Very rarely does it happen that the actors we least expect from give an actually good and compelling performance and leave us wondering where were they hiding all their potential uptil now? That is the case with Sandeep Aur Pinki Faraar, a movie that was in making since 2017 and was theatrically released this year two months back. However, like last year, theatres seem to be just as empty this year as well and the movie fell flat. Now that it has got an OTT release, I grabbed the opportunity and gave it a weekend watch.
The movie stars Arjun Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra as titular Pinky and Sandeep respectively, read that again. Both of these actors haven’t worked together since Ishaqzaade and aren’t that much of fan favourites because of a long list of projects that didn’t do good. However, this movie could have been a game changer for them if only it was promoted and people were told about it. There might be preconceptions about this film because of the lead actors associated with it but to everyone’s surprise, they don’t disappoint here!
Let’s start with the plot of the movie, Satyendra Dahiya aka ‘Pinky’ is a suspended Haryana police officer and is instructed by his boss to pick Sandeep Kaur aka ‘Sandy’, a successful bank executive from a restaurant where she is waiting for her boss for a dinner date. As the story progresses, we get to know that Pinky is a part of the plan to kill Sandy, not knowing that he was going to be the collateral damage in this situation. However, they somehow escape the mishap but their lives are still in danger and therefore, Sandeep and Pinki faraar. Few minutes into the movie and you will be like.. What just happened? It will grab your attention from right there. What follows is a gripping tale of how these two characters will escape and save their lives.
The movie is directed by Dibakar Banerjee, notoriously known for his social commentary through his work. Here as well, he throws reality at us without being preachy. The screenplay of the movie is co-written by Varun Grover and I have always been a fan of his work. I could just watch any movie for the sake of what these two interesting writers have to offer as a team. The screenplay is actually strong and manages to hold the attention of the viewer. You will be left wondering what’s gonna happen next. However, in the second half of the movie, the pace snails down a little but doesn’t become totally unbearable.
Let’s talk about the acting performances here. Arjun Kapoor fits perfectly in the role of a Haryana police officer and even commands the Haryanvi accent quite well. The stiffness in his pumped body, the frustration in his expressions, the sincerity in his dialogue delivery, everything shows that he has taken this role seriously. Neena Gupta and Raghubir Yadav are amazing and so real as a middle class couple and play their role to perfection. While Raghubir Yadav is a typical patriarch who thinks speaking English makes him look superior and unabashedly shuts his wife down while she is speaking and doesn’t hesitate in asking questions like why is the wife working when the husband is already earning, Neena Gupta is the aunty who has been suffering the wrath of this behavior all her life so much so that she doesn’t find any fault in it. Both of them are the characters we have all seen around ourselves.
This is the point where the movie acts as a mirror of society and just shows us how it is. It doesn’t get preachy, that is not the purpose, however, some people will get angry at this uncle while for others, it’s totally okay and normal, it’s the way of how things have been and still are and that is the sad part. Also, Jaideep Ahlawat as Pinky’s boss is amazing as always, let’s just not get into judging his acting abilities, he is certainly one of the finest out there. However, the one actor who totally nails it in this movie is Parineeti Chopra. She has shown her potential as an actor in this project and perfectly embodies the character she is supposed to play. The list of the characters further extends to a Salman Khan fan who wears that blue bracelet and has blonde highlights in his hair and a bank manager looking for sexual favours from Sandy, which reminds me that you might get uncomfortable at some points. Such scenes are so well acted, special kudos to Chopra for that.
The climax and end of this movie are a grey area. I personally was expecting more because of all the buildup but some people might find it satisfying. Overall, a good and worthy watch. If you are a fan of Dibakar Banerjee, Varun Grover or Salman Khan and want to give Parineeti and Arjun one more chance, go watch this movie on Amazon Prime Video.
