Piku: Not all that

return_to_hades thumbnail
19th Anniversary Thumbnail Stunner Thumbnail + 6
Posted: 9 years ago
#1
Now that Piku is on Netflix, I finally had a chance to watch this much talked about movie. While I did like the movie, I was quite disappointed by some aspects of it.
On the positive side, it was refreshing to see a movie that was different and focused on family ties rather than romance, action, drama or all that jazz. The acting was top notch. Also props for making poop jokes that were not as crass or juvenile.

Now for the negatives.

The script sadly was nothing. It just meanders along the way. I get that it was about family and caretaking. There was no overarching theme though other than consistent. No real a-ha moment at the end that ties the story together. The story was not bad. It had a great feel good thing going. But I feel I expected a little more.

Piku is not a role model. It is cool that she is a strong independent woman. I appreciate the fact that a single leading lady was widely accepted by the audience. But she lacks the qualities India needs in a female role model. She is not a nice person. She is frustrated with her caretaking responsibilities and vents it on others. Her rudeness to the taxi drivers is unacceptable. She overreacts to many situations. I get the need to avoid too good to be true characters who feel unrealistic and unrelatable. But you can deliver flaws in a manner the audience can embrace. For example Katniss Everdeen is rude and aloof, Lizzie Bennet is quite rude to Mr. Darcy, but the characters are developed in a manner to digest the rudeness and understand it. Piku had me thinking "bitch don't be taking your frustrations out on everyone"

Bhaskor is not a feminist. He is a pompous person who believes he is a feminist so he can feel good about himself. I was looking forward to his character because people raved about him being progressive and feminist. Sadly, I did not see anything progressive about him. He still entrenches himself as a patriarch. His bragging about Piku being independent is less about his pride in her but more in his selfish need to have Piku around at his beck and call. Personally, I am against traditional marriage where women sacrifice themselves for their husband but I found his commentary against women who do so distasteful. It showed complete insensitivity to the fact that women may choose differently. But worse it was bullishly ignorant about Indian society that does not afford women choices all the time. His constant tirades against women in Low IQ marriages were grating and anti-feminist at best if not downright misogynist.

Watching Bhaskor espouse his progressive feminist thoughts was akin to watching a sheltered and privileged white heterosexual male sell himself as the poster child of the Black Lives Matter movement.

OK rant over. 😆 Its a good movie. But I could not get why people raved about Piku and Bhaskor's characters so much. 😕

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grounder thumbnail
15th Anniversary Thumbnail Rocker Thumbnail Engager Level 1 Thumbnail
Posted: 9 years ago
#2
For me, the only good part of the film was Amitabh and Moushmi Chaterjee's acting. They were so real and well acted parts. Other than that, maybe a few jokes here and there. That's it. The characters themselves were no ideal humans. Never understood the hype around AB and DP's characters.
charminggenie thumbnail
17th Anniversary Thumbnail Stunner Thumbnail + 2
Posted: 9 years ago
#3
Just dropping in to say- Hadey , it's good to see you back here!!! 🤗

Disagree with few points here but then I get what you are saying.


I don;t really think the movie or the writer ever wanted Piku to be a role model. She was one of us , frustrated, total bitch but had her endearing moments and vulnerabilities. No over the top character or Miss goody two shoes , neither was she someone was partying it out in a club all drunk to sell the rebel act.
Edited by charminggenie - 9 years ago
cougarTown thumbnail
Visit Streak 365 Thumbnail 11th Anniversary Thumbnail + 6
Posted: 9 years ago
#4
actually your negatives are my biggest positives
i am happy that piku is not all goody goody or a role model..i am also glad that bhaskar is flawed and not a feminist..

they are flawed people and that is why they appear so real coz we all are like them in real life and that was very relatable for me
440733 thumbnail
Posted: 9 years ago
#5
Thank you!! 😆 😆 😆
Seriously, I thought I was the only one who felt like that because everywhere I read so much about how great the movie was, what a brilliant character Piku is and so on and so on. I mean I loved the movie, I did like Piku's character because I could relate to her in the way that she was always frustrated by her life being overrun by her responsibilities towards her family and I'm not proud of this but I could also relate to the part of taking her anger out on others, I tend to be a bit like that myself when I'm pushed to a certain point but not to the extend Piku was with her drivers tho 😆
Even though I could relate to some aspects of her character, I still didn't think she was a role model. Rather I felt she was an average modern women, I think that was what they were trying to show but I feel people rather saw or searched for a role model instead in her which frankly she wasn't. Instead, I felt she showed me not to get my problems and frustrations control me.

