''Piku'' is a 2015 Indian

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

-language

comedy drama Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...

film directed by Shoojit Sircar and produced by N. P. Singh, Ronnie Lahiri and Sneha Rajani. Released in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

on 8 May 2015, the film stars

Amitabh Bachchan Amitabh Bachchan (; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. He is often considered one of the greatest, most accomplished and commercially successful actors in the history of Indian cinema.* * * * * With a cinemati ...

Deepika Padukone Deepika Padukone (; born 5 January 1986) is an Indian actress who works predominantly in Hindi films. She is India's highest-paid actress, as of 2023, and List of awards and nominations received by Deepika Padukone, her accolades include thre ...

and Irrfan Khan in titular roles, while

Moushumi Chatterjee Moushumi Chatterjee is an Indian actress known for her work in Hindi and Bengali cinema. She was one of the highest-paid actresses in Hindi films during the 1970s. She joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2019; she was previously a member of ...

, Jisshu Sengupta and Raghubir Yadav appear in pivotal roles. The script was written by Juhi Chaturvedi while

Anupam Roy Anupam Roy (born 29 March 1982) is an Indian Bengali singer-songwriter, music director, composer, writer, guitarist, playback singer, engineer from Kolkata, India. He made his debut with ''Amake Amar Moto Thakte Dao'' & ''Benche Thakar Gaan'', ...

composed the music and wrote the lyrics. Principal photography began in August 2014 and was wrapped up in December. The film garnered critical acclaim, with praise for its screenplay, humour and overall simplicity, and particular praise directed towards the performances of Bachchan, Padukone and Khan. It also emerged as a commercial success worldwide. Made on a budget of , ''Piku'' earned worldwide. At the 61st Filmfare Awards, ''Piku'' received 8 nominations, including Best Film, Best Director (Sircar), and Best Actor (Bachchan) and won 5 awards, including Best Actress (Padukone). Bachchan won his record-setting fourth National Film Award for Best Actor at the 63rd National Film Awards and his record-setting third Filmfare Award for Best Actor (Critics) for his performance in the film.

Plot

Piku Banerjee (

) is a 30-year-old Bengali

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

who resides in Chittaranjan Park,

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

along with her 70-year-old

widow A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has Death, died and has usually not remarried. The male form, "widower", is first attested in the 14th century, by the 19th century supplanting "widow" with reference to men. The adjecti ...

ed father, Bhashkor Banerjee (

). The hypochondriac Bhashkor has problems with chronic

constipation Constipation is a bowel dysfunction that makes bowel movements infrequent or hard to pass. The Human feces, stool is often hard and dry. Other symptoms may include abdominal pain, bloating, and feeling as if one has not completely passed the ...

and traces the root of every problem to his

bowel The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The tract is the largest of the body's systems, after the cardiovascular system. T ...

movements. His habits often lead to arguments between Piku, the servants and Piku's maternal aunt, Chhobi Mashi (

), who often visits them. Piku loves her father and, as her mother has died, takes good care of him, but at the same time, also gets extremely irritated with him because of his eccentricities. Bhashkor has several

medical test A medical test is a medical procedure performed to detect, diagnose, or monitor diseases, disease processes, susceptibility, or to determine a course of treatment. Medical tests such as, physical and visual exams, diagnostic imaging, genetic ...

s done, but everything comes out to be normal, severely disappointing him. Ignoring Piku's vehement objections, he has also recently fired the

maid A maid, housemaid, or maidservant is a female domestic worker. In the Victorian era, domestic service was the second-largest category of employment in England and Wales, after agricultural work. In developed Western nations, full-time maids a ...

for stealing

phenyl In organic chemistry, the phenyl group, or phenyl ring, is a cyclic group of atoms with the formula , and is often represented by the symbol Ph (archaically φ) or Ø. The phenyl group is closely related to benzene and can be viewed as a benzene ...

, a charge that the maid opposes, and this is the fifth maid that Bhashkor has fired in the last two months. Moreover, Bhashkor is also opposed to the institution of

marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

and wants Piku to take care of him to satisfy her maternal urge. He states that marriage is a low IQ decision, and that he wanted Piku's late mother to be independent, but she wasted her life in the service of him. Bhashkor also criticises Chhobi Maashi for marrying thrice and states that her own daughter, Eisha ( Rupsa Banerjee), was never a priority for her. Piku's

business partner A business partner is a commercial entity with which another commercial entity has some form of alliance. This relationship may be a contractual, exclusive bond in which both entities commit not to ally with third parties. Alternatively, it may be ...

