Director : Vidhu Vinod Chopra
Writer : Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Shivkumar Subramaniam
Dialogue Writer : Imteyaz Hussein
Cast : Jackie Shroff, Anil Kapoor, Nana Patekar, Madhuri Dixit, Anupam Kher, Suresh Oberoi, Tom Alter, Anang Desai, Kamal Chopra
Cinematographer : Binod Pradhan
Editor : Renu Saluja
Art Director : Nitin Chandrakant Desai, Nitish Roy
Music : Manohari Singh, Babloo Chakravorty
Sound Designer : Subhash Agrawal
Language : Hindi
Watching Parinda on the big screen is an experience of a lifetime. Recently got to watch the film as a part of the film festival celebrating 45 years of Vinod Chopra Films. The film is literally a textbook in filmmaking. It is so engaging; you cannot take your eyes off it. The film still attracts hoots and whistles from the audience. No doubt it has achieved a cult status. It is a classic in every sense. It is technically flawless. The imagery that is painted is so impactful that you are pulled to watch the film again. The cinematography and lighting is brilliant. The visuals are very artistic. The lovemaking scene between Karan and Paro on their wedding night is the best lovemaking scene I have watched in Hindi Cinema. It is so aesthetically and beautifully shot as well as edited. Kishan’s entry scene is another highlight of the film. The action that follows is also well shot. I liked the treatment of the film. The production design is superb. I liked the minimal make up done on the actors. It makes the characters look natural and realistic. The costumes are realistic. The colour coordinated costumes of Karan and Paro look good. Nothing is over the top.
Vidhu Vinod Chopra is a master of his craft. He strikes the perfect balance between commercial and artistic cinema. The editing of the film is terrific. The cuts, the transitions are fabulous. One of the wow moments for me is the transition used when Karan is in the lift going to meet Prakash; Kishan is running down the stairs to stop him. The camera is placed inside the lift from Karan’s perspective; just before the lift reaching the ground the space between the floors is used as a transition; cut to we see Karan sitting in the car and leaving. Look at the level of storytelling. It is a very small scene but the way it has been executed is fantastic. This is the level of thought that has gone behind the visuals.
The interval block is superb. It makes you come back to your seat to watch the second half. Another noteworthy scene is the scene when the doctor is attending Kishan in his house after he is shot. The doctor leaves saying that he will be sending a nurse. Anna’s men are right outside the house on another floor. The doctor tells them about the nurse while going down. Then the fun part begins; Karan is sitting next to Kishan. There is a continuous ringing of doorbell. We see the visual of Anna’s men. Kishan is telling Karan not to open the door. There is drama; there is tension; the audience is anticipating some action; cut to Karan opens the door; it is the nurse. Same thing happens for the second time; a bit more of the drama, tension; the audience is again anticipating some action; this time the audience is sure that Anna’s men are going to kill both the brothers; Karan opens the door; this time it is Paro. The thrills, the drama, the tension keep you literally by the edge of your seat. I would like to quote the great Alfred Hitchcock here, ” There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it.” With scenes like this Vidhu Vinod Chopra keeps you glued to the screen. His Hitchcock inspiration is very evident when Francis and Karan enter the room to kill Musa; a scene from Psycho is playing on the TV. The soundtrack of Psycho heightens the suspense. He knows the psychology of the audience so well. His execution makes the simplest of scenes thrilling. There is a reason why he is a master filmmaker. I am sure he is a filmmaker who takes the screenplay to the next level with his execution. The magic that he weaves with his execution and technical knowledge cannot be scripted. His technical finesse over his craft is awesome. Going beyond the script is the sign of a good director.
The visuals are open to interpretation. The film is an ideal marriage between audio and visual. The audio and the visuals are very evocative. The background music and sound design is excellent. I liked the theme music composed for Anna. I liked the use of sound as a memory; as a motif. Sound is used as an important tool for storytelling. It is very effectively integrated in the narrative. The sound transitions and the cutting done on the sound is brilliant. One of the best usage of sound in Hindi Cinema. The way a sound is associated with a memory from a character’s perspective is amazing. It has been used prominently in the storytelling. For instance, when Karan is sitting with Francis in a restaurant; the sound of the opening of a beer bottle evokes a memory of gun shots fired at his friend Inspector Prakash by Francis and his gang, which serves as a trigger for Karan to shoot Francis. Similarly, in the climax when Kishan comes to meet Anna; the sound of the chain of the swing evokes a memory of the sound of the broken chain of the swing on which Karan and Paro are shot dead by Anna, which serves as a trigger for Kishan to kill Anna. There is another trigger in the form of a dialogue said by Karan before he is killed which is repeated in the audio track. The repetition of dialogue is well done throughout the film. At the very end we see Kishan cremating Karan and Paro’s bodies; the pyre is burning and we hear a repetition of Karan’s dialogue about spreading love over violence. As soon as the dialogue ends Kishan throws his gun away. The pattern of repetition of dialogue is very impactful in the film. The songs are good. I love the song ‘Tumse Milke’.
The writing is very good. The dialogues are well written. The characters are well developed. I like the character graphs and the transformation of the characters. I like the characters having shades of grey. The changes in the characters is unpredictable as well as unexpected. It is well justified considering the setting and the premise of the film. The character motives are made very clear. The one unexpected change in character for me was Musa himself giving a hint to Anna about Karan being the killer of his gang members. I did not see it coming at all. The relationship between the characters is well developed. The emotions are effectively conveyed. I liked the drama, romance, action, comedy, politics, deception; Parinda has it all to keep you entertained. The best thing is that it doesn’t go overboard with the drama. One interesting subtext I noticed is that Kishan says to Karan that he would like to name his and Paro’s child as Siddharth. Siddharth is the real name of Buddha. It is a small part of detailing which is intelligently done.
The casting is very good. There are so many good actors even in supporting roles. I found the performance of Anil Kapoor and Jackie Shroff little exaggerated. I could see a bit of exaggeration in some moments as well. Nana Patekar puts up a restrained performance as the cold-blooded antagonist. Madhuri Dixit Nene is fabulous. She has looked so beautiful; you cannot take your eyes off her. I love the fact that her look was kept very natural along with her imperfections. It just enhances her beauty.
Parinda is a must watch. I would highly recommend the film. Watching Vidhu Vinod Chopra films is such an enriching experience. We should be having a Vidhu Vinod Chopra film festival every year.