The first thing that hits you about Parineeta is the brilliance of its images. Each frame leaps at you from the screen, perfect in composition and colour. And central to the beauty of the film is the beauty of its leading actress, Vidya Balan, a débutant in national cinema (although she has a bengali film "Bhaalo Theko" to her credit). With her natural beauty and expressive eyes, she steals each scene she is in, mesmerizing the viewer with subtle nuances, conveying a range of emotions perfectly with her eyes, much better than it could ever be put in words. She carries the film ably on her shoulders, outshining her costars, which is no mean feat, given that they are Saif Ali Khan and Sunjay Dutt. Saif is getting better with each film, and even here he turns in a creditable performance, although his emoting could be more nuanced and textured in certain scenes. Sunjay essays a supporting role, although his character doesn't have meat enough, being relegated to the stereotypical outsider role in the main romance. Perhaps the characterization is the weakest for Sabyasachi, playing Saif's villainous father. His character is relegated to being completely one-dimensional, black with no shades of gray. The director fails to utilize his acting abilities to the full, and yet Sabyasachi does a a very commendable job of portraying the villain. The film has the obvious advantage of being based on a time-tested story, and yet the screenplay falters in many places, with emotions going overboard (most notably in the ending scene) and dialogs being typical, sometimes even tending towards corny. The music is pretty good but one feels that the editing could have been tighter. All in all, despite its many defects, an entertaining film somewhat different from the usual Hindi movie fare and one that leaves a distinctly sweet aftertaste. Also, worth watching for Vidya Balan alone.
