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!

The FILM:I have recently watched the movie Parineeta. I was highly impressed by the way the movie was setup. The director has been very meticulous in creating the feel of the old era. There was not a single point in the film where one could say that the backdrop of the film was not contiguous. The film was a very great experience.

Characters: Vidya Balan was exceptionally good. In fact the ease with which she played the character, makes one wonder if she is a débutante. I must say that she has done justice to the character. Well done Vidhu Vinod Chopra, you have again found a VERY talented young lady. Saif showed that he has matured as an actor and is very versatile in the kind of roles that he has been offered. Saif's acting in this film was awesome. I think Saif can challenge any film critic who questions his abilities to act. He has emerged into a fabulous actor. And with this film he has put himself in line for an award. That goes for Vidya too.

RATING: I did not give a 10/10 just because of the climax of the film. It did not have to be so melodramatic.

"Parineeta" is based on a classic Indian novel, and the movie is probably the third or fourth remake of the novel. The plot/story of the movie is of the nature that could SO EASILY have been a big blunder at the box office. I had no intentions to go see the movie since I felt it would be a serious waste of my time and money.

As time went by, the movie became more and more popular amongst masses. I grew compelled to see what really made it so. But props to the Parineeta team to choose a wonderful star cast that drove me to see the film. Saif Khan's recent performances and of course Sanjay Dutt motivated me to go see the film.

Still not expecting much, I have no words to explain it, but I was truly shocked by the direction, editing of the movie backed by some of the best acting and screenplay I have seen in the Indian Film Industry. The movie, 130 minutes long, is also unlike other Indian movies which run easily 150+ minutes. The movie is crisp, and edited to perfection. Saif Khan and Sanjay Dutt were great like always, but Vidya Balan surprised me in her debut film.

This movie has set a new standard for Indian films. I like the direction in which Indian films are headed. 2004-05 has been a break through year for actors, directors for the Indian Film Industry, and movies like Parineeta is the fruit for the efforts.

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.

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.