'Pink' directed by Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury is easily the best Hindi film of the year. Not only does it have a keen narrative, it is an ultimately appealing film which takes the side of the victims- the women. It's a consistently well-written, well-acted, well-made film which hits on the right place in the right moment in pulsating beat.
Pink by Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury is the best feminist film I've seen this year. A courtroom drama which is penned immersively, it tells you about three girls who get into trouble when they reject sexual advances of the children of an affluent politician. Starring Taapsee Pannu, Kirti Kulhari, Andrea Tariang and Amitabh Bachchan, the film takes strong points about feminism into consideration. It's climax speech too is the best I've heard in any year recently. I'm going with 4.5 stars.

I have not usually preferred to watch dark movies in theatres. The last dark film I watched was DETECTIVE BYOMKESH BAKSHY! in 2015. But this time, I first watched the trailer to convince myself and then decided to go for it after bring impressed with the trailer and the response it was getting. All amongst my peers had chosen to watch MS DHONI: THE UNTOLD STORY, which I didn't. While and after watching PINK, I realized that I was right in choosing to watch it. It's really a well made dramatic thriller which has not even a single dull moment that bores you at all.

PINK is not merely a film; it's a movement as people call it. It doesn't preach but practically explains the problems girls and boys face in today's country. Director has done a terrific job by executing the story and screenplay in a way that we remain glued to our seats. There is also some natural humour which keeps us more entertained.

PINK is not only for a special section of viewers, it's rather for one and all. The performances of all the actors hold this much excellent film together. Amitabh Bachchan gave perhaps the best one in his career. If he wins a national award for THIS performance, it would surely make us all very happy. Taapsee Pannu, Kirti Kulhari and Andrea are the main actors who make us feel for them every time they fear, cry, smile and in every possible way they emote. Male actors like Angad Bedi, Vijay Verma etc deliver solid performances like the leading heroines too.

There's nothing bad in PINK. Everything makes it a gem. I strongly recommend watching PINK for a strong combination of powerful storytelling, great performances and every other thing a perfect film has. And this film IS perfect. And make sure you don't leave the theatre or screen before watching the end credits.

In recent years, one of the most oft seen headline in the media is the atrocities happening against our women in various parts of the country. It's an undeniable fact that just like every nation, even we do have our shortcomings with the primary one being prejudistic misconceptions. Like it or not, an independent female is invariably looked upon with a suspicious eye by many especially if she is living life on her own terms away from her family. This week we have Aniruddha Roy's "Pink" which highlights on this issue. The trailer was awesome & had all the makings of being a damn good film. But my doubt was whether it will turn out to be too preachy towards the end rather than being blunt???

Minal Arora (Taapsee Pannu), Falak Ali (Kirti Kulhari) & Andrea (Andrea Tariang) were independent professionals who stayed together in the South Delhi region. On one of the weekends, they decided to attend a rock concert & by the end of it, they happened to befriend a couple of guys through a mutual friend. On the invitation of one of the guys, Rajveer (Angad Bedi); who hailed from an influential family they decided to spent some time with them over food & drinks in his resort. But things spiraled out of control as Rajveer was inflicted a severe blow on his head with a bottle by Minal when the former tried to molest her. This enrages the guys & resolves to make their lives a living hell or in their terms " ladkiyon ki aukat". Left with no option, the girls decide to take the legal route but it was much tougher than they had anticipated. So will their lawyer Deepak Sehgal (Amitabh Bachchan) be able to win it for them without their names being tarnished for no fault of theirs???

This powerful movie is the directorial debut of Aniruddha Roy who has made a name for himself in the Bengal film industry. The script by Ritesh Shah is so damn impactful & Aniruddha has executed it so brilliantly on celluloid that it does make us realise the amount of hardships many of the women face on a daily basis due to the prejudistic mindset of many of the people. If the first half focused on how they are crushed emotionally, the latter half is a captivating court room drama. It runs close to 140 mins but it doesnt make us squirm in our seats. All the technical aspects were in sync with the mood of the movie be it Abhik's visuals or Shantanu Moitra & Anupam Roy's music.

There isnt a single actor who hasnt given his best & kudos to the casting team for having selected such a team. Coming to the girls, I have never considered Taapsee a competent actress coz she was horrible in the few movies that I had seen such as "Doubles", "Aarambham" etc except for "Baby", But she totally changed my view with her brilliant performance here as the bold female who breaks down with time. Kirti Kulhari was the best I felt especially in the sequences where she explodes on the phone & in the court room where she turns the tables on the prosecution. Equally fantastic was Andrea, who might not have as many lines but whose body language was spot on exuding vulnerability. What do I say about Big B??? he just amazes us with his screen presence & reverberating baritone, all the while making sure that he doesn't go overboard. Among the guys, Vijay Varma steals the show whenever he is on focus with his callous nature towards women while Angad Bedi fitted the bill of the spoilt brat. A special word of praise for Piyush Mishra as the prosecutor whose cold hearted attitude really irritates us along with Dhritimann Chatterjee as the kind hearted & empathetic judge.

