In Shoojit Sircar’s Piku, Amitabh Bachchan played a very cranky patriarch who is obsessed with his bowel movements. The film, which was released in 2015, also starred Deepika Padukone and Irrfan Khan.
Speaking on the rotund Bengali bhadralok’s part, Mr Bachchan had said, “I have no known reference, neither was I given one. This is the writer’s and the director’s image of what the character should be. As an actor employed by the production, I follow what is professionally desired of me.”
This is the second film where Deepika Padukone played Mr Bachchan’s daughter. Mr Bachchan remarked, “As co-artists, we do develop or aim to develop the kind of relationship the script demands. In that sense, there is, and I would imagine should be, a so-called ‘bonding’ between us. In our profession, I would expect that whatever we do in the sphere of the film in question is special. Deepika Padukone has been and is a wonderful co-star. There is a certain unwritten warmth about her, which flows not just on set, but off it too. I love such qualities. With our age differences and the character impersonation in our film, she comes across just perfectly.”
Mr Bachchan identified with his Bengali character in Piku. “I am the ‘jamai babu’ of Bengal and proud of it! Piku, the actor, does not need to do anything to make me feel Bengali; the character does. And having Shoojit, a Bengali, as director helped immensely. Nuanced behavior, language fineries, appearances, and looks, all were meticulously worked on.”
Piku, said Mr Bachchan, didn’t plunge headlong into its Bangla-ism. “Of course, there have been some compromises, because we are making a Hindi film after all and had to make those few adjustments for its universal context. But the essence shall be quite visible, we hope. At the same time, I do not think the overall appeal of a Hindi film would be drowned. Regional colors have always enhanced our creative palette, and they have been greatly accepted and enjoyed by audiences. We hope that this attempt shall bring the same attention.
He described the experience of working in Kolkata as “enchanting….I love shooting in that city. It is, after all, my Sasural.”