Bhaskor's character was quite hard to handle. I really couldn't get what type of feminist man they were trying to portray him to be. 😆

I liked the movie, it was worth the watch and I wouldn't mind seeing it again but I agree with you regarding the characters, they aren't exactly that great.
xroshnix thumbnail
14th Anniversary Thumbnail Voyager Thumbnail + 2
Posted: 9 years ago
#6
Nice reading your thoughts.. RTH 😊

I don't think they are, or should be role models. Both Piku and Bhashkor made an impact because they were relatable, flawed and real like most people around us are. Piku does not fall under black or white like the children in Baghban. She gets irritated, she yells but still she cares hell lot. She is far from being a perfect righteous character and ideal woman. She is independent but she is also selfish, rude and is unapologetic of her physical needs but not the woman any man or woman can instantly fall in love with. Working, managing home, gets frustrated, can be sweet, can be unreasonable too. Even Bhashkor was selfish. He didn't wanted her to leave him.
Edited by xroshnix - 9 years ago
TheekThaak thumbnail
10th Anniversary Thumbnail Rocker Thumbnail Engager Level 1 Thumbnail
Posted: 9 years ago
#7
Agree with some points and disagree with a few. 😳

I don't think Piku's character is portrayed as a role model in the first place. The movie doesn't try to emphasise on Piku's great qualities at any point. It's more of a journey and process of discovery and realisations of the female lead. Also, the frustrations and the anger bit didn't look far-fetched to me. I think it's pretty normal and actually true to an extent. Work pressure added to a paranoid father does make stuff difficult for you. Not being able to go on a vacation due to all the responsibilites makes you even more irritated and it's pretty believable. At the end of a tiring day, you do lash out but then there are days/weekends when you realise the importance of your parents/father's company and spend some cheerful time with them, like that scene at night that comes after a dinner or a party, where Bhaskor is listening to a Bengali song. You enjoy those moments and embrace your family for what it is.

But I agree with you regarding Bhaskor's views. For me, they looked rather imposing, it didn't seem as if he was endorsing freedom of choice as it was made out to be. I don't remember the scenes but his views on marriage sounded pretty skewed and selfish at one point, but then his character wasn't portrayed as an epitome of love itself. It had it's own flaws and it all boils down to the connect you end up having with it.

Coming to the movie itself, I felt the bickering part was over done and the accent too. It was jarring. I'm in the minority but I preferred DP-Irrfan's performance over BigB's. And I would have liked the movie better if the constant bickering was replaced with some humor.But hey, that's just me, so doesn't matter. 😛
theprince thumbnail
14th Anniversary Thumbnail Rocker Thumbnail Engager Level 1 Thumbnail
Posted: 9 years ago
#8
the film is very boring and bad for me i dont even now how this film get praises and award forget about BO success
923901 thumbnail
Posted: 9 years ago
#9
INDEED OVERRATED
I felt there was nothing there to the story and to carry away post climax
SStephy thumbnail
15th Anniversary Thumbnail Dazzler Thumbnail + 3
Posted: 9 years ago
#10
Piku's behavior in general wasn't ideal but I didn't mind it. Her father was a lot to handle so considering that some of her reactions were relatable. If she had put up with it all like an ideal woman then I wouldn't be able to relate to her. But yeah, I didn't like her reaction to the drivers.

Coming to Bhaskor... his feminist views were a veil to his selfish nature. To me, it seemed that he kept saying about marriage being a low IQ decision because he didn't want to let Piku go away. It's something he kept saying to justify his stance regarding Piku's marriage to others and maybe to himself.

For me, the movie was about a not-so-perfect daughter and a not-so-perfect father and their relationship dynamics. It is a nice and simple slice-of-life kind of a movie.

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