‘PINK’ movie review: A work of sheer brilliance

Directed by: Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury
Produced by: Shoojit Sircar, Rashmi Sharma
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Kirti Kulhari, Andrea Tariang, Angad Bedi, Dhritiman Chatterjee, Piyush Mishra
Duration: 2 hours 16 minutes
Bollywood Bubble Rating: 4/5

Pink – the colour of tenderness, love, all things girly. If not for Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury’s latest directorial venture, one would never believe ‘PINK’ could also refer to the gutsy woman who rests within; the one who hasn’t learnt to give up. You now know what are we talking about.

Starring Amitabh Bachchan, Kirti Kulhari, Andrea Tariang and Angad Bedi, ‘Pink’ reflects the ugly colours of sexual violence and moral policing against women in its own hard-hitting manner. The film revolves around Meenal (Taapsee Pannu), Falak (Kirti Kulhari) and Andrea (Andrea Tariang), three independent working women who share a flat in Delhi. Rajveer Singh, the spoilt nephew of a politician, along with his friends seeks some ‘enjoyment’ in the three girls and ends up wounded as Meenal hits him in a course of self-defence. Dejected, Rajveer picks Meenal and molests her in a group. However, the police refuses to register a complaint. Exhausted with all the slut-shaming, the women are on a verge to give up. That is when appears Amitabh Bachchan, a mysterious neighbour; a former lawyer who again puts on the black coat to fight for the girls. What follows is a series of draining and merciless court room proceedings. Will justice ever prevail? The journey till the end is brutally honest, and an eye opener for all of us.

Standing in 2016, the length of a woman’s dress or the number of pegs she consumes are still the determining factors of her character. Amidst all the empowerment on hoardings and TV screens, the consent from a woman’s side is so very taken for granted. Throwing her under the lenses and making judgmental conclusions for each move she makes has been a trend for long now. In last few years, no other film has dealt with them as efficiently as ‘PINK’ does.

For director Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury, who is known for his National Award winning Bengali film ‘Antaheen’, ‘PINK’ was his first Bollywood break. How he nailed it! He made a huge shift in terms of genre and the scale of films he made before. And the risk has surely paid off.

Look forward to a terrific performance by the entire cast. While Amitabh Bachchan is once more at his best and is in no mood to let go of the ‘Shahenshah’ tag, it is the young brigade which leaves us amused too. Newcomer Angad Bedi, with his tight and controlled performance, tells us he is here to stay. Among the three girls, we could not take our eyes off Taapsee. What brilliance she exuded! You’d like Kirti and Andrea with their subtle expressions. Mamata Shankar’s guest appearance is a pleasant surprise!

Avik Mukhopadhyay’s cinematography is neat and compact. It is Shantanu Moitra’s music which deserves a special mention. Apt and intense, they have brought alive the sequences and moods.

The makers were asked many times if ‘PINK’ drew inspiration from the 2012 Delhi gang rape case, as the film itself is also set in Delhi. It has drawn references from many cases but is not inspired by any of them, they said. Now we know what they meant. ‘PINK’ is not an outcome of inspiration drawn from reality. It itself is an inspiration; for all the brave-hearted women out there who dare to be themselves.

This weekend, block the date and go watch ‘PINK’. You will thank us later!

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Naman Bhutra

Chief Editor – Bollywood Bubble. Sometimes It’s better to Start Speaking up rather then Remain Silent.

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