This review comes a bit late in the day. I know most of you have already either seen the movie or missed seeing it in the theaters (atleast here in the US). But, being a Bengali raised in Delhi by a very Bengali family in the very locality the movie is allegedly taking place, I think I am obligated to write, but a few words, about the movie.

At the outset, let me declare that the script of the movie is superb (as has been underscored in most other reviews ). Juhi Chaturvedi of “Vicky Donor” and “Madras Cafe” fame comes through once again.

Soojit Sarkar (the director) on the other hand falters at several junctures. Don’t get me wrong, the direction is not bad. Sarkar  picks up a particular theme and uses it as the backdrop for his movies. This theme itself becomes a “character” in the movie. This is masterfully executed in Vicky Donor with the whole idea of the ‘sperm’. Anu Kapoor’s obsession with the sperm and its workings is substituted here with Amitabh Bachchan’s obsession with his digestive tract. Apart from the handling of the subject matter, I was quite taken with the emotional ending. A daughter losing her father hits close to home. I am a sucker for sentimental endings and I let lose my faucet of emotions while watching the movie.

Now coming to the part, which I did NOT like. Nothing was quite as Bong (Bengali) in the movie. Deepika Padukone did a great job acting-wise but pardon me for saying – she does not look like a Bengali from any angle. No matter how much kajal she puts on. Her pretty south Indian face cannot change into a bong face.

Mr Bachchan’s (I’m an ardent fan and wanted to marry him at age 7) acting was great but again not as bong as he could have been. He does speak Bengali but some of the words are so badly mispronounced that they sound jarring to the ears. I’m sure all Bongs out there will agree that the name is “BhaSH-KOR”, not “BhaSkor”. His “O’s” are so rounded that they are close to annoying. It is like most Non-Bengali’s will pronounce Kolkata as KOL-Katta (KOl as in mall and katta with 2 T’s). “Kol” should be pronounced as in “soul” and Kata DOES NOT have 2 T’s but a single T and said seamlessly. Mr Bachchan is a brilliant actor and I might be over stepping my boundaries in criticizing him but he could have taken tips from a veteran Bengali actor like Soumitra Chatterjee or even Victor Banerjee to make the character more bong.

Much like Dibakar Banerjee’s Byomkesh Bakshi where time and again characters would repeatedly articulate Byomkesh as “BAyomkesh” and not BOMkesh (BOM as in Rome). It irritates me no end these mispronunciations. But to his credit, everything else is authentic, especially the locales, including the typical ancestral home in Kolkata with the four-poster bed and dalan (central courtyard), ganga-ghat and the Kochuri that Bhashkar Banerjee gets on the cycle. Again he just murders the word pronouncing it as “kachauri” instead of “kochuri” as any Bengali man would say. Forgive me for this, but Balendra Singh as Budhan, (the faithful family servant) is more veritable as a Bengali than the main characters. A Bengali portraying a Bengali character in the aunt Mousumi Chatterjee is splendid as the stylish, alchohol drinking and 4 times married mashi.

I’m not sure if my fellow movie-goers find the same inconsistencies in the movie as I do. A young modern girl, an architect who is brutally independent and can drive but chooses to deal with cab drivers over driving a car herself. One fine day she decides to drive on the highway to relieve the very man who has caused her so much anguish over cabs. Please explain the logic to me????? Also, Irfan is an excellent actor but too sophisticated to play the owner of a Delhi cab company. I have dealt with many cab company owners back in the day – they are all crass and asinine. They do not and cannot have the sensibilities that Irfaan is shown to have in the movie.

Jishu Sengupta, again an excellent actor and is superb as Syed. But why is he even there? His presence is so obscure except for the last scene where he emerges as constipated as Mr Banerjee and is thus a prospective partner for Piku? Not sure?

Also, does anyone, no matter how senile and old regularly announce his daughter’s lost virginity to every young man he meets?

Having said that, it is important to say that after watching all the Chulbul Pandey’s of the world and the soppy and over sentimental Bhagbaan’s, Piku is a breath of fresh air. It portrays beautifully how a daughter selflessly takes care of her aging father. The movie gives an unusual (for most Bollywood movies) and important message. Like Anumita Roychowdhury (Centre for Science and Environment, Delhi) puts, it has “just the right dash of attitude to get Bachchan senior to bicycle on the streets of Kolkata… The story line actually includes script on active transportation for long life !!! Not bad at all!! Did they require special permission from Mamata Di to pedal in a city that bars cyclists? ‘Hmmm… cities can do with some ‘Piku’ effect to unleash pedal power!!!

Hang on, on reading the above I suddenly realize that my review of the movie seems to be more negative than I’d like it to be. I Actually quite liked the movie and would recommend watching it – to the few who haven’t done so already. Piku is a good movie, which could have been a GREAT movie but for the few lacunae.