Let me start this review by mentioning
that I am not one of those who can laugh at the drop of a hat. With the kind of
sense of humor that I have, it is EXTREMELY difficult to make me laugh out
loud. I can sit through most of the so called "comedy" shows and
movies wondering what's in them that is making the audience laugh or for that
matter even giggle when I don't even find them smile worthy.
But Piku made me laugh...not just once but
N number of times during the 2 hours. So trust my review on this one - if a
movie can make me laugh, it will definitely fit the definition of comedy of
most of the people. If nothing else, one thing is sure that no one who goes for
the movie will come out saying that the movie was a waste of money and time. It is an
extremely safe bet that ways.
It requires a Soojit Sircar and a Juhi
Chaturvedi to pick up a subject like constipation and create a 2 hour long
super entertaining movie out of it. I bet that even the people who find
"potty conversations" disgusting will enjoy the movie from the
beginning till the last "poop" of the 70 year old digestive heath
obsessed dad that Amitabh plays.
The readers who are passionate about
cinema may ask, “Okay, good it made you laugh. But was it a robust story? Or
was it a string of comic scenes that the story writer put together and then
desperately tried to make a story out of those?" To this my answer would be
that the comedy is surely backed by a heart touching story line. In fact, it is
a rare combination of emotions and humor blended really well. While you enjoy the humor, you will not be
able to ignore the subtle messages around women empowerment, true love and duty
towards aging parents that the movie delivers. I laughed throughout the movie
but came out wondering if I would ever be able to be a Piku to my parents?
Actually, if you think through, you will
realize that the movie it trying to deliver the same message that Baghban did
in 2003; just that, Baghban used heavy drama as the route while Piku uses
comedy.
Let me try bringing out the beauty of this
movie through an analogy which the readers who take buying perfumes seriously
will understand. Piku is a perfume with a fresh top note of humor that attracts
and the base note of emotions that lingers for long even after the top note fades.
With the combo of Amitabh, Deepika and
Irfan in the movie you cannot expect the acting to be any less than fantastic.
However, for me the success of this movie lies more in the direction and story
than in the acting. Why do I say so? It is because of the ability of the
direction and story writing to:
- Pass on a serious social message through the genre of comedy
- Show the audiences the style of humor that is neither slapstick nor satire. (Well, I am actually not able to precisely define the style of humor that Piku can be classified under. Any theater/literature enthusiasts reading this, please come to my rescue - I know what it’s not, but I don't know what it is :P)
So then what is my final rating for this
movie you may ask? It’s a 5/5 for this one. But then, I wouldn't say go
and watch it now! The producers and distributors of this movie would want to
kill me for this but I would rather recommend that you open this bottle of
freshness on the day when you need it the most - on a day when your mood needs
an uplift, spray this perfume and you will feel refreshed.
Saw it twice over three days and the second time was as much fun as the first time, if not more fun! Couldn't stop the laughter and giggles! Rare thing indeed! I went to see the Big B and just couldn't see him anywhere...in the attitude, the dialogue or even the little dance he does...total departure from any stereotyping whatsoever! It was Bhaskor all the way!
ReplyDeleteOf course the movie is not for those without a strong appetite! Munching popcorn or relishing a bite might prove a bit challenging amidst all that crappy talk ;) …reminded me of Khushwant Singh’s preoccupation with his own poop in one of his works… It is a party pooper no doubt but not for those who love to party hard! Warning: you might even end up feeling a bit constipated (if you are not already that!) Irrfan and Deepika rock along the highway in their characteristic way; IK does try admirably hard (and successfully) to not to be his usual self and play a young Romeo.
That said, the subtle undercurrents of duty, loyalty, forgiveness and love; the moral fabric that stays firm despite inroads; the respect for individual freedom and expression; for women; for one's roots; the loneliness of lost companionship; the boredom that must be assuaged at any cost for those mentally alert though physically advanced in years; the Dad who becomes a grandson and the daughter who becomes the Mother in a role exchange necessitated by circumstance; the wish that the journey would never end, but end it must; in this case, the wheels of karma represented by the bicycle turn one last frenzied time as one's duties are done, issues are closed, desires are fulfilled...he has seen it all once again and can close his eyes in peace...blessed soul...but preceded by another, more satisfying blessed release in the loo…!
A little air freshener is sure welcome right now! But do let me know if you wanna go see it again with me this time! Am game!