The power of the unsaid. Review on Parineeta

In 2000, people in India encountered a baffling phenomenon. A movie which had Hrithik Roshan in the lead failed to make an impression, which was hardly baffling considering Hrithik had only one hit until then. But people were baffled anyway, for baffling does not come at a price. But the movie, for all its faults, made quite an impression on me because of the wonderful photography and artistic use of colours. It was then that I told myself I should never miss another movie by that director and as the credits rolled, I took note of his name, Vidhu Vinod Chopra. The movie was Mission Kashmir.

Though directed by Pradeep Sarkar, Parineeta distinctly carries the VVC touch. This adaptation of Sharath Chandra Chatterjee's novel is set in 1960's Calcutta (as opposed to 1912, the setting of the novel) and brings to life the touching story of Lolita and Shekhar. Son of a rich industrialist Navin Rai, Shekhar is your run-of-the-mill aristocrat - emotional, passionate, arrogant and creative. Music is his forte, almost to the point where it becomes his medium of expression, and he finds an able ally in Lolita, his next-door orphan neighbour whom he first meets when they were both kids. They make music together, and each finds in the other things they really crave. Shekhar finds in Lolita someone who understands and appreciates his music; Lolita finds a loving companion in Shekhar.

Girish, the mature Londoner, falls for Lolita when he comes on a visit to his sister's place and when Lolita discovers that Navin Rai is planning to convert their house into a hotel, he intervenes and helps them clear the mortgage on the house. Enraged by the losses incurred to him, Navin then has a go at Lolita, calling her unfaithful for forgetting what Shekhar had done for her. As an added bonus, he also calls her a Veshya. He also erects a wall between the two houses and convinces Shekhar to marry a businessman's daughter Gayatri Tantia.

The story is definitely not Parineeta's strong point, it is the work of the crew behind the camera that creates fascinating results. A series of wonderful colours and sets await u in the movie, starting with Shekhar's wedding scene, the red-lit Hooghly under the Howrah bridge in the song 'Piyu Bole' right on to the picturesque locations in Darjeeling. It is like watching a slide-show of moving paintings with a plot. A treat to the eyes.

A good yardstick with which to judge a director is to see how well he/she handles scenes with children. Bollywood is full of movies, old and new, where the appearance of a child is enough to make you cringe in your seat. But when a young Lolita walks up to the piano and asks an equally young Shekhar 'yeh dhun tune banayi hai?', you almost become a kid again. Every shot involving the kids tugs at your heartstrings; because it does not look like they are acting. It is like watching an incident happen right in front of your eyes. And that is true with all the scenes in the movie; you do not feel anyone in the movie is performing, you never feel you are watching a movie, not even in the love-making scenes. To create such an effect is an achievement for any director.

Saif Ali Khan seems to have put his past behind him in his second coming. He plays the passionate, arrogant, jealous, carefree artist with an ease that would probably surprise his critics and fans alike. Vidya Balan is tremendously good for a debutante; she emotes well and makes you feel she doesn't really need to speak to make her point. Sanjay Dutt is adequate as Girish and so is Raima Sen as Lolita's cousin. Sabyasachi Chakraborty gives you enough reason to hate him, which is good for any villian.

The authenticity of the bengali culture shown in the movie is not for me to comment upon (I am not Bengali myself) but going by the comments of some of my Bengali friends, it is not very authentic. Also, as with any other adaptation, the movie fails to stay true to the novel, with the overdrawn climax being a case in point. The great thing about the movie was that for the most part, most of the characters react naturally to situations which enables you to relate to them. The climax, of course, is an exception to that rule. I think it is a safe guess that no one will be able to identify themselves with what Shekhar does in the climax. Is the action symbolic? yes. Is it natural and in keeping with Shekhar's character? No.

So all in all, Parineeta has beautiful settings, wonderfully coloured backdrops and superbly directed scenes with artists displaying a certain ease in their performances which, for me, is always a hallmark of a great director. If you like movies where everyday occurrences are shown naturally and subtly, you will like this one. If a kick-ass plot and a big twist is more important to you than vibrant visuals, then you can afford to miss it.