Pink

Nowadays I see there has become a trend in Bollywood, that every other film is either trying to raise awareness over something, has a disabled protagonist or trying to portray the life of poor people. I like to call such "content driven filmmakers" as "gareeb" directors. If you have seen that "Main gareeb hoon!" video, you have a good idea of what I mean. Imagine that kid saying he is poor, and that is the whole script. They are trying to "relate to the audience and change their mindset" with these kinds of films. Earlier there were just Black and Paa, so I had no problem with it. But now Pink has even been declared the best Amitabh Bachchan film. Now I do like this film, but it's nowhere even close to being his best.

Pink is a story about three girls who were out with three boys, out of whom one was related to a politician. They were about to have sex, but then they refused. But the boys were no longer listening, and so they molested them. They filed a case against them, in which on a simple glance it seemed like they had filed a fake case on them, but then from their perspective it's a question of their life, as one of them gets raped by the boys in an SUV. Meanwhile a lawyer has been seeing them all the time who didn't really like them (and neither they liked him), but when he saw their condition he decided to defend them in the courtroom. The message that the film wanted to give was that the character of a person should not be the thing to decide what a person's dignity is. It doesn't matter whether the woman is your friend, girlfriend or even your wife, if she does not consent then you shouldn't force yourself on her.

The acting of all the characters was great, especially Amitabh Bachchan. This is his coolest look of all time in my opinion. The story was also made very nicely. There were no songs, so that's also a big plus. Also there was no unnecessary filler other than when the relations of the characters had to be fleshed out. However, there were two things about this film that I didn't like. Firstly the molestation scene that was shown in the credits. It was done with like, a 5 FPS camera. I don't know if it was supposed to add some "impact", because it really failed to do that. Also imagine sitting and watching a film with your family and they really like it, but then the credits roll and now the family is watching a rape scene together. Quality time, maybe? And secondly there was the cinematography. The lighting, the camera angles, the shadows were all wrong. This is something I don't like about Shoojit Sarcar. While trying to make scenes realistic he makes them ugly.

Pink is one of those films that give you an important message, unless you're a literate person in which case you already know the message. I'd put it in the same category as Fan - if you had made this film ten years ago, probably it would have been relevant. But now those who would watch this film already believe in the message and those who don't believe in the message won't want to watch such an educated film. But then again, it's free on Hotstar so what goes in seeing it? I mean it's Amitabh Bachchan for skin's sake! Do watch it if you want to see the coolest version of him.

Shoojit and Aniruddha has delivered powerful punch on feudal mindset with engaging court room drama.Frame by frame excellence will bound you with your seat. Even you will not realize when movie reached to interval.Big B has refined himself as USP of movie. Taapsee has delivered stunning performance with fearsome dialogue delivery. Piyush Mishra was another performer. Kirti Kulhari,Andrea Tariang and Angad Bedi were good in supporting role. Script and dialogue were terrific and value addition to movie. Music is only section which need improvement. Although Kaari Kaari was delight to listen. Please stay in theater till the end credits for complete story. Let's paint it PINK. She said 'No' and 'No' means 'No'... based on this simple one word, director Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury raised some very relevant questions to our so called society through his exclusive film #PINK#. A gripping story, tight screenplay, sharp direction, excellent background score, perfect cinematography & brilliantly executed Court room Trials enriched PINK and make it more vibrant. The performances are pitch-perfect with Mr. Bachchan leading the way. He is Outstanding once again. Tapasee & Kirti Kulhari delivered power- packed performances. Angan Bedi is another one to watch out for those cold & brutal eyes. Gutsy congratulations to Soojit Sircar for making a contemporary youth-centric film with a strong socially relevant message. A Film That Everyone Needs to Watch. Make time for it.

When I read the reviews I thought this movie would be interesting like a typical whodunit- crosses-courtroom drama. When the credits rolled I walked away impressed.

Pink is a tour de force. It's a simmering mixture of morality, drama, mystery and debate whose intensity never slips. I can't recall one Bollywood movie in recent memory which has such taut seriousness that never flags. Pink has no light moments. And it is utterly brilliant.

Part of its brilliance lie in Pink's on-the-money portrayal of biases and confusion surrounding independent, headstrong women in modern Indian society. Shoojit Sarkar brings to light darker biases that most modern Indians - men and women - carry but won't admit to.

