The 2015 movie starring Deepika Padukone as Piku and Amitabh Bachchan as Bhaskor, her nagging father, touched the audience on many levels.By Reya Mehrotra

Taare Zameen Par

The 2007 film starring Aamir Khan as a paternal figure to Ishaan, played by Darsheel Safary, came as an eye-opener
when students were being pushed for better grades. Ishaan, below average student, is often criticised by his parents
and teachers for his poor academic performance and sent away to a boarding school. A teacher at the school, Ram,
realises that the child is dyslexic,buta brilliant painter. He informs the parents and makes them understand that their child is different but no less than any other child. The movie taught parents to stop forcing their children to be the best and accept them as who they are.

Dangal

Another Aamir Khan masterpiece, this one talks about the role of a father in the career of his daughters. The movie
is based on the life of Geeta Phogat who won India’s first gold medal in wrestling in the Commonwealth Games
in 2010 and also was the first Indian woman to have qualified for the Olympic Summer Games. Mahavir Singh Phogat, a former wrestler, trains his daughters as wrestlers to fulfill his dream of winning a gold medal for his
country. He deals with the social stigma of women in wrestling and pushes his daughters towards success by guiding
them. The movie shows the sacrifices of parents to see their children win.

The Pursuit of Happyness

The 2006 movie is based on the life and struggles of Chris Gardner, a homeless salesman in the 1980s who, without a
wife, struggled to raise a young son. In 1987, he founded his own brokerage firm and is now a businessman and motivational speaker.

The emotional story revolves around how he struggles to study, work and makes sacrifices to bring up his only son during the low phase of his life. Gardner’s role is played by Will Smith. During a particular phase, he has nowhere to go and looks for a temporary lodging to house his son and himself.

Bicycle Thieves

This one is a black-and-white 1948 Italian movie, but with thousands of emotions to hold onto. It revolves around a poor father searching for his stolen bicycle, his only source of income to support his family, in a post-World WarII-era in Rome. He reports it to the police, but to no avail. He and his son resort to finding the bicycle themselves, but with slim chances of recovery.

He is highly idealised by his son despite his low income and struggles. Father of the Bride The father in Father of the Bride is a typical father who does not want to give awayhis daughter on learning that she is getting married. He eventually learns to live with his son-in-law and realises that he’s happy if his daughter is happy. The
1991 movie starred Steve Martin, Diane Keaton and KimberleyWilliams in the lead roles. Its sequel Father of the Bride Part was released in 1995. Steve Martin plays the possessive father.

Piku

The 2015 movie starring Deepika Padukone as Piku and Amitabh Bachchan as Bhaskor, her nagging father, touched the audience on many levels. A road trip undertaken by the father-daughter duo to Kolkata, their hometown, brings
them closer despite their ideological differences. They fight and argue over trivial issues but still care for each other. Piku plays a dutiful daughter who won’t marry because she has the responsibility of her“70-year-old child”, saying any man who marries her would have to adopt him. She is protective and cares for him so much so that she takes to discussing his motions on her date!

Three Men and a Baby

The 1987 movie starring Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg and Ted Danson shows three bachelors trying to adjust their lives around a newly arrived toddler who is the love child of one of them. They make you laugh as they try
to adapt themselves to fatherhood leaving behind their fun-filled life of parties and flings with women. It was based on a 1985 French film Three Men and a Cradle. It also has a Bollywood remake Heyy Babyy with Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh and FardeenKhan in the lead roles. As days go by, the three men start loving the
child and become responsible fathers.