RIFLE RANGE BOY: Doing the right things?

Piku (Hindi; 2015)

Are human beings innately wired to know what the right thing to do is? Do people do the right thing because it was is expected of them? Deviation of what is accepted as the right thing by consensus may lend an average in collision with the law. Alternatively, he may be doing it to avoid future repercussions.

More often than not, we make our decisions using our emotions, not reason. Peer pressure, fear of the unknown and unquestioning obedience to the herd all form ways of our response to a situation. Are our actions paved with personal motivations or remunerations rather than altruistic intents?

Sadly there is no universal law for all our dilemmas. We make up rules as we go on. Just when we think we have seen it all and have all the answers, pop comes a different scenario just to mock us.

If simply existing as a human being is a boon itself, then every human owes a moral responsibility to other humans and in turn in another; what more to the people who are the reasons of your existence - your parents.

Cycling is therapy?

This film questions the above philosophical enigmas in a rather comical and subtle way. It revolves around a whiny father, his forever disgruntled 30-something single daughter and the owner of a taxi service who has to drive both of them from Delhi to Calcutta as none of his drivers can stand the daughter.

Bhaskor Banerjee is a 70-year old eccentric and opinionated widow who drives everyone crazy. He is fixated on his irregular bowel habits. He borders on hypochondriasm and demands undivided attention from his architect daughter. His deceased wife used to deal with all his demands, but after her demise, Piku, his only daughter feels duty-bound to serve him much like what her mother had done. He is quite generous with his unsolicited advice which he thinks is life experience needed to be imparted to generation next. The problem is his opinions are considered passe. But then, social norms dictate that the elders must be respected.

Probably because of the stress of caring for Bhaskor, Piku, becomes a high strung individual. She explodes at the slightest of provocation. Her love life is zilch. She feels compelled to be by her father's side. So when Bhaskor needs to go to Calcutta to settle some property issues and is too ill to fly, she accompanies him, albeit reluctantly.

The journey turned out to be a life-changing experience for everyone. Metaphorically, we come to realise that calm prevails when the journey ends. Death is a necessary event for continuity of life.