The narrative is his secret sauce in ensuring that none of the morality or gravitas ever slip into preachy frivolosity. It's an impactful movie on a serious issue that deserves praise for not trivializing the issues it tackles.

Amitabh Bacchhan is brilliant as always and so are the girls and all supporting actors in the way they bring believability and emotion to their non stereotypical roles.

A great watch - you'd definitely not end disappointed.

Pink (2016)

"No. No, your honor. 'No' is not a word. It is a complete sentence. It doesn't need any further explanation. 'No' simply means 'no'. My client said no', your honor and these boys must realize that 'no' means 'no' whether the girl is an acquaintance, a friend, girlfriend, or a sex worker. Or even your own wife! 'No' means no'! I want someone says so, you stop."

The Good: * Makes important statements regarding social issues includes consent, double standards for females and males, inherent biases, molestation, misogyny, rape, self defense, social strata, and violence against women. This is especially relevant in India, where rapes often go unreported for to fear of public shame and possibly (as portrayed in the film) having it backfire. It is still frowned upon by some for a girl to be independent, outspoken, willful, or to drink or go anywhere in private with a male. * Amitabh Bachchan, due to his seniority, was originally first listed in the credits. However, to show gender equality, he requested to have his name listed after the three leading ladies. It is great to know that the actor was as passionate about gender quality as his character was in the film. * A clever creative choice was showing the scene of what actually happened that night, in slow motion, during the credits. Be sure to wait for that.

The Bad: * Great acting overall by the three leading ladies, but they were quite melodramatic. It alternated between an impressive performance and a performance completely overdone. * Bachchan may have had a powerful presence, but he was also creepy. Whatever the reasons, his breathing mask, combined with his mysterious demeanor and harsh voice, made for more of a creepy presence. Add to that the angles that made his eyes look white in many scenes, he was straight up scary. Supposedly he had bipolar, but I do not even know why that was a detail.

The Ugly: * Unrealistic portrayal of a court debate. These lawyers would not be a allowed to intimidate and yell at the witnesses on the stand, practically coercing them into a false confession. Likewise, they would not be allowed to preach on topics irrelevant to the case. The case becomes a stage for feminism, narrated by Bachchan. * Makes important points, but crosses the line very early on into preaching. To the point that I might call this propaganda. * Unrealistic to the point that I could not take it seriously and became bored in the second hour of this unnecessarily long film.

Conclusion: Many memorable lines, overall good performances,, made a valuable case for many important social issues; but excessive in length, portrayed court cases unrealistically, and it became preaching (practically) propaganda.

Pink is a gripping social film, brilliantly directed by Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury. The script is excellent, very well layered, and the film moves at a steady pace. Pink works as a taut thriller, and it is really a strong one at that - very intriguing and highly captivating. But the trick is that it's not just about the thrills because beneath the well-built tension lies a deeply involving social message on the important issues of sexual harassment, corruption, cultural and class differences, and above all, gender equality. The story culminates in a lengthy courtroom sequence which is stupendous and fascinating. This portion of the film takes away from everything else in it, and it is aided by consistently authentic, sharp dialogue, and an impressive attention to detail. That the setting is realistic only helps, ditto for the fantastic editing and cinematography, which enhance the film's credibility. This remains the film's prime asset which will have viewers on the edge of their seats.

The acting is roundly excellent and, needless to say, the film relies on the towering presence of Amitabh Bachchan, who is tremendous. There isn't a single false note in the way he plays this fantastic part - stylish, compassionate, heroic, and never less than a real character. Interestingly, he gives up top billing for the three leading ladies, so as to highlight their importance. Indeed, all three of them are convincing. Taapsee Pannu is the central of the three, and she is highly competent, but the other two, Kirti Kulhari and Andrea Tariang, actually give the film most of its raw energy and compassion. They are wonderful. Among the supporting actors, Piyush Mishra does exceedingly well as the amusing prosecutor, but the scene-stealer is doubtlessly Dhritiman Chatterjee, who is phenomenal as the fair and decent judge whose every expression speaks volumes. Other than being an important, issue-based film, Pink is a true cinematic experience well worth watching.