, Sayyed Afroze ( Jisshu Sengupta), is a good friend of

taxi A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a Driving, driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of thei ...

business owner Rana Chaudhary ( Irrfan Khan), whose taxi Piku always uses to commute to her workplace, but is notorious for being a very difficult customer. Regularly stressed both by her work and by her father's finicky behaviour, Piku criticises the taxi drivers with excessive backseat driving, due to which they lose focus and cause several

car crashes A traffic collision, also known as a motor vehicle collision, or car crash, occurs when a vehicle collision, collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, road debris, or other moving or stationary obstruction, such as a tree, Utility pole ...

. As no taxi driver at Rana's company wants to take Piku's duty, Rana complains to Sayyed but Piku brushes both of them off, offended by Rana's rude nature, and tells Sayyed that she is taking a break from the office. When Piku goes for a date with Aniket ( Akshay Oberoi), Bhashkor keeps interrupting her, claiming that he has a

fever Fever or pyrexia in humans is a symptom of an anti-infection defense mechanism that appears with Human body temperature, body temperature exceeding the normal range caused by an increase in the body's temperature Human body temperature#Fever, s ...

, and makes such a fuss that Piku has to call his regular doctor, Dr. Srivastava ( Raghuvir Yadav), and talk about Bhashkor's

feces Feces (also known as faeces American and British English spelling differences#ae and oe, or fæces; : faex) are the solid or semi-solid remains of food that was not digested in the small intestine, and has been broken down by bacteria in the ...

texture and temperature, causing Aniket to lose all appetite. Bhashkor also has a bit too much to

drink A drink or beverage is a liquid intended for human consumption. In addition to their basic function of satisfying thirst, drinks play important roles in human culture. Common types of drinks include plain drinking water, milk, juice, smoothie ...

at Chhobi Mashi's marriage anniversary party and later dances at home, which results in his

blood pressure Blood pressure (BP) is the pressure of Circulatory system, circulating blood against the walls of blood vessels. Most of this pressure results from the heart pumping blood through the circulatory system. When used without qualification, the term ...

dropping and him being put on

oxygen therapy Oxygen therapy, also referred to as supplemental oxygen, is the use of oxygen as medical treatment. Supplemental oxygen can also refer to the use of oxygen enriched air at altitude. Acute indications for therapy include hypoxemia (low blood o ...

, leaving Piku distraught. Elsewhere, Rana has his own family problems with his widowed mother and sister. Rana's sister stole her mother-in-law's

jewellery Jewellery (or jewelry in American English) consists of decorative items worn for personal adornment such as brooches, ring (jewellery), rings, necklaces, earrings, pendants, bracelets, and cufflinks. Jewellery may be attached to the body or the ...

and gave it to her mother, due to which her husband abandoned her along with their baby. Bhashkor's relative, Nabendu ( Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury), arrives from

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

to secure his consent to sell their ancestral home named Champakunj there. Nabendu tells that a builder is interested in the land and is willing to pay top rates, but Bhashkor objects vehemently and decides to visit Kolkata to stop the deal. Piku has to comply in accompanying him, since she cannot let him travel alone after the recent health scare. Bhashkor cannot travel by

aeroplane An airplane (American English), or aeroplane (Commonwealth English), informally plane, is a fixed-wing aircraft that is propelled forward by thrust from a jet engine, Propeller (aircraft), propeller, or rocket engine. Airplanes come in a vari ...

due to his

breathing Breathing (spiration or ventilation) is the rhythmical process of moving air into ( inhalation) and out of ( exhalation) the lungs to facilitate gas exchange with the internal environment, mostly to flush out carbon dioxide and bring in oxy ...

problem and even refuses to travel by

train A train (from Old French , from Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles th ...

as he receives constipation due to all the rhythmic movement. Bhashkor decides to travel by road, so that he can stop wherever he wants for

excretion Excretion is elimination of metabolic waste, which is an essential process in all organisms. In vertebrates, this is primarily carried out by the lungs, Kidney (vertebrates), kidneys, and skin. This is in contrast with secretion, where the substa ...

and receive some

blood circulation In vertebrates, the circulatory system is a system of organs that includes the heart, blood vessels, and blood which is circulated throughout the body. It includes the cardiovascular system, or vascular system, that consists of the heart an ...

going in his body, but none of Rana's taxi drivers are willing to endure Piku or her father. Disappointed with the taxi company, Piku tries to book a flight to Kolkata, but Rana personally arrives at their home to take the family to Kolkata himself, without informing his mother and sister about the trip. Rana is puzzled when he finds loads of

baggage Baggage, or luggage, consists of bags, cases, and containers which hold a traveler's personal articles while the traveler is in transit. A modern traveler can be expected to have packages containing clothing, toiletries, small possessions, tr ...

being loaded onto the car along with a lavatory

chair A chair is a type of seat, typically designed for one person and consisting of one or more legs, a flat or slightly angled seat and a back-rest. It may be made of wood, metal, or synthetic materials, and may be padded or upholstered in vario ...

for Bhashkor. During the road trip to Kolkata, the group encounters many incidents, including Rana on the verge of losing patience due to Bhashkor's fussy behaviour and his constipation. Piku finds a large

knife A knife (: knives; from Old Norse 'knife, dirk') is a tool or weapon with a cutting edge or blade, usually attached to a handle or hilt. One of the earliest tools used by humanity, knives appeared at least Stone Age, 2.5 million years ago, as e ...

in Rana's car trunk, and Bhashkor insists Rana to throw the knife away or else he would not travel by the car. Rana pleads that the knife was kept by drivers for their

road traffic safety Road traffic safety refers to the methods and measures, such as traffic calming, to prevent road users from being killed or seriously injured. Typical road users include pedestrians, cyclists, Driving, motorists, passengers of vehicles, and p ...

, but has to eventually compromise and throw the knife away. During discussion, Rana reveals that he is an

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

and had a job in civil

construction Construction are processes involved in delivering buildings, infrastructure, industrial facilities, and associated activities through to the end of their life. It typically starts with planning, financing, and design that continues until the a ...

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

. However, he was made to work as

security guard A security guard (also known as a security inspector, security officer, factory guard, or protective agent) is a person employed by a government or private party to protect the employing party's assets (property, people, equipment, money, etc.) ...

on the site, despite being offered a job as

project manager A project manager is a professional in the field of project management. Project managers have the responsibility of the Project planning, planning, procurement and execution of a project, in any undertaking that has a defined scope, defined star ...

. When Rana protested, he was fired and that is when he returned to

to manage his

family business A family business is a commercial organization in which decision-making is influenced by multiple generations of a family, related by Consanguinity , blood, marriage or adoption, who has both the ability to influence the vision of the business a ...

established by his late father. They spend the night at a

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

Varanasi Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.* * * * The city has a syncretic tradition of I ...

, where Rana shares a room with Piku and Bhashkor as all other rooms are full and he refuses to sleep in the car. The next morning, Bhashkor tries Indian toilet-style sitting upon Rana's suggestion, which does not seem to help either. The group finally reaches Kolkata, where Bhashkor's younger brother and sister-in-law still reside in Champakunj, and Bhashkor asks Rana to stay for a day. Piku and Rana spend time with each other in the city and gradually grow close. Rana also subtly hints Piku to not sell Champakunj during a discussion. The next day, Rana leaves Kolkata after advising Bhashkor to stop his eccentricities which he eventually agrees to. Piku changes her mind and decides not to sell Champakunj. Meanwhile, Bhashkor's sudden desire for bicycling increases after Dr. Srivastava gives him the

news News is information about current events. This may be provided through many different Media (communication), media: word of mouth, printing, Mail, postal systems, broadcasting, Telecommunications, electronic communication, or through the te ...

of a Japanese bicyclist having died at the age of 99. Believing that he will also live a long life by doing so, Bhashkor ends up bicycling through a part of the city alone, leaving everyone tensed since Bhashkor did not inform anyone about it. When Bhashkor returns, Piku berates him for eating

street food Street food is food sold by a Hawker (trade), hawker or vendor on a street or at another public place, such as a market, fair, or park. It is often sold from a portable food booth, food cart, or food truck and is meant for immediate consumption ...

and for being irresponsible, but Bhashkor simply states that his constipation is cleared, and that he that needs to bicycle every day. He also remembers Rana having advised him to eat everything and not to be dependent on anyone. 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 Sleep apnea (sleep apnoea or sleep apnœa in British English) is a sleep-related breathing disorder in which repetitive Apnea, pauses in breathing, periods of shallow breathing, or collapse of the upper airway during sleep results in poor vent ...

cardiac arrhythmia Arrhythmias, also known as cardiac arrhythmias, are irregularities in the heartbeat, including when it is too fast or too slow. Essentially, this is anything but normal sinus rhythm. A resting heart rate that is too fast – above 100 beat ...

