Parineeta, directed by Pradeep Sarkar and produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra (the man behind 1942: A Love Story and Munna Bhai, MBBS) is one of the many versions of the Bengali novel by Sarat Chandra Chatterjee of Devdas fame. But the end result shows that the endeavour of remaking a classic was well worth the while.
Lolita (Vidya Balan) is the orphaned neighbour of well-meaning but spoilt and weak-willed rich kid Shehkar (Saif Ali Khan). The two share a close friendship right from childhood, though neither declares their love. But the ruthless business sensibilities of Shehkar’s father and the arrival of the rich Girish (Sanjay Dutt) who is immediately attracted to Lolita complicates matters to no end.
I don’t want to give away too much here but let’s just say that the movie has an old-fashioned melodrama-style plot. But what Sarkar shows here is that even possibly outdated material can work beautifully if handled in a subtle, sensitive manner. Other than the slightly overblown climax, Sarkar trusts in the audience’s intelligence and brings out nuanced performances from his cast which includes Diya Mirza and Raima Sen.
Debutante Balan who doesn’t look like a conventional heroine is a revelation and Saif continues to take giant strides towards becoming the next superstar Khan on the block. The music by Shantanu Moitra is also wonderful.