In the opening frames of ‘Parineeta’ (2005), Lolita (Vidya Balan) meets a visibly agitated Shekhar (Saif Ali Khan). Their exchange is playful yet piercing: he protests, “You’re married, how can you talk like this?” She retorts that it is because she’s married that she dares. It is a scene charged with contradictions, setting the tone for a film that defies simplistic notions of love, fidelity, and companionship.
This was not the polished, black-and-white Bollywood romance we had grown accustomed to. Shekhar, bruised by pride and warped by insecurity, is no hero in shining armour. Lolita, in her quiet dignity, redefines resilience. Their love story is messy, flawed, and deeply human, making it resonate two decades later.
Vidya Balan’s Remarkable Debut
‘Parineeta’ marked the arrival of Vidya Balan, and what an arrival it was. With a delicate bindi, a subtle smile, or the way she tucks a flower into her hair, Balan brought life to Lolita with an authenticity that Bollywood heroines often lacked. She was neither a damsel in distress nor a flamboyant rebel, she was simply, beautifully, real.
Her pairing with Saif Ali Khan also felt unconventional. Khan, known then for suave and urbane roles, found in Shekhar one of his most layered characters, an insecure man torn apart by his father’s ambition and his own shortcomings. Together, they created a chemistry rooted not in glamour but in vulnerability.
Calcutta as a Character
Set in 1960s Calcutta, the film evoked a city both lyrical and lived-in. Cinematographer Natarajan Subramaniam’s lens gave us quiet alleys, misty mornings, and the intimacy of homes brimming with nostalgia. Unlike many Bollywood films that reduce Calcutta to caricature, ‘Parineeta’ captured its soulful essence. The music, composed by Shantanu Moitra, only heightened this poetry, ‘Piyu Bole’ and ‘Kasto Mazza’ remain as timeless as the visuals they accompany.
Between Tagore and Sarat Chandra
In many ways, ‘Parineeta’ sits alongside Satyajit Ray’s ‘Charulata’ (1964), both films being tributes to Bengali literary giants. While Ray adapted Tagore’s Nastanirh (The Broken Nest), Pradeep Sarkar reimagined Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s ‘Parineeta’ under Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s production. Both films explore love, longing, and societal constraints with a tenderness rare in cinema.
Twenty years on, ‘Parineeta’ remains a cinematic poem. It is not flawless, no classic is, but it is heartfelt. It asks us to reconsider what it means to love, to lose, and to endure. At a time when Bollywood often resorts to loud spectacle, revisiting ‘Parineeta’ feels like opening a treasured letter, fragile, intimate, and timeless.
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