|
|
 Quirky screenplays work if we can identify human foibles or frailties within them; if we look beyond odd behaviours and recognize something intrinsically human. Shoojit Sircar’s Piku takes a wry look at the less than cheerful topic of caring for the aged. It’s a tough theme. Especially as the tone of the film is light and the pivotal relationships all work against stereotype.
Piku (Deepika Padukone) is a dutiful daughter but she is not self-effacing – someone who meekly places her own life on the back-burner. She’s fierce and impatient. Surprisingly like the father she’s caring for … crusty, outspoken Bashkor Banerjee (Amitabh Bachchan). Father and daughter clash but we know their spats merely provide tension release and aren’t heart-felt. The beauty of the film is that the characters are larger than life – funny to the point of being ridiculous but never distanced from the viewer. Those who have cared for an aged person know it’s a bumpy trip all the way. With ill-health we don’t get the idealised old folk of Ravi Chopra’s Baghban (2003). It’s more likely that we’d have a moody Bashkor on our hands. And yes, bodily functions take centre stage. Most of the comedy comes from Bashkor’s understandable obsession with chronic constipation. He interrupts Piku’s business meeting with a colourful message about his bowel movement or rings her while she’s having a dinner date to describe his stool composition – ‘mango-like’ if you don’t mind! When Piku and her father embark on a taxi journey from Delhi to Kolkata, I feared that this would become a road-movie like Adajania’s Finding Fanny (2014). The trip however, is used as a plausible device to establish a new character – Rana (Irrfan) – the manager of a taxi company. He’s forced to drive father and daughter because none of his drivers could put up with Piku’s rage for 48 hours. The journey is not about adventure, it’s purely to do with character trajectories. Irrfan’s Rana is intriguing because unlike the other two, he has a quiet disposition. One of the best scenes in the film involves Bashkor insisting that Rana shouldn’t have subjected his cancer-ridden father to ‘tubes and ventilators’. Rana’s response is moving and perfectly executed.
When I first saw Bachchan in his unflattering, old fashioned clothes and glasses with a fabricated paunch, I was distracted from his acting. This often happens when a superstar attempts to inhabit the ‘warts-and-all’ body of a mere mortal. Initially I thought his acting was too mannered but later, I warmed to it. This was after all an old man who was ‘acting-up’ so that he would not be forgotten. With bombast, bluster and a level of pretence, he gained the attention of the people who mattered to him - Piku, the doctor, his brother and Rana. Sircar has a small but significant filmography. He has skilfully directed three very different films; Vicky Donor (2012) – a light, breezy, commercial film, the espionage thriller Madras Café (2013) and now, Piku which straddles the ground between arthouse and commercial cinema. What attracts me to his latest work is his excellent control over the situations being played out. Kudos must also go to Juhi Chaturvedi for a wonderful screenplay and to Kamaljeet Negi for his dynamic cinematography. At any time behind the farce and chatter of every day struggle, there is an unspoken undercurrent of unconditional love.
|
|||||||||||||||||||
| Comments | Contact Us | Advertise | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy |
Let us know what you think about this review
I never thought I’d say it but Irrfan and Deepika make a fine jodi. This unlikely pairing works against the Bollywood glamour-queen image that Deepika has worked hard to establish. On the other hand, it boosts her image as serious actor. She is not relying on looks or sex appeal to enhance her screen presence. Wearing simple clothes and carrying a bit more weight than usual she plays an atypical role opposite two celebrated actors and holds her own.