Parineeta

Another great movie from the makers of Mission Kashmir, Munna Bhai, 1942 and Parinda. It feels really nice to see a non Sharukh, non Yash, non Karan, non Farah movie doing so well. 100's of reviews are already posted about how good this movie is. However here are few words from another motion picture addict.

After we were out, a friend asked me: "What does this word Parineeta mean". Since the movie was centered around a lady whose name was Lolita, I said good question! Parineeta means "Married Women" (in Bengali I guess). What a pick for the title. Sounds very poetic... I was wondering if the same title had been in hindi, its sound would have been so "tharki"! Shaadi Shuda Aurat :D. Any way, it is Parineeta.

Other then all good things, here are some area of improvements (I hope Chopra Uncle reads this):

1. Vidya Balan: Just like Bhagyashree of MPK, she is the newest and the coolest find of Bollywood. Most people will love her from the very first reel. For me, she could not render the strong character and personality of Lolitta. Lolita and her character was the epicenter of the entire movie. I personally feel that she lacked the depth in expression that would have otherwise left the audience with tears at many instances in the movie. Nevertheless a very pretty face and a great debut; not bad for a newcomer

2. Sanjay Dutt: I must say he tried his best while playing as 60's NRI. "But" he was an perfect misfit for a Bengali family. With his huge body, semi bald head and wrinkles on his aging face, he was an odd one out. Finally I cannot imagine a Sanjay-Raima couple (elephant-ant kind of thing). I guess, after Munnabhai, Sanjay was an obvious choice for Mr Chopra.

3. The Ending: Though I personally favour happy endings, I think this particular movie could have done better without one (recollecting the success of QSQT, EDKL, Devdas and similar of its kind). Nevertheless the ending was very very filmi. So what if it made the audience smile. Chalta hai!

4. Howrah Bridge: Too much use of Howrah Bridge. We are bored of seeing Calcutta with the Howrah Bridge in the backdrop. In fact in one very romantic sequence, where they had this bridge in the background, it looked extremely crowded with people and traffic, polluting the mood of that situation.

5. Sporty Sunglasses: Saif is wearing a 2000's trendy sun glass in one of the sequence! Image

6. Sex: They could have done better with the sex sequences. Especially the ones with Sanjay Dutt. With Dutt being passive, Lolita looked greatly confused in her attempt to be proactive and bold. It really felt like these sequences were guided by strict censor guidelines. On the other hand, Saif's scene was greatly shot.

List of good things in the movie are huge. However here are my favorites:

1. Experience great music from Shantanu Moitra. His previous work was 99.9FM.

2. Songs blend seamlessly with the movie. They carry the movie theme even stronger. Without songs, this movie was an Art movie!

3. Saif's Father performed a great terror role! Also his mother did a great job by not been over emotional. Just the right emotions and required drops of tears.

4. Setups, Direction of Photography and overall graphical appeal including the vintage Moulan Rouge were all worth appreciation.

5. Great Direction. You are always glued to the seat waiting for the next scene.

6. Dress selections were really fantastic. I might include some of them in my wardrobe. Especially Sanjay's Kurtas! They look great on him.

7. I hate her face but Diya Mirza's opening sequence was really nice.

8. Rekha and all her charisma. She's still a killer. Again, her dress selection was great.

Bottom line:
Watch this movie in theaters. Ticket + Samosa + Chai + Gas + Time = Paisa Vasool