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Piku

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For Satyajit Ray's film, see Pikoo.

Piku
Theatrical release poster
Directed byShoojit Sircar
Written byJuhi Chaturvedi
Screenplay byJuhi Chaturvedi
Produced by
  • N.P. Singh
  • Ronnie Lahiri
  • Sneha Rajani
Starring
CinematographyKamaljeet Negi
Edited byChandrashekhar Prajapati
Music byLyrics & Music:
Anupam Roy
Background Music:
The Anupam Roy Band
Production
companies
Distributed byYash Raj Films
Release date
  • 8 May 2015 (2015-05-08)
Running time
122 minutes[1]
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi
Budget₹25 crore[2]
Box office₹141 crore[2]

Piku is a 2015 Indian comedy-drama film directed by Shoojit Sircar and produced by N. P. Singh, Ronnie Lahiri and Sneha Rajani. It stars Deepika Padukone as the titular protagonist, Amitabh Bachchan and Irrfan Khan, with Moushumi Chatterjee and Jisshu Sengupta portraying supporting roles.

The film is loosely based on the 1980 Bengali-language short film, Pikoo by Satyajit Ray.[3] The story and screenplay was written by Juhi Chaturvedi. Principal photography began in August 2014 and was wrapped up in December. Anupam Roy composed the soundtrack and score, and wrote the lyrics.

Piku was released on 8 May 2015.[4] It garnered widespread critical acclaim upon release. Critics praised the screenplay, performances, humour and overall simplicity.[5] It also emerged as a commercial success worldwide. Made on a budget of ₹25 crore (equivalent to ₹38 crore or US$4.5 million in 2023), Piku earned ₹141 crore (equivalent to ₹213 crore or US$25 million in 2023) worldwide.[2]

On January 11, 2016, the film was nominated for Best Film in the 61st Filmfare Awards, as well as other categories. Padukone won her second Filmfare Award for Best Actress, and Bachchan received his record setting fourth National Film Award for Best Actor at the 63rd National Film Awards and his record setting third Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor for his performance.

Plot

Piku Banerjee (Deepika Padukone) is a Bengali architect residing in Delhi, with her 70-year-old father, Bhashkor (Amitabh Bachchan). Bhashkor has problems with chronic constipation and traces every problem to his bowel movements. His habits often lead to quarrels with the servants and irritate Chhobi Mashi (Moushumi Chatterjee), who often visits them. Piku loves her father and, as her mother is no more, takes good care of him but gets extremely irritated with him at times because of his eccentricities. Her colleague, Syed Afroz (Jisshu Sengupta) is a good friend, and she is a regular client of Syed's friend, Rana Chaudhary's (Irrfan Khan) taxi business. Rana has his family problems with his mother and sister.

Piku wants to sell their ancestral home in Kolkata, Champakunj, but Bhashkor objects vehemently and decides to go to Kolkata. Piku has to accompany him since she cannot let him travel alone. Bhashkor brings up his constipation problem and decides to travel by road. Due to Piku's problems with other drivers of Rana, they back away before Piku's trip. Piku, disappointed with the agency tries to book a flight, but soon, Rana arrives at their home to take the family to Kolkata himself, without informing his family about the trip.

On the way, the group encounters many incidents, including Rana on the verge of losing patience due to Bhashkor's fussy behaviour and constipation. They finally reach Kolkata, where Piku's relatives live in the old house and Bhashkor asks Rana to stay for some time. Piku and Rana go out in the city and gradually grow close. Rana also subtly hints not to sell the house during a discussion.

Rana leaves Kolkata the next day and asks Bhashkor to stop his eccentricities which he eventually listens to. Piku changes her mind and decides not to sell the house. Meanwhile, Bhashkor's sudden desire to bicycle increases as he cycles through a part of the city alone, leaving everyone tense since he did not tell them about it. When Bhashkor returns, Piku berates him for eating street food and for being irresponsible, but he simply states that his constipation is cleared and he needs to bicycle every day. He remembers Rana who had told him to eat everything and not be choosy and picky about food. Piku is secretly happy but does not emote much.

The next day, everyone discovers that Bhashkor has died in his sleep, probably from sleep apnea or cardiac arrhythmia. Piku states that he always wanted a peaceful death. She returns to Delhi, where she arranges his funeral. There, Dr. Srivastava (Raghubir Yadav), Bhashkor's doctor, reveals to her that Syed, too, has constipation and Bhashkor knew about it for a long time. A few days later, she pays up whatever due she owes Rana. She renames the Delhi house "Bhaskor Villa" in her father's memory and the maid, who had left due to Bhashkor's tantrums, returns to work. The film ends with a scene of Piku playing badminton with Rana in the courtyard in front of her house.

Cast

Production

Writing

Shoojit Sircar, Director of Piku


Shoojit Sircar said Piku was not initially written with an interval in mind, but because of the tendency of Indian theatre operators to force intervals into films during screenings, Sircar had to rewrite the script to accommodate an interval.[6] [7]

Casting

Shoojit Sircar's original choices of the main cast were Parineeti Chopra in the title role, Amitabh Bachchan and Irrfan Khan. These three actors were given the script. However, Chopra turned down the part.[8][9] The cast of Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone and Irrfan Khan was finalised in mid-2014.[10] In preparation for the role of Piku, Padukone learned Bengali as her character is from Bengal.[11] There were early reports that Jisshu Sengupta was cast as the romantic lead opposite Deepika Padukone, but Sengupta plays Padukone's character's best friend.[12][13] Irrfan Khan plays the romantic lead opposite Deepika Padukone.[14][15] Bachchan essays the role of Piku's father, while Moushumi Chatterjee portrays Piku's aunt.[16] Akshay Oberoi was cast in a cameo.[17]

Filming

Principal photography for Piku began in August 2014, when the film's first schedule took off in Kolkata.[18] The first schedule for Piku was also filmed in Delhi and Mumbai and included indoor scenes.[19][20][21] The second schedule of filming started on 30 October 2014 in Kolkata, mostly in the north.[21][22][23] Specifically, shooting took place at the Howrah Bridge in the city's Shyambazar neighbourhood and at Bishop Lefroy Road.[23][24][25] During the shooting at Howrah Bridge, Bachchan bicycled around the city dressed as his character.[26] The Kolkata schedule was completed on 18 November 2014 and shooting now shifted to Delhi and Patdi Near Surendranagar in Gujarat.[27][28]

The "Journey Song" was shot in Gujarat in December 2014 on the state highway connecting Ahmedabad to Bhuj.[29] Shooting in Delhi took place at Gurgaon cyber hub and city club where Padukone and Khan were seen filming.[30] The film was wrapped up after its last schedule shot in Varanasi. Padukone and Khan shot on the ghats of Banaras under chilly conditions and attracted a crowd.[31]

Promotion

The makers of the film released a video of day one on the sets of Piku which is called Piku Begins. The video has the cast speak about what viewers can expect from the film.[32] As a part of promotions, the makers released on-set pictures of the shooting where the main cast are seen in character.[33] Bachchan's first look was revealed — depicting his character of an old Bengali man with long hair and a big belly.[34] On 25 March 2015, as part of the promotion, Deepika revealed the poster of the film through her Twitter handle.[35]

Soundtrack

Piku
Soundtrack album by
Anupam Roy
Released21 April 2015 (2015-04-21)
GenreFeature film soundtrack
Length23:05
LanguageHindi
LabelZee Music Company

The music of the film is composed by Anupam Roy while the lyrics are penned Anupam Roy and Manoj Yadav. The first song, "Journey Song", was released on 1 April 2015. The official music album was released online on April 21, 2015.

Track listing
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Bezubaan"Manoj Yadav, Anupam RoyAnupam Roy05:41
2."Journey Song"Anupam RoyAnupam Roy, Shreya Ghoshal04:12
3."Lamhe Guzar Gaye"Anupam RoyAnupam Roy04:18
4."Piku"Manoj YadavSunidhi Chauhan03:26
5."Teri Meri Baatein"Anupam RoyAnupam Roy05:28
Total length:23:05

Critical reception

The three main actors, Padukone (top), Bachchan (centre) and Khan (bottom) received widespread praise for their performances.

The film received critical acclaim upon its release. Raja Sen of Rediff.com gave Piku 4.5 out of 5 stars, writing that it is a "film with tremendous heart -- one that made me guffaw and made me weep and is making sure I'm smiling wide just thinking about it now -- but also a sharp film, with nuanced details showing off wit, progressive thought and insightful writing".[36] In a 4 out of 5 star review, The Times of India praised the writing, direction and performances.[37] Pratim D. Gupta of The Telegraph India gave an average of 7/10, saying "Don’t go in with a lot of laugh-out-loud expectations and you will enjoy Piku for what it is –– a simple, slice-of-life bittersweet tale about a family fighting constipation".[38] Gayatri Sankar of Zee News gave 4 out of 5 stars and wrote "In totality, Piku is a wonderful family film, which will certainly make you wear a broad smile."[39] Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave the film 3.5 stars out of 5 and said "On the whole, Piku is a must watch this season as it brings back the memories of the legendary directors Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Basu Chatterjee and likes".[40]

Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN gave 4 stars out of five and said "Piku, directed by Shoojit Sircar, is a charming, unpredictable comedy that – like Sircar"s Vicky Donor – mines humor from the unlikeliest of places".[41] Anuj Kumar of The Hindu gave it a positive review, saying "A slice of life that deals with the practical difficulties in loving your aging parents in a light-hearted, feel good way, Piku is a progressive piece of cinema that brings the parent back into the picture".[42] Sweta Kaushal of Hindustan Times praised the portrayal of a strong, independent female protagonist and noted on how well Sircar presents a "realistic view of a typical Indian family".[43] Anupama Chopra gave 4 out of 5 stars and said "Piku is a delightful film about very little and yet it says so much. This isn't a movie focused on reaching a destination. This is a movie about the journey, both literal and emotional".[44] Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV gave 3.5 stars out of 5 and called it a "magnificently original film that delivers a memorably unique movie experience" and praised the performance of the three leads.[45] Tanmaya Nanda of Business Standard praised the film for its feminist tone and its unique approach in dealing with scatological humour.[46] Namrata Joshi of Outlook gave 3 out of 5 stars, and wrote "Piku goes into an atypical zone for a Hindi mainstream film. It breaks the plot-driven, high on drama rule and yet manages to forge a big connect with the audience; The slice-of-life film has characters, relationships and interactions that feel real and evoke empathy in viewers—be they aging parents or their caregivers".[47]

On the contrary, Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express gave 2.5 out of 5, saying "Piku sparks in moments, and I threw my head back and guffawed in a few. But the rest of it stays only mildly amusing. I wanted more motion in these motions".[48] Rachel Saltz of The New York Times wrote "Piku, directed by Shoojit Sircar from a script by Juhi Chaturvedi, isn't a typical Hindi movie. It lopes along, following no formula beyond the roughest outlines of a romantic comedy." [49]

In 2019, Film Companion ranked Deepika's performance among 100 Greatest Performances of the decade.[50]

Awards and nominations

Main article: List of accolades received by Piku

Box office

Piku grossed ₹5 crore (US$600,000) in India on its opening day. On Saturday, the film earned ₹8.5 crore (US$1.0 million), showing a growth of 65%.[51] On Sunday, it earned ₹11 crore (US$1.3 million), for a domestic weekend total of ₹24.5 crore (US$2.9 million).[52] Internationally, Piku had the biggest opening weekend for a Bollywood film of 2015, earning over US$2 million.[53] Box Office India reported that the film had a "very strong hold" on its first Monday in India, earning ₹4.25 crore (US$510,000), and it eventually earned ₹40 crore (US$4.8 million) at the end of its first week.[54] In ten days, the film earned ₹53 crore (US$6.4 million) in India.[55] The film earned ₹22 crore (US$2.6 million) in its second week, and Box Office India projected that the film would earn around ₹80 crore (US$9.6 million) domestically at the end of its theatrical run.[56]

