Parineeta (2005)

Director:

Pradeep Sarkar

Writers:

Saratchandra Chatterjee (novel)
Vidhu Vinod Chopra (screenplay)

Release Date:

10 June 2005 (Australia)

Genre:

Drama | Musical | Romance

Plot:

The lifelong romance between Lolita (Balan) and Shekar (Khan) is upset by the arrival of another man.

Plot Keywords:

Calcutta India | India | Brick Wall | Critically Acclaimed | 1960s

Awards:

3 wins & 21 nominations

Cast

Sanjay Dutt	...	Girish Sharma
Saif Ali Khan	...	Shekhar Roy
Diya Mirza	...	Gayetri Tatya
Raima Sen	...	Koel
Sabyasachi Chakraborty	...	Navinchandra Roy
Rekha	...	Moulin Rouge singer
Vidya Balan	...	Lolita
Achyut Potdar	...	Gurcharan (as Achyut Poddar)
Ninad Kamat	...	Ajit
Surinder Kaur	...	Rajeshwari
Kumkum Bhattacharya	...	Vasundhara
Supriya Shukla	...	Sunita
Smita Malhotra	...	Charu
Rajesh Sharma	...	Ratan
Howard Rosemeyer	...	Siddhart Tantiya

Also Known As:

A Married Woman (International: English title)

Runtime:

130 min

Country:

India

Language:

Hindi

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Malaysia:U | Canada:PG (British Columbia) | UK:12A | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Calcutta, West Bengal, India

Company:

Vinod Chopra Productions

Trivia:

At a special preview of the film Amitabh Bachchan asked to provide narration for the film, saying it reminded him of his time as a struggling actor in Calcutta.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The first Elvis record disk they show in the film towards the beginning shows Elvis in his White diamond-studded suit and bloated look. This was how Elvis looked in the 1970s. The film is set in 1962.

Quotes:

Shekhar Rai: Quite a weak business man you are, Dad. Entered into such a loss inducing bargain.
Nabin Roy: [shocked] What?! How much did the bargain settle for?
Shekhar Rai: For free! And still you paid such a heavy price. Becasue you gained the land, yes. But you lost your son in the process.
Nabin Roy: Have you lost your mind! In a few minutes Mr. Lala will be here and-
Shekhar Rai: First will you aks Mr. Lala whether he is willing to give his daughter to a married man?!
Nabin Roy: [Mother and father are both shocked] What!
Shekhar Rai: That's right! I'm already married!
Nabin Roy: To whom?!
Shekhar Rai: Lolita
Rajeshwari: [overjoyed] Really son? When did this happen??
[...]

Movie Connections:

Version of Parineeta (1953)

Soundtrack:

Piya Bole

A surprising little gem from Bollywood

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!