Shoojit Sircar’s 2015 film Piku is home to all of us in the form of cinema. The movie takes us through a sea of emotions in its 2-hour length and we cannot stop but adore the heaviness it leaves us with. Starring Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, and Irrfan Khan in the lead, Piku completes its 9 years today.
Why was Shoojit Sircar skeptical about casting Irrfan Khan and Amitabh Bachchan together in Piku?
While the movie was centered around Deepika’s character juggling her relationship with her dad (Big B) who is over-obsessed with his age-related issues, Irrfan Khan’s character was just a third wheel. However, the chemistry between the two male leads turned out to be one of the highlights of Piku.
Back in 2015, Shoojit Sircar told PTI, “I tell everyone Irrfan is the only international star we have. I was skeptical the first day he and Mr Bachchan met on the set, it was a Robert De Niro and Al Pacino moment for me. But it all went well… Apart from the pairing of Deepika and Irrfan, it is also a delight to watch Irrfan and Mr Bachchan together.”
Shoojit who called the movie a one-of-its-kind experience had revealed that by the end of the movie’s shoot, Irrfan Khan had become Big B’s biggest admirer and was mesmerized by his style of acting. Irrfan told Sircar that if anyone wants to learn the finest bits and bytes of acting, they should work with Amitabh Bachchan.
For Sardar Udham director as well, Piku’s set was a home to three different schools of acting. He shared, “All three of them are absolutely poles apart. Mr Bachchan will constantly do rehearsals and then he will go for a take and that will be the final take. Deepika will do rehearsals but while doing that she will try to grab her movements and performances.”
Irrfan Khan passed away on April 29, 2020, due to cancer-related complications. Talking about him back then Shoojit has said, “Irrfan is very different. When he is acting and when not, is difficult to tell.”
What has inspired the story of Piku?
The Vicky Donor director revealed that the basic idea of the movie came from Piku’s writer Juhi Chaturvedi whose grandfather was somewhat similar to Big B’s character in Piku. He shared, “Then we brought in our expertise like I brought a lot of sequences from my family…It has been a personal journey for me and it is going to be that for the people too because the characters are identifiable.”
Shoojit said that the characters were so relatable that in every other house, there could have been a Piku and any old man could have been like Bhashkor Banerjee.
Deepika Padukone remembers Irrfan Khan on Piku’s 9th anniversary
The 38-year-old who has called Piku her ‘most favorite movie’ in several interviews took to her Instagram earlier in the day and shared a BTS picture from the sets. The snap featured someone serving fruit to the three cast – Deepika, Irrfan, and Big B. She captioned it, “He loves telling everyone how much I eat!🙄🤷🏽♀️ @amitabhbachchan.” Deepika Padukone ended her post by adding, “@irrfan Oh how much we miss you.”
Piku enjoys an IMDb rating of 7.6/10 and is available to stream on Sony LIV.
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