The sepia tone of the visuals lends nostalgia. Brilliant display of acting skills by newcomer Vidya Balan and Saif Ali Khan captures the emotional complexities and nuances of the two central characters of Parineeta, which is director Pradeep Sarkar's celluloid adaptation of Sarat Chandra Chatterjee's story.
Having a gripping literary story at a movie's base only puts more onus upon the director and the actors to justify a well-presented adaptation from book to the big screen. And director Pradeep Sarkar (his maiden attempt) and the actors deserve an acknowledgement for making a film that remains with you even when it is over.
The movie, set in the Bengal of 1960s, authentically captures the ambience and the vibrancy of those times.
Parineeta is primarily a simple story of human emotions. But it is not an ordinary story. The characters in the story are not simply black and white, good or evil, but have many gray shades that come about with the change of situations.
Central to the story is the character Lolita (Vidya), an orphan who grew up in her uncle's house. A woman of natural beauty, she is at times vulnerable, at times fiery, at times giving, at times unyielding, at times affectionate and at times vain.
In her neighborhood lives Shekhar (Saif), her childhood friend. The love between the two is unspoken and often expressed in metaphors.
But Shekhar's scheming father has plans to usurp the property of Lolita's uncle. And when his plans almost seem succeeding, comes in Girish (Sanjay Dutt), a London-based businessman who bails Lolita's uncle out of financial crisis.
Compared to the impulsive and erratic Shekhar, Girish is a self-assured man of pragmatism and calm composure. As he begins to make a place in Lolita's heart, the jealous side of Shekhar comes to the fore. His jealousy and suspicions often find an aggressive expression. The result is a rift between the lovers.
Shekhar vows to renounce the thoughts of Lolita, abandons his music and marries Gayatri (Dia Mirza), the daughter of his father's business partner. Lolita, too, accepts a different destiny for herself and settles down.
But the emotions that have been stifled keep simmering until they boil out in the climax of this story.
Parineeta would not have been the same without Vidya Balan. The gorgeous debutante has a remarkable range of facial expressions and there is not a single scene in the movie when you can catch her acting. She is natural. She brings out the nuances and contradictions of her character well enough.
Saif Ali Khan deserves no less praise for his sensitive, underplayed performance. The character Shekhar that he plays is a very complex man - he is passionate, possessive, jealous, pampered, egoistic, father-dominated, musically inclined and more. And Saif captures it all with finesse.
Sanjay Dutt exudes warmth and maturity befitting his character Girish. Dia Mirza and Raima Sen play their roles with conviction.
Director Pradeep Sarkar justifies the timeless story by the eminent Bengali writer. Sarkar takes selective liberties - for instance, he sets his story in Kolkata of 1960s as against the city of the early 20th century in Chatterjee's book - but overall, he brings out the essence of the story.
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