References

  1. ^ "PIKU (PG) – British Board of Film Classification". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  2. ^ a b c "Piku". Box Office India. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
  3. ^ https://www.dawn.com/news/1172021
  4. ^ "'Piku' trailer to be released with 'Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!'". No. Mid-Day.com. Mid Day. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  5. ^ Mehta, Ankita (7 May 2015). "'Piku' Review Roundup: A Film that's all Heart". International Business Times. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
  6. ^ "'I don't do the Bollywood stuff'". Rediff.
  7. ^ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shoojit_Sircar_an_Indian_film_director_and_producer_of_Bengali_origin,India.jpg
  8. ^ "Shoojit Sircars next might cast Parineeti, Irrfan".
  9. ^ (IANS). "'I've lots on my plate': Parineeti Chopra". www.khaleejtimes.com.
  10. ^ "Shoojit Sircar's 'Piku' to release April 2015". Pinkvilla. 23 June 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  11. ^ "Deepika Padukone learns Bengali for 'Piku'". Deccan Chronicle. 21 November 2014. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  12. ^ "Deepika Padukone is hero & heroine in Shoojit Sircar's 'Piku'?". BizAsia Showbiz. 28 June 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  13. ^ "Deepika Padukone's Piku Hero is Bengali Star Jisshu Sengupta". NDTV. 13 May 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  14. ^ "Deepika Padukone to romance Irrfan Khan in 'Piku'". Bollywood Mantra. 23 June 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  15. ^ "Irrfan Khan-Deepika Padukone: Fresh onscreen pair comes on the board". Desimartini. 24 June 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  16. ^ "For Big B shoot, Shoojit wants Mamata Banerjee's cooperation". The Times of India. 19 July 2014. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
  17. ^ "Akshay Oberoi to do cameo in Shoojit Sircar's 'Piku'". The Indian Express. 25 December 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  18. ^ "Deepika Padukone shoots for 'Piku'". Mid Day. 18 August 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  19. ^ "Deepika Padukone to work with Amitabh Bachchan, Irrfan in Shoojit Sircar's Piku". Indian Express. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  20. ^ "Big B, Deepika and Irrfan starrer Piku slated for a April 2015 release". Firstpost. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  21. ^ a b "Next Piku schedule in November". The Indian Express. 19 September 2014. Retrieved 21 September 2014.
  22. ^ "Piku – The Casting Coup of the Year". The Free Press Journal. 30 October 2014. Archived from the original on 31 October 2014. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  23. ^ a b "Piku team to be at Kolkata International Film Festival". The Times of India. 1 November 2014. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
  24. ^ "Big B, PIKU Team Shoot at Iconic Howrah Bridge". The Free Press Journal. 8 November 2014. Archived from the original on 8 November 2014. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  25. ^ "Amitabh Bachchan's City of Joy: Chowringhee to Howrah Bridge Via Shyambazar". NDTV Movies. 7 November 2014. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  26. ^ "IN PICS: Amitabh Bachchan rides bicycle through Kolkata for Piku shoot". Times of India. 3 November 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  27. ^ "Celebrity Spotting: Deepika Padukone In Delhi". Filmi Beat. 27 November 2014. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
  28. ^ "Deepika Padukone lands in Ahmedabad for Piku". Pinkvilla. 27 November 2014. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  29. ^ Mishra, Piyush (4 May 2015). "From Piku to Krrish 3: Gujarat firms on Bollywood brand-wagon". The Times of India. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  30. ^ "Spotted: Deepika Padukone shooting for 'Piku' in Gurgaon". Apun Ka Choice. 26 November 2014. Archived from the original on 5 December 2014. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
  31. ^ "Deepika Padukone and Irrfan Khan shoot for 'Piku' in Varanasi". Times of India. 18 December 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  32. ^ "Day one with Amitabh Bachchan and Deepika Padukone on the sets of 'Piku'". Deccan Chronicle. 30 October 2014. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  33. ^ "First look: Amitabh Bachchan gets family-pack for Piku". Hindustan Times. 2 November 2014. Archived from the original on 11 November 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  34. ^ "First look: Amitabh Bachchan flaunts 'family-pack' in Piku". India Today.in. 31 October 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  35. ^ "POSTER OUT! DEEPIKA AND AMITABH STARRER 'PIKU' POSTER RELEASED". Filmy Monkey. 25 March 2015.
  36. ^ Sen, Raja (8 May 2015). "Review: Piku may be the finest Hindi film of 2015". Rediff.com. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
  37. ^ Mitra Das, Srijana (8 May 2015). "Piku Movie Review". The Times of India. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
  38. ^ Gupta, Pratim D. "Gut feel". The Telegraph India. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  39. ^ Shankar, Gayatri. "'Piku' review: Legendary Amitabh, flawless Irrfan; watch the movie for matchless performances". Zee News. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  40. ^ Adarsh, Taran. "Piku review – Bollywood Hungama". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  41. ^ Masand, Rajeev (8 May 2015). "Poop dreams". Rajeev Masand. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  42. ^ Kumar, Anuj. "Piku – For the motion". The Hindu. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  43. ^ Kaushal, Sweta (9 May 2015). "Piku review: The eccentric family of Amitabh and Deepika is endearing". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
  44. ^ Chopra, Anupama. "Piku review by Anupama Chopra: Strong characters are its biggest draw – Hindustan Times". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  45. ^ Chatterjee, Saibal (8 May 2015). "Piku Movie Review". NDTV. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
  46. ^ Nanda, Tanmaya (8 May 2015). "Film Review: Piku is a delightfully brilliant film". Business Standard. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  47. ^ Joshi, Namrata. "Piku review – Outlook". Outlook. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  48. ^ Gupta, Shubhra. "Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan, Irrfan Khan's 'Piku' review: has delightful laugh-out-loud moments". The Indian Express. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  49. ^ Saltz, Rachel (7 May 2015). "Review: In 'Piku,' Amitabh Bachchan Plays a Dad to Deepika Padukone" – via NYTimes.com.
  50. ^ "100 Greatest Performances of the Decade". 100 Greatest Performances of the Decade. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  51. ^ "Piku Has Extraordinary Growth On Saturday". Box Office India. 10 May 2015. Archived from the original on 13 May 2015. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
  52. ^ "Piku Has Good Weekend And Very Strong Trend". Box Office India. 11 May 2015. Archived from the original on 14 May 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  53. ^ "Top Overseas Opening Weekends – Piku Tops". Box Office India. 11 May 2015. Archived from the original on 14 May 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  54. ^ "Piku Has Very Strong Hold On Monday". Box Office India. 11 May 2015. Archived from the original on 14 May 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  55. ^ "Piku Holds Strong – Heads For 75 Crore Nett Lifetime Total". Box Office India. 11 May 2015. Archived from the original on 22 May 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  56. ^ "Piku Has Very Good Hold In Week Two". Box Office India. 22 May 2015. Archived from the original on 22 May 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
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