Verdict: It might not have the glitz & glamour of a big budget movie, but it's hard hitting realistic movies like these that gives us a whole new experience. In all probability, it should have the word of mouth going in its favour & it truly deserves all the accolades coming its way. I just hope that each one of us watch this as it is relevant to our times & atleast make an effort to change if such prejudices are harboured. As the movie says "Her attire, relationships & sexual life shouldnt be used as yardsticks of her morality. She is the master of her own will & if she says NO...it's a clear NO". For me, this movie is a YES...AN EMPHATIC YES...SO DONT MISS IT!!!

Rating: 4.5/5

Regards...Ben

Rarely come in Bollywood films that provoke you, reignite a topic of grave importance, unleash fury in you so much that it stays with him or her for a long time. One such film is "Pink", a highly engrossing courtroom crime drama by Bengali filmmaker Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury.



Minal (Tapsee Pannu), Falak (Kirti Kulhari), and Andrea (Andrea Tariang) are three independent working women who live alone in a rented apartment in the capital city of India. Following a night of drunken brawl with some men they met at a rock concert, the trio come back home in a state of exponential disquietude. What really happened towards the end of the night at a hotel where the trio and the men met and further partied post the concert is not clear, save for one immediate consequence: one of the men had to be rushed to the hospital. What follows is a harrowing story about a study on assumptions that society as a whole makes on people, especially women. Hence, one guesses, the title, "Pink".



The film does not describe what really happened that night, and one has to wait for the second half to get some deep insights into the matter as the scene shifts to a Sessions Court where Deepak (Amitabh Bachchan), a reputed lawyer, comes out of retirement to enable the female trio a chance at vindicating themselves after they were picked up by the police for crimes that they say they didn't do. One can connect the dots here, but that is where one will go wrong as the story gathers pace and proves you wrong. The plot will have you flummoxed for it does not take side as to who - the unruly group of four men or the trio of liberal and rebellious fashionista women - are at fault. What could have been averted with just an apology blows out of proportion when the male group use the hand of politics that is resting on their shoulders to settle scores with the female group who also are not fully of one mind about a possible compromise. It goes to show that today's youth - or let me be more general - today's people, practice vendetta more than pacifism, and the blame is on feudalism, which has mutated itself to an ultra-strong force that produces madness in today's world.



One will be impressed and hooked with the narrative in 30 minutes, guaranteed. While police apathy is one theme it touches upon, Pink is largely about what today's society, with its feudal roots, assumes when a woman consumes alcohol, when she hangs out with her male friends, when she keeps a casual relationship with that widower, when she has casual sex with that librarian she met while discussing Franz Kafka's "The Trial", or when she wears that transparent-lace brassiere - the possibilities are endless. It focuses on the futile point that a woman's (or a man's) character is defined by their behavior, their demeanor, their air at a given point of time and at a given location. It strains to enlighten us with the fact that this assumption is rubbish and full of void. It narrates the assumptions in strong points, delivered, some as innuendos ad others as clearly as text written on iron, by the talented Piyush Mishra as solicitor defending the male group. It also has a lot to say about the discrimination of Indians against their own brothers and sisters who hail from the Northeast, a topic which was most recently reignited by a TV commercial. The courtroom sequences are well-edited, but are slightly cheesy if not fast-paced for an audience whose senses have been numbed by the likes of Great Grand Masti (2016) and Freaky Ali (2016). A much- needed jolt to their senses, this film embraces realism wherever required and furnishes a story that is divinely appropriate and fabulously timed, just to convey an important message: that when a woman says NO, it means NO.



The three actresses are marvelous and well-directed. There's not a single frame where they go out of character, helping the story to reveal itself using their own portrayals as windows of loud expressions. Sometimes, the most difficult characters to play are the ones that are so close to real life. Amitabh Bachchan again comes up and impresses his audience, hat-tricking his bout of roles that are aligned in the same column of crime thrillers. Mishra and supporting cast are very good, and happy to see Dhritiman Chatterjee. The film works partially because of the cast and their performance, along with some crisp writing, easy screenplay, and a subtle, but loud score.



The 150-minute drama does, of course, have its share of flaws, but not substantial enough to affect your viewing or enjoyment. The courtroom scenes don't always sample realism, but that can be forgiven as a cinematic liberty taken by Mr. Chowdhury and writer Ritesh Shah. The hand of political influence which the male group were banking on fails to advance inside the court as is not what usually happens, either in real or reel life. But, one doesn't have time to pinpoint these petty flaws in the film because he or she also wants to assume that the women are not guilty or that the men are not guilty; this way, even the plot tries to play with you, making you believe in smoke and mirrors. But, do you know the facts? Do you ever?



It partially reminds one of Quentin Tarantino's debut, Reservoir Dogs (1992), where the actual scene of the heist is never shown. Here, the actual scene is not clearly shown unless you are patient enough. So, don't miss the end credit roll.



Pink is gritty, absolutely relevant, and a well-executed film that deserves immediate viewing. At the end, I had goosebumps in the back of my neck, and I knew I was going to recommend this as one of the top Hindi films of the year.



BOTTOM LINE: Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury's debut Bollywood feature "Pink" is a well-written, well-executed courtroom drama that demands viewing for it will be quoted in numerous occasions as we leap forward with a backward mind. Book a theater ticket now!



Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES