts nor any high voltage drama but still you fall in love with the movie and its characters.

Juhi compensates the wafer thin story with an engrossing screenplay of daily mundane father daughter squabbles and a road trip which changes the course of their respective lives. Every character has been written well whether it is the main lead or the domestic help Budhan. Every sequence is written with minutest details. The humor is subtle but it dominates the theme which is the most incredible quality of the screenplay. Where it fails albeit marginally is giving the story a conclusive end, rest it entertains and takes you back to the Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Basu Chatterjee genre of movies.

Dialogues it another big plus of the movie, Juhi Chaturvedi’s tongue and cheek dialogues complements the screenplay and takes the movie a notch higher.

Where the movie makes the biggest impact, it is its performances. Amitabh Bachchan as the quirky Bhashkor Banerjee is brilliant and is another feather in the superstar’s cap. To complement Amitabh’s act, Deepika as Piku gives a sterling performance by far her best till date. But it is Irrfan’s act as Rana Choudhary which steals the show, though a bit under played but Irrfan shines and how. Another highlight performance is Moushumi Chatterjee’s Chobi Mashi act, her free spirited performance makes you fall in love with the character, though it is a brief role. Other actors like Raghuvir Yadav, Jishu Sengupta, Balendra Singh, Swaroopa Ghosh give a good performance making it a worth watch.

Kamlajeet Negi’s camera work is simple yet captivating and complements the plot. Veera Kapur’s costumes are absolutely apt and done with minutest details.

Music by Anupam Roy flows with the narration and extremely soulful, though songs are at the back ground but helps in taking the plot further.

Shoojit Sircar again shows his mettle with “Piku” and yet again proves that to tell a good story you do not need a big canvas….
“Piku” is like a fresh air which rejuvenates and lingers in your memory long after it is over….A DEFINITE WATCH…I will go with Four & A Half Stars….

Movie Rating: (4.5 / 5)