Parineeta

Story is based on the novel by a famous novelist, Saratchandra Chattopadhyay. Movie from the table of Vidhu Vinod Chopra under the direction of Pradeep Sarkar will have mixed expectations. One, we have always appreciated Vidhu Vinod Chopra, second Pradeep Sarkar is a new name.

Intelligent promos increase your curiosity. The cast too includes a newcomer.
Rest assured, you will be atleast happy if not delighted !

We have already heard/seen the story. Neighbourhood friends' affection towards each other grows as they grow and turns into love. The display of ingredients of love, like - suspicion, trust, devotion, possession in a very controlled manner makes it all believable. Status, ego, family issues come in the way of their union, and not much before a third angle enters the story. Some
misunderstandings and quick turn of the events lead to their separation. Rest, watch it on the screen.

What makes this ordinary looking story, special is all credit to good movie making, with a touch of art. Director Pradeep Sarkar, who once directed those cute videos of Euphoria, succeeds in creating a overall picture that is so artistic on one hand and so narrative on the other. The right balance is seen in almost every shot and nothing seems overdone. Except, perhaps for the climax scene which was not very convincing. Leave that and you have a flow that is hitchless, set that is simple and beautiful, costumes that are adorable, music that is good on ears (and sometime necessary for the poetic feel of the movie) and performances that are perfect.

Sanjay Dutt in a short role is refreshing. Rekha appears for a "item number".

Vidya Balan a new face on celluloid, has won all praises, which she truly deserves. She had good amount of author backed shots and no harm at that. Saif, who was excellent with few comic roles, has again put a very impressive performance in a serious role. This will go down as one of his finest. He becomes the character in some of the scenes.

Parineeta is one of the finest movies. Thank God, box office is also happy.

Disclaimer: Anyone and everyone seems to/ tends to compare the movie with Devdas, because of obvious similarities. I am consciously not comparing.

-Ravikiran.R

A.V:****
E.V:****
It is an often said that people who we love the most also hurt us the
most. The person whom we hold dearest to our heart inflicts the
greatest pain on us. This is the basic premise of Parineeta (The
Married Woman), a story from the treasure trove of Bengali literature
written by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay.It is a touching tale of love
and devotion which has been portrayed on screen several times before.
Welcome to the Calcutta of the swinging 60s! The post independence era
which has a blend of socialist politics and pop music. Shekhar (Saif
Ali Khan) is a musician who comes from a noveau riche household. His
childhood companion is Lolita (Vidya Balan), an orphan who is multi
talented and spirited. As they grow up together the friendship deepens
and acquires a new meaning (Surprise!). However class differences
coupled with some obligations causes some misunderstandings between
them. At this juncture Girish (Sanjay Dutt) the businessman with a
heart of gold enters their lives. He acts as a guiding light and makes
them realize the value of having each other.
Even though the director has taken liberties with the original script
the basic storyline has been retained. The costumes and sets are
detailed and reflect the vintage era of Calcutta. Thankfully the
narrative is in Hindi and there are no attempts to force incorrect
Bengali pronunciation in order to appear authentic. Unlike Devdas even
the opulence of the zamindar household is much more subtle. A special
mention must be made of the music by Shantanu Moitra which is acts as
a sub plot. 'Piya Bole' is the pick of the lot and has strains of
Rabindra Sangeet . The 'item song' "Kaisi Paheli" is one of the
highlights of the movie.
This is surely a high water mark in Saif's career. He is convincing as
the brooding lover whose jealousy borders on possessiveness. Vidya
Balan is the find of the year. She makes a good impression in a very
mature role considering this is her first movie. Lets hope she does
not get typecast as an 'art film' heroine. Sanju Baba is as usual
great and it is good to see him do different roles nowadays. Check out
his introduction scene. There are some good character performances by
the actor who plays Shekhar's father and Raima Sen. Diya Mirza does
not have much screen time but looks stunning
The only grouse is that the ending could have been less dramatic.
Parineeta might not be a brilliant movie but it is an honest attempt
at making good cinema all the same.

-Suprateek Sinha