Parineeta - Movie Review

Published: September 9, 2009

By JACQUELYN WHITE

Starring Vidya Balan, Saif Ali Khan, Sanjay Dutt

This is the second Hindi film adaptation of the 1914 novella by beloved Bengali author Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay (there are three Hindi film versions of his novella Devdas). Shekhar (Saif Ali Khan) and Lolita (Vidya Balan) are childhood friends who come from very different backgrounds—she’s an orphan and he’s the spoiled son of a wealthy businessman—and they fall in love in the most sincere way: through their shared history and a love of music. When Girish (Sanjay Dutt), a kind friend of the family, reveals his affection for Lolita, the trouble begins. Due to a series of misunderstandings brought on by jealousy and the meddling of Shekhar’s ruthless father, their lives unravel in a way they never imagined possible. While the story is told mostly in flashback, the past action is very much connected to the present. Khan gives one of his best performances as the petulant, passionate, self-loathing Shekhar, as does Balan in her graceful portrayal of the caring, optimistic Lolita.

Parineeta is rated Must See.

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