Parineeta

I have not enjoyed such a wonderful movie in years.

I don't watch very many Hindi movies but decided to watch this one when I watched an interview of Vidhu Vinod Chopra on MTV. The few clips that I saw during the interview convinced me that the movie was one of the best Hindi movies ever made.

Everything about the movie is enchanting- the music, the wonderful shots of Calcutta at dusk, at sunrise, in the winter fog, in autumn, the churches, the old houses with their colonial architecture, the warm portrayal of those exquisite times, the delicate filigree of relationships, the simplicity of the childhood bond that describes the relationship between Lolita and Shekhar, the realism of the story. Everything was absolutely marvelous.

I have never doubted Saif Khan's great talent and my faith in him was vindicated in the movie. He plays his role with great finesse.The heroine may be debuting in this movie but she will definitely go places. She is talented, she is graceful, she is beautiful without having to thrust her body at the camera to capture the audience's attention. I sat enthralled through the love scenes that reminded me of a watercolor painted with a very fine brush.

The music was absolutely wonderful and captured the sound of the 60s. Every song was a treat--not just the music but the picturisation especially "piyuh bole".

All through the movie I sat and marveled at the amount of work that had gone into the making of such a film. The research, the reproduction, the faithful details(even the oven that was used to bake a cake!)

There are only two aspects of the film that jarred. One was the casting of Sanjay Dutt as Girish. I like Sanjay and he was super in Munna Bhai but he looked too old in his role here. The other thing that somehow spoilt things was the Sanjay Leila Bhansali moment that crept into the movie towards the end.

Even so, if the movie were to be compared with(I confess that it is an unfair comparison) Devdas, Pareenita would win hands down. For all the song and dance hoopla of Devdas, the movie failed to tug at one's heart strings.

For me the most wonderful thing was the fact that both my children, young teenagers, enjoyed the movie and loved it.

Thank you, Pradeep Sarkar and Vidhu Vinod Chopra!

I will never forget the first 30 minutes of this film.

Superbly paced, the film has fine, balanced performances from all its actors. Its vision is very difficult to put in words - it is an escapism rooted in realism, simple ideas seen earlier in Hindi cinema are fully realized here, comparable to some of the best personal European/ International films. Its song style is sophisticated, very effortlessly translated into simple, clear imagery. The last ten minutes are mishandled, taking away from what could have been an almost-flawless experience in mainstream Indian cinema - I choose my words very carefully, this is an Indian film in Hindi. Very precious.

Plot Outline: Orphaned at childhood Lolita (Vidya Balan) stays with her uncle. She and neighbor Shekhar (Saif) develop innocent bonding with each other which unknown to them has matured into love. It takes the arrival of Girish (Sanjay Dutt) before the lead pair discovers their love for each other through circumstantial odds and family pressures.

Comment: Parineeta is an adaptation of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's work, whose works include the immortal Devdas that has been remade over and over again in many languages. Although, it is quite usual to compare Vinod Chopra's Parineeta with Bhansali's Devdas, I would say that Parineeta ranks way above latter in terms of being closer to real life and portraying seemingly real characters as against the recent Devdas was more of a visual treat with stars and extravaganza.

Although Vinod Chopra, in his screenplay has deviated from the novel's portrayal of the 1920's to the film's 1960's, it is seamless and is believably real. The performances are extremely neat with Saif in a mature role and Vidya Balan exceptional for a débutante, both in looks and ease with the camera. Talent spotter Vinod Chopra has her lined up in Munnabhai-2 and Yagna. Sanjay Dutt seemed older than what the role required. Among the songs that are well timed, 'Piyu Bole' has freshness similar to 1942: A Love Story. Although Pradeep Sarkar's direction has made the movie well paced, the closing scenes have been extra-dramatized. Must watch for all audiences.

Rating: 4/5

I have always been a great fan of sharat chanda's literature and seeing it getting transformed to such magnificent movie like vinod chopra's "Parineeta" gives me a sense of pride for our writers and film makers.I saw the movie last evening with my friends and there was none who did not enjoy it. The cinematography is amazing.the sets look far more natural than they were in "Devdas" which was based on the book by the same author. The spirit of the story has been very wisely conserved and the movie displays the efficiency of the director in handling the topic in the very fashion the author would have liked it to be handled. Where "devdas" was a disappointment to me, "Parineeta" has proved the opposite. The movie is far away from the loudness that could have surrounded it. The lights in the sets are dim and add to the romantic mood. thump's up to the makers.

For a nation starved of creatively fulfilling cinema, Vidhu Vinod Chopra's Parineeta is like a dream come true. If you overlook the overindulgence in melodrama in the last few reels of the film, Parineeta may well classify as a classic entertainer with brilliant performances, outstanding music and superb production values. Based on Saratchandra Chatterjee's novel, Parineeta is the story of two childhood friends - Lolita (newcomer Vidya Balan) and Shekhar (Saif Ali Khan), both hailing from different strata of society. They share an unspoken bond of love. Enter Girish (Sanjay Dutt) from London. Shekhar is driven to jealousy by the growing affections between Girish and Lolita. A series of circumstances manipulated by Shekhar's father Naveen Rai force the two lovers apart amidst a series of misunderstandings and betrayals. Parineeta is the story of a woman's endless wait for her love and director Pradeep Sarkar weaves the story like magic, especially in the first half. The relationship between Lolita and Shekhar is beautifully established right from the beginning. Sarkar excels in the detailing - the vintage look of the film stands out with authentic costumes, props and even the roads of Kolkata. Which makes the deliberate plugs of brands like Saridon and Cadbury stand out sorely. Some of the sequences haunt you much after the film is over: Shekhar's complex state of mind during his marriage with Gayatri (Dia Mirza) and his confrontation scenes with Lolita. Girish's first encounter with Lolita and Saif's anguish as he helplessly watches his love slip by are excellent. The scene in the recording studio is worth a mention. Full marks to Vinod Chopra and Sarkar for a deft screenplay. Sarkar's picturisations of Piyu Bole and Soona Mann Ka Aangan are mesmerising. The background score is heavily inspired by 1942: A Love Story. Perhaps the only problem with the film lies in its script and maybe contemporarising it would have helped. In the second half, the script stumbles. And then comes the worst part - the climax. The wall breaking scene between shouts from family and friends screaming, "Todh, Shekhar todh!" is so amateur that it dilutes the whole film's impact. All the performances are top class - Vidya Balan makes a sensational debut. Whether it's her coy demeanour with Saif or her confusion with Sanjay, Vidya is an absolute delight. Sanjay Dutt is in super form. Sabyasachi Chakraborty as Saif's father is brilliant. Among the others, Raima Sen and Ninad Kamat (as Shekhar's friend) add enormously to the film despite their miniscule parts. But Parineeta really belongs to Saif Ali Khan. It's his best performance to date. Khan showcases a plethora of emotions, all in right doses - jealousy, compassion, callousness, insecurity, resentment and joy. It's hard to imagine any other actor playing the role. With this film, Saif rightfully acquires his position in the top rung of the industry. If Parineeta falls short of being a masterpiece, it's only due to the few howlers in the latter half. But even the chinks in the armour can't rob the film of its sheen. For Hindi cinema, it's a big step forward.