trauma-drama-o-rama: Parineeta

Parineeta manages somehow to be both incredibly over-the-top dramatic in a Devdas-y way (not my original thought, by the way) but also all tied up in a shiny bow at the end. I like ending shiny bows very, very much, but I do not care for the level of drama of Devdas and similar stories. I have a really hard time, despite trying, not saying, "If you don't love her, then just don't marry her. If you do love some other person, just go marry her. Done and done!" I like some romantic tensions and a hurdle or two to a relationship, but clearly no one will turn to me to conjure up Bollywood-worthy screenplays. The shiny bow here also came on quite suddenly, even for Bollywood, so it felt a little superficial. Although, now that I think about it harder, I guess the components of the bow were there all along and just depended on information being revealed to enable them to do their job. It's like Khushi's Karan said: if people would just talk about their emotions, these things wouldn't happen.

But that's all fine, because I got a big shiny bow and was left feeling relatively satisfied, if surprised. This is my first experience with Sanjay Dutt and I thought he was fine, although it seems to me his voice doesn't really match his size and apperearance (not his fault, obviously), so that was a bit jarring, and I never again want to see him pretend to play the saxophone.

Aside to whomever made the DVD I have: this was crap. The subtitles were always white, meaning that they were quite often hard to read. The song sequences were incredibliy pixelated and lurched all around, really destroying the effect of camera sweeps, Saif's piano pounding, and Rekha's booty-shaking.

Aside to whomever is responsible for Rekha's number: I wish I had seen this more clearly, because it just had to have been fun. But aforementioned problems meant I didn't really get a sense of it. What a pity. That song is stuck in my head though, so well done.

Aside to props person: as a person who loves to make stuff, I was tickled to see a love scene that made use of a granny-square afghan. You have turned the world of bad craft-store yarn projects and unappreciated hand-made holiday gifts on its head. Ugly yet steamy. Bravo! Bravo indeed!

Comments

*~mad munky~* said…
haven't seen this yet..come to think of it, the last bollywood flick i saw was the first half of veer zara (fell asleep..oops) :o)
Yeah, Veer Zara took me awhile to finish - I liked it, but I kept getting distracted. I certainly can't tell you to run right out and watch Parineeta unless you really need something dramatic to get you through your day!
Anonymous said…
Good actors and I liked the Indian clothes in this movie. Rekha's item number was cute, and had Western-style steps (that fit with the setting where her character was performing.)
TwinklePet said…
Parineeta is one of my all time favorite movies!

I was mysteriously captivated, held rapt, when I first saw it, and subsequent viewings have only intensified this.

It has become my go-to mood elevator, right up there with the first season of The Beverly Hillbillies!

Sooo many scenes are indelibly and eternally etched into my neural pathways -

Oh! Oh! Saif Ali Khan in his wife-beater, embracing his Inner Elvis with that lip-dangled cigarette and precious little product-driven hair pouf!

Great Moment in Cinema!

Anyone who has not seen Parineeta should rectify that sad circumstance immediately, if only for that image alone!

It does not matter whether you know who Saif Ali Khan is or not.


But I think my favorite part is Miss Rita Languly bestowing the gift of Dhinak Dhinak Tha upon earth residents!

The songs in this movie have a staying power comparable to Gorilla Glue.

This can be a very good thing, as in Dhinak Dhinak Tha, or it can be a most disturbing thing, as in Piya Bole, and its coordinating leitmotif.

It is an extreme situation. Even thinking of Parineeta, as I am doing now, invariably results in that adjective-defying ditty embedding itself firmly in my head for hours, days. Yes, weeks have happened.

Oh! The family all piled up on the bed playing cards - I loved Sanjay Dutt in this! He even kept a straight face during that whole semi-soliloquoy at the end.

And Oh, the End! Chill, I'm not going to spoil it. To do so would be to deprive future viewers of the cardio-vascular benefit of hearty laughter. I will say that Parineeta taught me the true meaning of the phrase "hilarity ensues."


(Fun trivialett: We are told that the year is 1962 but the "newest Elivis record" BFF homie dude brings into Shenkar's bedroom has cover art of White Jumpsuit Fat Elvis, who was not invented until the 70s).

(Fun head-bop with the culture club: Roughly 25% of the scenes involve somebody or other just waltzing into Shenkar's bedroom, whether he is awake, asleep, no knocking, no yoo-hoo, no nothing. Pradeep Sarkar captures perfectly that exhilarating cultural feature of privacy as a file not found, so popular in both subcontinents and beyond).

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