Amitabh Bachchan will be soon seen enthralling fans as a father in Piku. While many films have shown the intriguing father-son relationship, Piku, also starring Deepika Padukone delves into the dynamics of a father-daughter relationship. And Amitabh Bachchan is totally taken in with Deepika.
“As my reel daughter, she is well-read — an obedient daughter who takes care of her father at all points in time. She does not trouble me, instead shouts at me for my betterment. Kaun apne pita ko pyar se nahi daantta?”
On an emotional note as a father, he talks about daughters and how painful it is to separate from them after marriage. “When we talk to our sons we may talk roughly, galli galoch bhi dete hai apne beto ko kabhi kabhi. But daughters are always handled with care. Daughters take on roles of a wife and later, a mother. They have to adapt to various relationships after marriage. They have a new set of parents overnight.”
Talking about Shweta and his granddaughter he adds, “Yes, we did miss Shweta after she left our house. We will also feel the pinch when our granddaughter gets married. But that is what life is… separation and closeness have their own place. We have to come to terms with separation.”
Many feel the bonding shown in the unique father-daughter relationship in Piku is reminiscent of veteran film maker late director Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s style of filmmaking.
Having worked with Hrishikesh Mukherjee in his earlier films he says, “Hrishi da always chose a middle path while making his films. He would not choose the escapist commercial path or the totally artistic path. It was indeed a very difficult path. Today’s audience is demanding. They want good content and it is a herculean task to bring in good content as well as good actors.”
About Bengali nicknames (Piku is Deepika’s name in the film) Amitabh says, “They are essential. The naming ceremony is celebrated only after the children are six months old. Till then they are called by their nicknames such as Tinku, Pikku, Cheeku, etc. I named my children within seconds of their birth. It was the same with Aaradhya.”
