A slice of Kolkata’s cultural history resurfaced recently when Trincas shared a reel showing that the legendary Park Street restaurant appeared in Satyajit Ray’s 1980 short film Pikoo.
Shot for French television channel France 3, the film unexpectedly preserves rare footage of Trincas as it stood more than four decades ago, to the delight of cinephiles and food lovers alike.
The discovery came through quiz master Dhruv Mookerji, who was researching old films while preparing questions for a quiz at Tavern Behind Trincas.
While scanning references, he stumbled upon a brief but striking moment in Pikoo where the restaurant is mentioned during a prank phone call made by the film’s young protagonist. The phone number heard in the film, 240-300, was fictional but closely resembled Trincas’ real number at the time, which was 240-205.
What makes the find even more special is the visual record it offers. The film captures Trincas’ interiors as they appeared in 1980, with its fluted pillars, heavy low-slung chairs and the unmistakable stage backdrop.
Adding to the nostalgia, the restaurant’s then manager, Vishnu Wadehra, appears in a cameo, making the moment deeply personal for those associated with the space.
Anand Puri, third-generation owner of Trincas, says the discovery felt like uncovering a hidden chapter of the restaurant’s past.
“Dhruv goes through a lot of books and material to find interesting quiz questions, and this is the second film reference he has found. Pikoo is a really sweet but complex Ray film, told from the point of view of a six-year-old. Finding Trincas in it makes you wonder how many more such moments from the past are still waiting to be discovered,” he said.
Directed by Satyajit Ray and based on his short story Pikoor Diary, Pikoo stars Arjun Guha Thakurta, Aparna Sen and Victor Banerjee. The film portrays a single day in the life of a child set against adult conflicts, a work Ray himself described as complex.
Decades later, its fleeting Trincas connection has turned into a delightful did-you-know moment for the city.