Amitabh Bachchan in a still from Piku (left) and Anand(right)
Shoojit Sircar's Piku arrives on Friday, (hopefully) trailing clouds of Bengali glory. Of the three principal actors in this tale of a cranky old dad and his long-suffering daughter, one is playing a namesake of a role he was cast in several years ago - 44 years, to be precise. (Also read: Why Piku is a Two-in-One Film For Irrfan Khan)
In Piku, Amitabh Bachchan plays Bhashkor Banerjee, the aged and supposedly infirm father of the titular character played by Deepika Padukone. White-haired and costumed in various puzzling outfits - like a red 'Russia' emblazoned tracksuit topped by a woolly hat - Bhashkor Banerjee is obsessed with the workings of his digestive tract, convinced he is seriously ill and none too happy when his medical reports pronounce him in good health. This Mr Banerjee is cantankerous, self-obsessed and resentful of his perceived status as a liability for his only offspring, who appears from the previews of the film to manage her maddening parent with an equilibrium that many in her place would have lacked.
In sharp contrast, the Bhaskar Banerjee Mr Bachchan played for decades ago in 1971's Anand was the exact opposite of Piku's Bhashkor Banerjee. For one, he was a doctor and unencumbered by any false misgivings about his own or anyone else's health. In fact, he treats the imagined illnesses of the rich and wealthy who consult him with a heavy dose of plain speaking. In the film, Dr Banerjee develops an admiration and fast friendship with the Anand of the title, who calls him Babumoshai and is dying of cancer but is cheerfully buoyant of spirit even in death. As such, Anand's Babumoshai would have had little or no truck with the litany of medical woes that Piku's father makes his daughter, the taxi service owner who becomes their friend, and the world at large privy to.
Anand was Amitabh Bachchan's earliest success and Dr Bhaskar Banerjee is one of his best remembered roles. There are great expectations of the repeat performance, with the revenue-impoverished film industry looking to Piku to resurrect it from the box office doldrums it finds itself in this year.
In Piku, Amitabh Bachchan plays Bhashkor Banerjee, the aged and supposedly infirm father of the titular character played by Deepika Padukone. White-haired and costumed in various puzzling outfits - like a red 'Russia' emblazoned tracksuit topped by a woolly hat - Bhashkor Banerjee is obsessed with the workings of his digestive tract, convinced he is seriously ill and none too happy when his medical reports pronounce him in good health. This Mr Banerjee is cantankerous, self-obsessed and resentful of his perceived status as a liability for his only offspring, who appears from the previews of the film to manage her maddening parent with an equilibrium that many in her place would have lacked.
In sharp contrast, the Bhaskar Banerjee Mr Bachchan played for decades ago in 1971's Anand was the exact opposite of Piku's Bhashkor Banerjee. For one, he was a doctor and unencumbered by any false misgivings about his own or anyone else's health. In fact, he treats the imagined illnesses of the rich and wealthy who consult him with a heavy dose of plain speaking. In the film, Dr Banerjee develops an admiration and fast friendship with the Anand of the title, who calls him Babumoshai and is dying of cancer but is cheerfully buoyant of spirit even in death. As such, Anand's Babumoshai would have had little or no truck with the litany of medical woes that Piku's father makes his daughter, the taxi service owner who becomes their friend, and the world at large privy to.
Anand was Amitabh Bachchan's earliest success and Dr Bhaskar Banerjee is one of his best remembered roles. There are great expectations of the repeat performance, with the revenue-impoverished film industry looking to Piku to resurrect it from the box office doldrums it finds itself in this year.
