There’s
a
contemplative
air
about
Shoojit
Sircar’s
cinema.
His
storytelling
isn’t
in
a
rush
to
get
somewhere
and
enjoys
the
process
of
seeing
his
characters
beyond
the
obvious
whilst
offering
a
window
to
their
soul
as
well
as
him.
Both
the
wit
and
the
warmth
in
his
films
stems
from
a
reality
presented
sans
any
artifice
or
affectations
where
conversations,
expressed
in
words
and
silence,
touch
a
chord
and
visuals,
poetic
or
personal,
linger
on.
Not
to
forget,
thoughtfully
cast
actors,
known
or
new,
central
or
secondary,
become
people
we
might
know.
(Or
want
to.)
Photograph:
Kind
courtesy
Shoojit
Sircar/Instagram
This
is
the
magic
of
Sircar’s
filmmaking
—
National
Award
winners,
many
of
them
—
that
makes
every
new
work
of
his
an
eagerly-awaited
affair.
His
latest
I
Want
to
Talk
is
a
slice-of-life,
father-daughter
story
co-starring
Abhishek
Bachchan
and
Pondicherry
native
and
newcomer
Ahilya
Bamroo.
Sukanya
Verma
ranks
his
best
directed
works
so
far.
7.
Yahaan
Growing
up
in
the
shadow
of
a
father
serving
in
the
Indian
Air
Force,
Sircar’s
understanding
of
defence
and
war
came
in
handy
in
his
directorial
debut
when
he
shifted
gears
from
advertising
to
feature
films.
One
of
the
most
appreciated
attributes
of
his
rookie
effort
—
a
love
story
between
an
army
man
and
a
local
lass
against
the
backdrop
of
the
Kashmir
conflict
—
is
its
gritty
realism.
6.
Madras
Cafe
It
would
be
difficult
for
a
Madras
Cafe
or
any
political
drama
resisting
propaganda
to
get
made
today.
Back
in
2013
though,
Sircar’s
sharp,
sombre
espionage
drama
tackling
the
Sri
Lankan
civil
war
and
former
prime
minister
Rajiv
Gandhi’s
assassination
in
1991
delivered
quite
a
sucker
punch
in
the
John
Abraham
led
(and
produced)
thriller.
5.
Gulabo
Sitabo
One
of
the
first
big
movies
to
drop
on
streaming
following
the
pandemic-triggered
indefinite
lockdown,
Gulabo
Sitabo‘s
Lucknow
is
a
whimsical
world
inhabited
by
a
crabby
landlord
and
his
feisty
tenant’s
tussle.
Their
quarrelling
equation
as
well
as
the
chaos
it
prompts
among
everyone
in
its
direct
grasp
or
otherwise
is
telling
of
its
satirical
musings
and
sprawling
feminism.
4.
Vicky
Donor
Apart
from
normalising
a
taboo
topic,
by
Bollywood
standards,
like
sperm
donation,
Sircar’s
humorous
glimpse
into
the
saas-bahu
banter
over
hilarious
whisky
sessions
and
Punju
weds
Bong
stereotypes
in
his
directorial
debut
offered
the
audience
an
entire
new
perspective
in
the
rom-com
space.
Recipient
of
three
National
Awards,
Vicky
Donor‘s
influences
are
felt
strongly
and
seminally
since
it
first
came
out
and
found
empowering
new
ways
to
showcase
women
of
all
ages
at
their
most
authentic
and
awesome.
3.
Sardar
Udham
Always
breaking
new
ground
in
genres
marked
by
predictable
patterns,
Sircar’s
soul
crushing
treatment
of
the
biopic
and
period-era
patriotism
reveals
the
human
amidst
a
surfeit
of
history.
One
of
the
best
films
of
2021
is
also
one
of
the
best
films
he’s
made
so
far
but
denied
a
big
screen
experience
owing
to
the
COVID-19
onslaught.
Perhaps
the
powers
behind
the
ongoing
re-release
trend
can
remedy
that
and
allow
the
audience
to
experience,
as
I
once
gushed,
‘his
brooding,
muted
take
on
long
harboured
revenge,
an
individual’s
revolution
through
physical
and
psychological
torture
as
it
treads
a
horrific
chapter
of
India’s
history
and
fight
for
independence
from
the
British
Raj
without
resorting
to
jingoism
or
chest
thumping
antics.’
2.
October
A
carefree
hotel
management
trainee’s
world
is
turned
upside
down
when
a
fellow
intern
falls
off
the
terrace
and
slips
into
coma
right
after
inquiring
about
his
whereabouts.
His
tender
times
around
her,
all
confused,
concerned
and
curious,
alongside
Sircar’s
dedication
to
explain
nothing
makes
October
a
sublime
ode
to
the
mysterious
ways
of
the
human
condition.
Profound
in
its
thought
and
every
day
in
its
observation,
Sircar’s
gift
to
blend
ordinary
and
overwhelming
is
his
greatest
superpower.
1.
Piku
Sircar’s
body
of
work
is
as
good
as
it
gets.
His
cinema
attests
to
his
artistry,
his
humanity,
his
sensitivity,
his
sense
of
humour,
his
aesthetics,
his
inspirations,
his
quirks,
his
vision
—
all
the
lovely
adjectives
you
can
possibly
think
of.
Right
above
these
pile
of
powerhouse
sits
Piku,
a
gem,
a
heart,
a
hug
of
a
film
featuring
a
pitch-perfect
chemistry
between
Amitabh
Bachchan,
Irrfan
and
Deepika
Padukone,
that’s
as
much
about
potty
as
it
about
parenting
and
says
more
about
human
emotions,
connections,
journeys
and
good
ol’
life
over
the
course
of
122
minutes
than
one
could
ever
summarise
in
a
lifetime.
