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June 14, 2005
Parineeta and why it is a good toothpaste ad...
I am not a big fan of hindi movies, and I do try to be selective about the ones I watch to avoid excessively degrading my expectation of them. On Saturday, my friend and I decided to go for the late night screening of Parineeta. I have to admit there was a fair amount of initial interest considering the fact that it was an adaption of a Bengali story and the trailer certainly made it look like a decent watch.
The movie started off rather abruptly and in a short span of thirty minutes, we were forced to listen to three film songs. Of course, the movie plot had not progressed any further beyond what I had gathered from the first few minutes. NOT GOOD!
There are some segments of the movie that are well executed but the overall impression is disappointing. The acting is mostly below par. Fortunately, Sanjay Dutt's acting shines in comparison to the rest of the rubbish. I felt the acting lacked the touch of naturalism that makes a good movie. The female characters appear to have been attacked by a dose of the laughing gas. Sure, the lead actress has a pretty smile, but it gets to a point of irritation if you have to watch it every scene. Please keep all the smiling for a Colgate or Close Up ad! I think the story is far too short to make an effective movie. Although the sets were well designed, the direction lacks effectiveness and the acting is not memorable either. The songs also become an exercise in tedium after they pop up with incredulous regularity.
I know the buzz has been positive and people might consider this as a classic arty/commercial flick fusion, but I feel sorry for those people as they have certainly not realized the joy of watching a well knit and impactful movie, which this isn't.
Posted by amitc at June 14, 2005 12:55 AM