Compared to Paheli, India should probably have sent Parineeta as their Oscar selection but all is well. Parineeta is more visually stunning than the former and involves one of the most daringly dangerous tests of any film industry, which is the casting of the lead heroine as virtually unknown actress Vidya Balan. But Balan manages to hold her own and make a mountain of her film debut by turning Lolita into a force to be reckoned with.
The tale revolves around a guy named Shekhar (played by a very fine and in his element Saif Ali Khan) who falls in love with Lolita from the moment she arrives in the colony as a young orphan next door. They do everything together and he even steps in to provide her with money whenever she needed it. Time goes by and they grow into young adults. Shekhar gets Lolita a job with his father's company, and one day while at work she discovers an unusual folder which she is quickly chastised for coming across. She briefly ignores this, thinking nothing of the folder and continues on with her life. She begins to think of ways to let Shekhar know that she is in love with him but even though he feels the same way, he chooses to keep his feelings under-wraps. One day, while alone with a trusted worker at the office, Lolita comes across that rare folder one more time and this time opens it to see it contents. She is bewildered to discover that it contained classified information about the secret selling of the home she lives in with her relatives behind their back. Distraught but glad that she has now come to terms with the true motives behind Shekhar's father's insincere smiles, she goes home to ask Shekhar for help. But when he ignores her pleas, she turns to a stranger (played by Sanjay Dutt) who has come to visit with their neighbours and also has feelings for Lolita. Girish(Dutt) becomes like an angel for Lolita's family and this angers Shekhar who begins to make a mountain out of a molehill about things. Several misunderstandings prolong the otherwise stellar film, and that's the advantage that Paheli has over Parineeta. Paheli doesn't insult the intelligence of its audience. The most upsetting thing to me was the premise of creating excuses for the two sex scenes in the film. I don't want to be rude, but the audience is not stupid you know? That's something I would love to have told the director.
The ending is so crappy that you might want to slap yourself if you sit through it. I found very many elements of Devdas (2002) in this film, it wasn't even subtle. Don't miss Rekha's cameo as the Moulin Rouge singer which adds a much needed pizazz, style and energy to the film. The Parineeta theme is also an instant classic. Raima Sen, Sabyasachi Chakravarthy, Diya Mirza among others add light as co-stars.
The tale revolves around a guy named Shekhar (played by a very fine and in his element Saif Ali Khan) who falls in love with Lolita from the moment she arrives in the colony as a young orphan next door. They do everything together and he even steps in to provide her with money whenever she needed it. Time goes by and they grow into young adults. Shekhar gets Lolita a job with his father's company, and one day while at work she discovers an unusual folder which she is quickly chastised for coming across. She briefly ignores this, thinking nothing of the folder and continues on with her life. She begins to think of ways to let Shekhar know that she is in love with him but even though he feels the same way, he chooses to keep his feelings under-wraps. One day, while alone with a trusted worker at the office, Lolita comes across that rare folder one more time and this time opens it to see it contents. She is bewildered to discover that it contained classified information about the secret selling of the home she lives in with her relatives behind their back. Distraught but glad that she has now come to terms with the true motives behind Shekhar's father's insincere smiles, she goes home to ask Shekhar for help. But when he ignores her pleas, she turns to a stranger (played by Sanjay Dutt) who has come to visit with their neighbours and also has feelings for Lolita. Girish(Dutt) becomes like an angel for Lolita's family and this angers Shekhar who begins to make a mountain out of a molehill about things. Several misunderstandings prolong the otherwise stellar film, and that's the advantage that Paheli has over Parineeta. Paheli doesn't insult the intelligence of its audience. The most upsetting thing to me was the premise of creating excuses for the two sex scenes in the film. I don't want to be rude, but the audience is not stupid you know? That's something I would love to have told the director.
The ending is so crappy that you might want to slap yourself if you sit through it. I found very many elements of Devdas (2002) in this film, it wasn't even subtle. Don't miss Rekha's cameo as the Moulin Rouge singer which adds a much needed pizazz, style and energy to the film. The Parineeta theme is also an instant classic. Raima Sen, Sabyasachi Chakravarthy, Diya Mirza among others add light as co-stars.