Film: Parineeta
Rating: 4.5/5
Director: Pradeep Sarkar
Producer: Vidhu Vinod Chopra
Cast: Sanjay Dutt as Girish, Saif Ali Khan as Shekhar, Vidya Balan as Lolita, Diya Mirza as Gayatri Tantiya, Raima Sen as Koyel

The 14 reels of Vinod Chopra Production's Parineeta might not go down as an all time classic in the history of Hindi Cinema but it wont go down as a cheap remake either. Parineeta will not disappoint the aficionados of author-backed movies.

Ad-man turned debutant director Pradeep Sarkar comes across as a man to look out for. In choosing an author-backed script Sarkar made sure that he won half the battle of a new comer.

Parineeta is a simple story of complex characters. Boy Shekhar meets girl Lolita, an orphan who has come to stay with her uncle. Both grow up to be best friends and confidants only to realize their deep rooted love for each other after the arrival of the third wheel Girish. The ambitious and antagonist father creates the rift and you have a love story with a twist. A myriad of human emotions - romance, passion, jealousy, greed, deception complete the plot. The question is - Can true and deep love overcome all obstacles!!!

The sensitivity and finesse with which these characters are portrayed is remarkable. Saif Ali Khan has yet again unleashed his plethora of acting skills as the vulnerable yet strong-headed Shekhar. He is going places. The simple yet beautiful Vidya Balan defies the model turned newcomer actress logic and gives a stellar performance in her first. She is in the same league as all Vidhu Vinod Chopra heroines – Manisha Koirala in 1942, Neha in Kareeb. In a small but pivotal role, Sanjay Dutt makes his presence felt.

There is a classic subtlety with which the canvas of the story, 1960s Calcutta, is handled, though it is a slight deviation from the book by Saratchandra. The surroundings are in synch with the era and are not overwhelming. You are free to concentrate on the characters and the background stays where it should be - at the back, unlike in Devdas. The comparison is unavoidable because they share the same author. The music by Shantanu Moitra is refreshing and melodious specially the track ‘Piu Bole’.

One of the low points of the movie is the gratuitous scene of Shekhar breaking the wall between the two households. The screenplay could have accorded the movie a decent end. The dialogs fail to impress. I would have been more happy with a more Bengali flavor in the dialogs. Rekha makes a special appearance as the club singer but unfortunately fails to impress. She could have done with a better dress designer.

Bottom Line:

All in all Parineeta is a win win for the new as well as the seasoned. A well made movie worth watching on the big screen.

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