Pink Full Movie review and rating

This is serious stuff and if you are the kind that is looking out for entertainment, this is just not for you. On the other hand, if you are looking for some credible storytelling with social sensitivities in place, then head to the theatres and catch ‘Pink.’ These kinds of films do not last long at the theatres and are not often made with such sincerity and dogged commitment to the story on hand.

Three girls: Minal (Taapsee), Falak (Kriti) and Andrea (Andrea) are working girls who live in a flat owned by Vinod Nagpal. The three go to a concert and meet three guys– Rajveer Singh (Angad), Dumpy (Rashool Tandon) and Vishwas (Tushar Pandey) one being their old school friend and decide to continue with the fun just a bit more post-concert. While the girls are out for fun, the guys get lecherous and justify their actions. However, in self-defence Minal bangs a bottle on the face of Rajveer and the gals escape. The guys later plan to avenge the attack. While the gals after some thought and prodding decide to lodge a police complaint, the guys use their political clout. Soon the matter reaches the court. The rest of the film is a court drama involving Deepak Sehgal (Amitabh) and Prashant (Piyush Mishra). The matter is tried by the judge Satyajit Dutt (Dhritiman Chatterjee) who for once is a guy who knows the law and is not reduced to loudly shouting “Order Order”.

The film is a must see. It deals with issues rather than incidents. While it treads the familiar dramatic route of storytelling, it is closer to BR Chopra’s court scenes than Govind Nihlani’s. What makes for compulsive and serious viewing is that the tale raises and mirrors serious gender issues of great contemporary relevance. Fortunately the girls are not painted as those goody goody ones and therefore the premise of the debate is clear and straight. The filmmaker (Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury) does not mince words and takes the debate head on. Serious questions on double standards and how we profile our women folk are pointed out. The larger issue is in the forefront and the dramatic events are pushed to the background. This seems a very conscious choice and a well made one at that.

Everyone in the film add flesh to the characters they are called upon to perform. Kriti and Andrea as the two of the three victim girls need specific mention for essaying trauma with ease. Angad as the bad guy is worth special mention. He does not go overboard, a hard to resist temptation. Then there is Amitabh who takes his time to come into his own and when he does, he is the consummate artiste he is.

However, the film labours to establish his character and in the process extend the time of the narration which could surely have been crisper. The film surely showcases the talent of Taapsee. She has a role worth spending a life time and does full justice. She is just right. As the traumatised victim with fear, anger and suffering, we need to see to believe the different shades she portrays with élan and class. This is an award winning performance from an actor who is often called upon to play space filler.
For those who like meaningful cinema, ‘Pink’ is a must see.

Cast : Amitabh Bachchan, Taapsee, Kriti Kulhari, Andrea Tariang and Piyush Mishra
Direction : Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury
Genre : Drama
Good : The narrative
Bad : Tad too morbid