. Piku states that Bhashkor always wished for a peaceful death, and that his only health problem was constipation which was also cleared on the day before his death. She returns to Delhi, where she arranges Bhashkor's funeral. While there, Dr. Srivastava reveals to Piku that Sayyed, too, has constipation and Bhashkor was aware about it for a long time, causing Piku to break up with Sayyed. A few days later, Piku pays up whatever due she owes Rana and he appreciates her for having taken care of her father like an ideal daughter. Piku renames her Delhi residence "Bhashkor

Villa A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house that provided an escape from urban life. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the f ...

" 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 Badminton is a racquet sport played using racket (sports equipment), racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net (device), net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per s ...

with Rana in the

courtyard A courtyard or court is a circumscribed area, often surrounded by a building or complex, that is open to the sky. Courtyards are common elements in both Western and Eastern building patterns and have been used by both ancient and contemporary a ...

in front of her house.

Cast

as Bhashkor Banerjee, Piku's father *

as Piku Banerjee * Irrfan Khan as Rana Chaudhary, Taxi business owner and Syed's friend * Jisshu Sengupta as Syed Afroze (Piku's business partner) *

as Chhobi Mashi (Piku's maternal aunt) * Avijit Dutt as Bodo Mesho (Chhobi Maashi's husband) * Balendra Singh as Budhan (the Banerjees' servant) * Swaroopa Ghosh as Moni Kaki (Piku's paternal aunt) * Raghuvir Yadav as Dr. Srivastava (Bhashkor's regular doctor) * Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury as Nabendu * Rupsa Banerjee as Eisha * Oindrila Saha as Nisha *Sumanto Chattopadhyay as Saurob * Akshay Oberoi as Aniket (

cameo appearance A cameo appearance, also called a cameo role and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief guest appearance of a well-known person or character in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking on ...

)

Production

Casting

Shoojit Sircar's original choices of the main cast were Parineeti Chopra in the title role,

and Irrfan Khan. These three actors were given the script. However, Chopra turned down the part. The cast of

and Irrfan Khan was finalised in mid-2014. In preparation for the role of Piku, Padukone learned Bengali as her character is from Bengal. There were early reports that Jisshu Sengupta was cast as the romantic lead opposite

, but Sengupta plays Padukone's character's best-friend. Irrfan Khan plays the romantic lead opposite

. Bachchan essays the role of Piku's father, while Moushumi Chatterjee portrays Piku's maternal aunt. Akshay Oberoi was cast in a cameo.

Filming

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...

for ''Piku'' began in August 2014, when the film's first schedule took off in

. The first schedule for Piku was also filmed in

and

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

and included indoor scenes. The second schedule of filming started on 30 October 2014 in Kolkata, mostly in the north. Specifically, shooting took place at the

Howrah Bridge The Howrah Bridge is a balanced steel bridge over the Hooghly River in West Bengal, India. Commissioned in 1943, the bridge was originally named the New Howrah Bridge, because it replaced a pontoon bridge at the same location linking the both ...

in the city's Shyambazar neighbourhood and at Bishop Lefroy Road. During the shooting at Howrah Bridge, Bachchan bicycled around the city dressed as his character. The Kolkata schedule was completed on 18 November 2014 and shooting now shifted to Delhi and Patdi Near Surendranagar in

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

. The "Journey Song" was shot in Gujarat in December 2014 on the state highway connecting

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ), also spelled Amdavad (), is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 ...

to Bhuj. Shooting in Delhi took place at Gurgaon cyber hub and city club where Padukone and Khan were seen filming. The film was wrapped up after its last schedule shot in

. Padukone and Khan shot on the ghats of Banaras under chilly conditions and attracted a crowd. Shoojit Sircar said ''Piku'' was not written with an interval in mind, but because of the tendency of Indian theatre operators to force intervals into films during screenings, Sircar decided to accommodate an interval during the editing stage.

