For once the volatile Bengalis stayed calm as Bollywood staked it’s claim to Bengal’s sacred property — a story by Sarat Chandra Chatterjee. A story that has already received the full Hindi commercial cinema treatment in an earlier film. When the latest version of Parineeta hit the big-screen recently, I held my breath and reserved my verdict. Frankly, I was nervous, since I knew I’d be watching it with my husband, who, like most Bengalis, feels extremely proprietorial towards all things Bengali, particularly if those happen to be literary. I was still recovering from his explosive reaction to Devdas not so long ago. God help Parineeta, I prayed, as we got our popcorn and found our seats. His back was already up. Earlier, I’d eavesdropped on a discussion on the newest interpretation with an old uncle in Kolkata. The two of them had analysed Saratbabu’s body of work, with extra emphasis on his sympathetic portrayal of women, ‘‘Imagine...in that era!’’ I overheard my husband exclaiming. And imagine the two of us at a noisy multiplex on a Sunday afternoon, devouring the screen with hungry eyes... looking for those very lapses that would give us the chance to say, ‘‘See... we knew it! These Bollywoodwallahs have done it again! How dare they attempt to make a movie out of the great Sarat Chandra’s immortal novel? Why don’t they stick to their silly Bunty Aur Babli kind of films?’’ Then Saif Ali Khan came on the screen as Shekhar and all our misgivings vanished in an instant. The background score took us back to exactly the era that evoked such lyrical, powerful memories of Calcutta’s glorious days in the sixties. Names, images, places, clothes, events, references.... They began to unfold in a manner so delicate and yet so evocative, my husband had tears in his eyes — not for “Parineeta”. But for his own half-forgotten youth. He was crying for romance and valour, decadence and despair, deceit and innocence, trust and love. And “Parineeta” hadn’t even arrived on the screen till then. Even though, this is a Calcutta I only know second-hand, I was so drawn into the carefully-constructed cinematic world of the bhadralok, with servants trained to help the master into his slippers every evening, or that lovely scene in the family kitchen with an old mashima expertly chopping vegetables, for the next two hours I lived vicariously in a universe that entirely suffused my husband’s persona much before we met. But beyond the personal angle, I immersed myself in Parineeta’s fate almost involuntarily. I cared what happened to her. It mattered deeply to me that this fragile yet steely woman would somehow triumph against the odds in the end. I wanted her to be happy and fulfilled. I prayed that poor Girish would also find his moments of love. And above all, I cheered in the end when the lovers finally reunited. That’s the power of “cinema”. That’s also the power of story-telling — good story-telling. “Parineeta” scores on both fronts. Which is why one forgives the film some of its more obvious flaws. Parineeta is not a masterpiece. Nor does it qualify as a classic. But it is this very lack of pretension that finally succeeds in enticing and emotionally overwhelming even the cynics in the audience. It doesn’t matter whether or not the film wins awards or creates box office history. Somehow Parineeta manages to restore our faith in the magic of the movies. One feels for all the characters — and that does not happen too often these days. Which makes me ask, “Where did Devdas fail and Parineeta score?” I’d say it’s in the filmmaker’s motive. There is nothing manipulative or coldblooded about Parineeta. The story has been tackled sans frills, gimmicks, mega-stars, dazzling effects. And if the Bengalis are applauding you can be sure Parineeta has won a major artistic victory if not a commercial one. A much tougher feat, if you ask me. Why then, am I weeping now?
niki i dont know if you saw the movie but its not even half as good as she makes it sound..well yes it succeeds in not being as dramatic as devdas and works well on detail of that era but nothing beyond that!!!
Komal, I would have to disagree. I really liked the movie. It portrays the era perfectly, and except for the ending, I think its a fine movie. Obviously she's exaggerated a bit, but it sure is worth the praise.
3 comments:
Parineeta vs Devdas
Shobhaa De
For once the volatile Bengalis stayed calm as Bollywood staked it’s claim to Bengal’s sacred property — a story by Sarat Chandra Chatterjee. A story that has already received the full Hindi commercial cinema treatment in an earlier film. When the latest version of Parineeta hit the big-screen recently, I held my breath and reserved my verdict. Frankly, I was nervous, since I knew I’d be watching it with my husband, who, like most Bengalis, feels extremely proprietorial towards all things Bengali, particularly if those happen to be literary. I was still recovering from his explosive reaction to Devdas not so long ago. God help Parineeta, I prayed, as we got our popcorn and found our seats. His back was already up. Earlier, I’d eavesdropped on a discussion on the newest interpretation with an old uncle in Kolkata. The two of them had analysed Saratbabu’s body of work, with extra emphasis on his sympathetic portrayal of women, ‘‘Imagine...in that era!’’ I overheard my husband exclaiming. And imagine the two of us at a noisy multiplex on a Sunday afternoon, devouring the screen with hungry eyes... looking for those very lapses that would give us the chance to say, ‘‘See... we knew it! These Bollywoodwallahs have done it again! How dare they attempt to make a movie out of the great Sarat Chandra’s immortal novel? Why don’t they stick to their silly Bunty Aur Babli kind of films?’’ Then Saif Ali Khan came on the screen as Shekhar and all our misgivings vanished in an instant. The background score took us back to exactly the era that evoked such lyrical, powerful memories of Calcutta’s glorious days in the sixties. Names, images, places, clothes, events, references.... They began to unfold in a manner so delicate and yet so evocative, my husband had tears in his eyes — not for “Parineeta”. But for his own half-forgotten youth. He was crying for romance and valour, decadence and despair, deceit and innocence, trust and love. And “Parineeta” hadn’t even arrived on the screen till then. Even though, this is a Calcutta I only know second-hand, I was so drawn into the carefully-constructed cinematic world of the bhadralok, with servants trained to help the master into his slippers every evening, or that lovely scene in the family kitchen with an old mashima expertly chopping vegetables, for the next two hours I lived vicariously in a universe that entirely suffused my husband’s persona much before we met. But beyond the personal angle, I immersed myself in Parineeta’s fate almost involuntarily. I cared what happened to her. It mattered deeply to me that this fragile yet steely woman would somehow triumph against the odds in the end. I wanted her to be happy and fulfilled. I prayed that poor Girish would also find his moments of love. And above all, I cheered in the end when the lovers finally reunited. That’s the power of “cinema”. That’s also the power of story-telling — good story-telling. “Parineeta” scores on both fronts. Which is why one forgives the film some of its more obvious flaws. Parineeta is not a masterpiece. Nor does it qualify as a classic. But it is this very lack of pretension that finally succeeds in enticing and emotionally overwhelming even the cynics in the audience. It doesn’t matter whether or not the film wins awards or creates box office history. Somehow Parineeta manages to restore our faith in the magic of the movies. One feels for all the characters — and that does not happen too often these days. Which makes me ask, “Where did Devdas fail and Parineeta score?” I’d say it’s in the filmmaker’s motive. There is nothing manipulative or coldblooded about Parineeta. The story has been tackled sans frills, gimmicks, mega-stars, dazzling effects. And if the Bengalis are applauding you can be sure Parineeta has won a major artistic victory if not a commercial one. A much tougher feat, if you ask me. Why then, am I weeping now?
niki i dont know if you saw the movie but its not even half as good as she makes it sound..well yes it succeeds in not being as dramatic as devdas and works well on detail of that era but nothing beyond that!!!
Komal, I would have to disagree. I really liked the movie. It portrays the era perfectly, and except for the ending, I think its a fine movie. Obviously she's exaggerated a bit, but it sure is worth the praise.
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