Lost and found film from YRF stable

Sandeep Aur Pinky Farar

*ing: Parindhi Chopra, Arjun Kapoor

This one from the YRF stable is a film lost in the pandemic. I happened to stumble across it after rummaging through OTT platforms for my month’s staple after hearing that the virus wave is back and cinema halls on shut down again.

Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar Trailer OUT NOW! Releasing at the nearest MuktaA2 cinemas on the 19th March 2021! @yrf #muktaa2updates @parineetichopra @arjunkapoor pic.twitter.com/IB9iUbwn0h

— MuktaA2Cinemas (@MuktaA2Cinemas) March 10, 2021

Apparently the film was made two years ago, couldn’t find much of a cinema hall opening thanks to the pandemic and then given to Amazon Prime Video where it again got lost with a lack of publicity and Aditya Chopra’s reticence in giving it pride of place.

But all that does not take away from the film itself where the petite and chic Parinidhi in her post-modern slick black dress and strictly ironed hair makes her mark even as the big beefy ungainly Arjun Kapoor as the suspended Haryanvi cop gives her engaging company.

Director Dibakar Banerjee, known for his slow mo thrillers, cooks up quite a tale which keeps you interested right till , well, somewhat of an anti climax.

I say anti climax in the context of what the Indian audiences expect … they expect a good old closure where all is well the traditional way.
Banerjee had other views on this and so the end is differently enabled.

Coming to the story, a lose thriller where a pregnant woman is being hunted by her boss and lover for what you think is an affair gone wrong. But it is not as simple as that.

There is a lot more happening with Sandeep (yes she is Sandeep and Arjun Pinky which is the only subtly hilarious thing with the movie).

A mathematics gold medalist, a director of a bank and the woman who scammed the common man of Rs15000 Crore, Sandeep a ka Parinidhi fits into the job pretty well.

Over the years, Parinidhi has toned her body as well as she has honed her histrionic abilities. As a betrayed, on the edge woman hellbent on saving her unborn baby, she is someone you can’t figure out, perhaps because she has both beauty and brains in equal measure.

Kapoor, a ka Pinky, tries well to match the edginess with his spurts of violence both verbal and physical on her as the relationship slowly grows. But wait, it’s not the way you think it is growing. Remember? She is post modern and he a well cooked cop with all the brashness of one.

The film is engaging because it is no nonsense, because it’s characters are real and because Banerjee keeps it tight and happening despite taking away the pace from it. A little bit of situational humour may have added to the film.