Parineeta

Having watched Parineeta twice in a gap of 4 days since it's release, I have to say, this movie after a long time has done India Cinema proud. The film managed to keep my attention the same as watching it for the first time that says a lot about the film.

The cinematography is extremely good, tight and i must say not a frame of film wasted. Each scene is art directed very well and the lighting is perfect.

One can clearly see that the research done on this film is very good. The wardrobes of all actors have been well designed including the kind of jewelry the women wore. Great detailing. Just one flaw I have to mention is the choice of sunglasses Saif wears. A little too modern.

The male ego and attitude will not come as a surprise to most Indian men but the character and pride of an Indian woman is showcased very well and aptly. I only wish more writers and directors adapt this image of the Indian women instead of taking her into extremes all the time.

The music, absolutely outstanding. Shantanu Moitra has done an excellent job with the score and you will definitely want the soundtrack in your collection.

It's not easy to make a period film. Kudos to the cast, crew, production and anyone involved in the making of this film. They should all be extremely pleased.

A must watch.

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.

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.

While this film is far from perfect, it's still a great experience for those who hope for a revival in Indian cinema. The storyline is relatively simple - I haven't read the book it's based on, but can only assume that it was relatively dumbed down for the film. But what makes it special is the entire "package" - no over-the-top acting here, great period sets, smooth narration and actors who give a good dimension to the characters they portray.

I think Pradeep Sarkar and Vinod Chopra have to be given due credit for producing this little gem. It's nice to see that their artistic integrity has been (relatively) not compromised here. That's not to say that the film would not appeal to the masses, it has all the elements of a love story in the "Bollywood" genre - song, dance, family melodrama, happy ending etc. - but all these are delicately interwoven into the narrative without losing focus on the story or rather the strong characters. The only complain I had was from the "product placements" that seemed forced and totally out of place in the film :)

I am amazed that a film this good was overlooked, by the selection committee, for an entry to the Oscars this year. I am not saying this is a "Pather Panchali" but amongst what was available, it could be argued that this film stood a better chance to find appeal amongst an international audience.

My vote – 7 out of 10... definitely worth your time!

PS: Like another reviewer pointed out here, watch this film on the big screen or its original DVD release that does complete justice to the beautiful cinematography and art direction!

I was really impressed with the movie. Although the story is (again) built around a relationship triangle but the twist to the story is quite different from the usual plot line that you see in Hindi movies. Vidya Balan definitely stole the show with her natural and subtle acting (most of the Indian actors/actresses are known for their exaggerated expressions, which are more suitable for theater than for movies), kudos to her. Sanjay Dutt was good as usual and Saif is improving with time. Besides the main lead everybody pitched in with pretty good acting, giving the movie an overall balance. In particular Raima Sen and her friend (don't know her name) were very good. One of the surprises were seeing Rekha (yeah!) as a club singer in one of the songs :), she's still able to pull it off. We need more movies like this, and overall, I would recommend others to watch this movie.