Parineeta (2005)

I recently saw Parineeta(2005). Sitting there, watching the movie, I felt like I was watching a beautiful 1960's movie. Myself being a great fan of old movies, which are clean and free from stunts, harsh language, nudity. It is a movie well done by V.V. Chopra. During the entire movie, I was not able to get up to take a break. There are two things in this movie that could have been avoided. The dramatic climax and the small, but there, bedroom sequence with Sanjay Dutt. Other than that, a wonderful movie. After Munna Bhai MBBS, this was the movie I could watch with family. Vidya balan, despite being a débutant, has done justice to her role. She is a natural. Saif Ali Khan has once again proved himself. He just needs good roles like this one. He is so natural with the acting. Sanjay Dutt, matured as ever, looks great as Girish Babu. A great, must see movie.

Fmovies: 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.

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 fmovies. 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.

First things first. Parineeta is a classic. When smart choices like these are made by film makers nothing much can go wrong. Of course, there is always the ever lurking risk of comparison with the novel, but it is safe to say in this movie's case that everyone involved does a wonderful job in executing it on the screen.

Vidya Balan(as Lolitha) makes a mind blowing debut. She seems like someone who has been doing this for ages! The natural flow of emotions that she carries in her eyes and so many unsaid words makes you fall in love with her every time she comes on the screen. I am going to go out of my way here and say Lolitha is my kind of a life partner. No two ways about it.

Saif Ali Khan (as Shekar Rai) once again proves that he is a horse for the long run. His character is a complex array of emotions - ranging from the musical and romantic to the obedient son of a rich man - and Saif does justice to his role big time. I would definitely recommend him to star in more such classics since it suits him really well.

Despite his small (yet very significant) role as the kind hearted gentleman - Girish Babu, Sanjay reassures you why we love him so much. If you were rolling on the floor when he was Munnabhai, you will take a bow to his dignified personification of Girish. A legend without a doubt.

All said and done there is one thing which kept haunting me is Sanjay's casting. Call me crazy but somehow Abhishekh Bachchan kept flashing in the mind's eye for Girish's role. He would have been ideal for that role given the range the character covers.

Music is just mind blowing. Mitra does an excellent job in recreating the 60s Calcutta and feel of the life in post-British India without a single glitch. My personal favorites are "Piyu Bole...Piya Bole.." and "Kashto Mazza..." shot on the train to Darjeeling.

For someone who wants to see a REAL Indian movie this is the great example. If people loved Lagaan for being Indian to the core, this one will definitely make it to their list. Movies like these go to show that one does not have to bare skin and gyrate to remixes to be heard. What is loud and clear are the silences that this movie captures.

Well done everyone who were associated with "Parineeta". It was a brilliant and satisfying movie experience.

A 10/10 for this pure classic and hope to see more such wonders come out of the think tank of the Indian movie industry. (Calling it Bollywood will not make justice to such gems.)