The movie “Piku” and it’s stand against the Patriarchy
The 2015 film about a widower preoccupied with his bowel movements and his strong willed daughter demonstrates why we shouldn't care about what society expects of us.
Piku (Deepika Padukone) takes a glass of wine at a reception for her aunt Chhobi Maashi and attempts to keep her father, Bhaskor Banerjee (Amitabh Bachchan), from doing the same. As the two settle into what they believe is a family gathering, Chhobi Maashi (Moushumi Chatterjee) has other plans: she wants Piku, who co-owns an architecture business in Delhi, to marry a nice boy called Sourab. Bhaskor refuses to leave the conversation when she summons him.
"What exactly are you looking for?" Bhaskor inquires of Sourab. "Just a nice girl," the potential groom says casually. "But she's moody, like me," Bhaskor replies. She's also not a virgin. What exactly do you mean by "nice"? She operates her own business. She is financially and sexually self-sufficient." Piku quickly exits the gathering, unhappy.
In the 2015 film Piku by Shoojit Sircar, the titular character is named after the daughter who looks after her hypochondriac father, who is constantly complaining about his bowel motions. Fathers who talk about their children's sexual life are presented to audiences, along with strong Bengali women who can hold their own and discourse on cultural expectations and why we adhere to them. The last thing that is is lovely language and an emotional rollercoaster of a plot that still holds up years later, thanks to the brilliant screenwriter Juhi Chaturvedi and Sircar's thoughtful vision.
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