Music

The music of the film is composed by

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.

Marketing

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. As a part of promotions, the makers released on-set pictures of the shooting where the main cast are seen in character. Bachchan's first look was revealed — depicting his character of an old Bengali man with long hair and a big belly. On 25 March 2015, as part of the promotion, Deepika revealed the poster of the film through her Twitter handle.

Reception

Box office

''Piku'' grossed in India on its opening day. On Saturday, the film earned , showing a growth of 65%. On Sunday, it earned , for a domestic weekend total of . Internationally, ''Piku'' had the biggest opening weekend for a Hindi film of 2015, earning over US$2 million.

Box Office India Box Office India is an Indian film website dedicated to tracking, reporting, and analyzing the financial performance of films released in the Hindi entertainment industry. Established in 2003, Box Office India has become a prominent source of ...

reported that the film had a "very strong hold" on its first Monday in India, earning , and it eventually earned at the end of its first week. In ten days, the film earned in India. The film earned in its second week, and Box Office India projected that the film would earn around domestically at the end of its theatrical run.

Critical response

The film received widespread critical acclaim upon its release. On

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...

website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

the movie has an approval score of 89% on the basis of 19 reviews with an average rating of 7.4 out of 10. 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". In a 4 out of 5 star review, ''

The Times of India ''The Times of India'' (''TOI'') is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by the Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, third-largest newspaper in India by circulation an ...

'' praised the writing, direction and performances. 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". Gayatri Sankar of ''

Zee News Zee News is an Indian Hindi-language right-wing news channel owned by Subhash Chandra's Essel Group. It launched on 27 August 1999 and is the flagship channel of the Zee Media Corporation. The channel has been involved in several controve ...

'' 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." Taran Adarsh of

Bollywood Hungama Bollywood Hungama (lit. "Bollywood Madness" in Hindi), previously known as IndiaFM (or IndiaFM.com), is an Indian entertainment website, owned by Hungama Digital Media Entertainment, which acquired the website in 2000. The website provides n ...

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". 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". Anuj Kumar of ''

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was founded as a weekly publication in 1878 by the Triplicane Six, becoming a daily in 1889. It is one of the India ...

'' 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". Sweta Kaushal of ''

Hindustan Times ''Hindustan Times'' is an Indian English language, English-language daily newspaper based in Delhi. It is the flagship publication of HT Media Limited, an entity controlled by the Birla family, and is owned by Shobhana Bhartia, the daughter o ...

'' praised the portrayal of a strong, independent female protagonist and noted on how well Sircar presents a "realistic view of a typical Indian family". 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". Saibal Chatterjee of

NDTV New Delhi Television Ltd is an Indian news media company focusing on broadcast and digital news publication. It was founded in 1984 by economist Prannoy Roy and journalist Radhika Roy. NDTV began as a production house for news segments, ...

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. Tanmaya Nanda of ''

Business Standard ''Business Standard'' is an Indian English-language daily edition newspaper published by Business Standard Private Limited, also available in Hindi. Founded in 1975, the newspaper covers the Indian economy, infrastructure, international busi ...

'' praised the film for its feminist tone and its unique approach in dealing with scatological humour. 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". On the contrary, Shubhra Gupta of ''

The Indian Express ''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932 by P. Varadarajulu Naidu. It is headquartered in Noida, owned by the ''Indian Express Group''. It was later taken over by Ramnath Goenka. In 1999, eight y ...

'' 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". Rachel Saltz of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' 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." In 2019, Film Companion ranked Padukone's performance among ''The'' ''100 Greatest Performances of the Decade''.

Accolades

References

External links

* * * * {{Shoojit Sircar 2015 films 2010s Hindi-language films 2010s road comedy-drama films Films directed by Shoojit Sircar Films scored by Anupam Roy Films shot in Kolkata Films shot in Delhi Indian road comedy-drama films Films featuring a Best Actor National Award–winning performance Films whose writer won the Best Original Screenplay National Film Award Films whose writer won the Best Dialogue National Film Award Sony Pictures Networks India films Films distributed by Yash Raj Films Features based on short films Sony Pictures films Columbia Pictures films Indian drama road movies Films set in Kolkata Films shot in Varanasi Films shot in Gujarat Indian road movies