Parinda

Before Ram Gopal Verma conquered the gangster genre with Satya and Company,before Mahesh Manjrekhar's Vaastav there was the ultimate gangster movie,Vidhu Vinod Chopra's Parinda. Unfortunately whilst Parinda was a hit Satya and Vaastav were even bigger hits and Parinda got almost forgotten. Vidhu Vinod Chopra had made one or two offbeat movie before this but he really hit it big time with Parinda. It was released in 1989 to moderate success. What really works for this movie is it's restrained style, most Bollywood gangster movies I have seen are light on content and high on action. Parinda doesn't have many overly long drawn out action sequences but what it offers is a great story and subtlety. Parinda tells the story of four friends,Anil Kapoor, his elder brother Jackie Shroff, Anupum Kher and his sister Madhuri. Jackie Shroff sends Anil Kapoor abroad to study. Years later Jackie Shroff has started working for gangster(a phenomenal performance by Nana Patekar). Anupum Kher becomes a policeman and is intent on bringing Nana Patekar to justice. Anil Kapoor returns and witnesses Anupum Kher's murder by Nana Patekar's men. Anil Kapoor tries to go to the police but Jackie Shroff tries to encourage him not to. When Anil Kapoor does eventually go to the police his loved ones are threatened. Anil Kapoor decides to start working Nana Patekar so that he can avenge the death of his friend Anupum Kher. One by one Anil Kapoor kills them off but soon Nana Patekar realises what he is actually upto and decides to get even. The scene is set for a magnificent showdown. Another incredible quality is RD Burman's music which is simply outstanding with some wonderful tunes like Tumse Milke. Coincidentally RD Burman's last score before his demise was on Vidhu Vinod Chopra's next venture, 1942 A love story. Parinda is the best gangster movie to come out of Bollywood and deserves more appreciation from lovers of Indian cinema. Highly recommended by me.

Of the hundreds of films made on the Indian underworld this film, along with Ram Gopal Varma's Satya, is one of the most gripping and powerful. Nana Patekar (who won a national award for this film) and Jackie Shroff are brilliant. Madhuri Dixit and Anil Kapoor excel in their small roles. The editing is also great...something that puts it in a league of its own. The film has none of the commen Hindi masala film aspects...I can only remember 2 songs!!!

This is a rare, genuine Bollywood mafia movie. In fact, it was made before Bollywoodising of the Hindi film industry. The characters are disturbing and portrayed in such a manner that they haunt you long after the movie has stopped rolling. There have been many mafia/gangster movies in Bollywood, prior to and since Parinda but none capture the dynamics of the lifestyle as realistically as it. The story of brothers on either side of the law lends this movie a Deeware-esquire background to play with but the presence of Nana Patekar in a villainous role gives this movie a much darker appeal. It is horrifying and at times disgusting but at the same time it is sometimes sublime and fragile in order to emerge at the end with a message of affection.

Parinda is a mind blowing film about the underworld. In fact, Parinda is not only about the underworld. It's also about the human emotions and conflicts that rule their lives.

The story revolves around Kishan (Jackie Shroff) who takes to the path of crime in order to support his younger brother Karan (Anil Kapoor). Kishan works for Anna (Nana Patekar) who rules the underworld with an iron fist. He is a pure devil who has no regrets or remorse in killing people and whoever dares to cross his path will only meet with one fate- death. Things take a turn for the worse when Karan learns about Kishan's illegal activities and about his involvement with Anna. Karan proves a real threat to Anna and Anna is hell bent on eliminating Karan who dared to challenge him. However, Anna is also torn between Kishan and Karan as Kishan is his most loyal protégé. How Kishan tries to thwart Anna's plans and what happens to Karan and his ladylove Paro (Madhuri Dixit) forms the crux of the story.

Parinda is a brilliantly made film. Vidhu Vinod Chopra succeeds in keeping us hooked with the dramatics and what goes on in the underworld. Chopra definitely knows that people don't like movies made on the crime world. So, he perfectly balances both the underworld scenes and the emotional scenes. The dialogues are praiseworthy. No preaching or overused lines. In fact, this film is the most real picture of the underworld. In a nutshell, Parinda is a masterpiece.

In a film like this, performances have to be first-rate in order to captivate the audience's attention. Nana Patekar takes the cake here as he gives a brilliant performance as the hardheaded, merciless underworld leader. Nana gives the correct nuances of a don and his coldness is displayed with brilliance by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. Jackie Shroff gives his career-best performance after Hero. He is very likable in the emotional scenes and his turmoil in trying to keep his brother away from his crime life is well etched by him. Anil Kapoor is good in a smaller role. In a film dominated by men, only an actress like Madhuri Dixit can hold her own. She is immensely likable in all her scenes with Anil Kapoor and her scenes more than provide a relief to the viewer after some heavy scenes in the film. Anupam Kher is okay in a shorter role. Suresh Oberoi is good.

There are only four songs in this movie and they are neatly placed. Neither do they hinder the progression of the story.

Overall, Parinda is a must watch for those who love realistic cinema. It's a breath of fresh air from the usual 80s Bollywood masala films.

Parinda has always been my favorite because it was one of the first movies to break the stereotypical formula-based film making trend in India that relied heavily on larger-than-life heroes (and villains) and impossible fight sequences that defied both gravity and logic. Parinda was a breath of fresh air amid all this chaos. It showed the Mumbai(Bombay) underworld as it had never been shown before. The movie begins with a superb background score reminiscent of The Terminator theme. As one listens to the sombre yet striking music with visuals/shots of Mumbai high rises under a grey evening sky, one realizes it's going to be a dark and no-nonsense film. And who can forget Kishen's (Jackie Shroff's) entry as he walks up that huge tank to meet rival gang-leader Moosa? I always wished the scene was a little longer. If Tom Alter did full justice to the role of Moosa, the role of Anna seemed to have been written for (and only for)the immensely talented Nana Patekar. The cinematography of the film leaves all other films of its time way behind (with the exception of 'Raakh', another dark and gritty film released around the same time). Jackie Shroff's acting is simply fabulous, whereas Anil Kapoor is, well, loud as usual! I wish he had shaved off his mustache to fit the role of the younger brother better. Suresh Oberoi as the goon gives a superlative performance - one of the best in his career. In short, Parinda marks the beginning of realistic mainstream cinema in India. Indian art-house cinema had always been realistic, but mainstream commercial cinema used to be just escapist fares until Parinda happened.