‘Pihu’ Movie Review: A heart in the mouth thriller that explores the perils of being a toddler

Directed By: Vinod Kapri

Produced By: Siddharth Roy Kapur, Ronnie Screwvala

Cast: Myra Vishwakarma, Prerna Vishwakarma

Duration: 92 minutes

Bollywood Bubble Rating: 3.5/5

While watching ‘Pihu’, there were several moments where I felt like biting my tongue or closing my eyes because the pain was too much to bear. Not because the movie lacked merit (what I mean is it was not painful like ‘Kaashi’ was painful), but because I had invested emotionally in the character and felt helpless about not being able to help. Yes, ‘Pihu’ is that kind of a movie where you want to jump into the screen and take charge of the proceedings.

I won’t reveal much about the plot, as it’s a thriller. However, as you must have seen in the trailer, ‘Pihu’ is a two year old (who is cute as a button) who gets trapped in the house. Common appliances like refrigerator, steam iron and geyser (along with the balcony) seem extremely dangerous because ‘Pihu’ is too young to be aware of their perils. Her innocence is adorable, but at the same time, the dangers faced by her breaks your heart. I didn’t like the climax a lot, and felt that it could have been different. It’s also why I have taken away half a star from the rating.

As far as the performances are concerned, Myra Vishwakarma is extremely good. A lot of credit must go to the director (Vinod Kapri) who was able to get an ace performance out of her. Since children are not aware enough, whatever they do seems extremely natural. In some ways, the movie also takes you back to your childhood (I remembered an incident where I had put my finger in a table fan). That is because Kapri (who has also written the film) captures the psyche of a toddler really well. He understands their world. He knows the things they do, the things that makes them cry and the things that make them laugh. Without this sense of authenticity when it comes to emotions, the movie would have fallen flat on its face.

Final verdict:

Watch it, but not if you have a toddler at home.

Watch trailer: