Pink, starring Amitabh Bachchan and Taapsee Pannu in the lead roles, addresses the issue of patriarchal, condescending attitude towards independent women and stigmatising them in 21st century India. Here's our Pink movie review.

Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Kirti Kulhari, Angad Bedi, Andrea Tariang, Piyush Mishra

Direction: Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury

Ratings: (4/5)



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Pink, the new Amitabh Bachchan film, is a lot like Deepak Sehgal, Amitabh Bachchan's character in the film. Mr Sehgal, a lawyer, inside the courtroom, is all theatrics and showmanship - growling one minute, silent and mumbling the next. Mr Sehgal knows that Indians, particularly, the Indian man, has a hard time understanding Indian women the moment the latter do not fit into the feudal expectations set upon them. Screenwriter Ritesh Shah and director Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury know that as well. Hence, they have made a film which drives home the point with OTT sound and fury, just the way Mr Sehgal likes to conduct business; break open the Indian skull with a sledgehammer and drill into it basic concepts of human dignity, respect and honour because achchhe din is a long time coming for women in India. And while doing such social service, Pink, like Mr Sehgal, is never for a second, boring.

The story revolves around Minal (Taapsee Pannu), Falak (Kirti Kulhari) and Andrea (Andrea Tariang) - three young working women based in Delhi. A bad twist of events involving a few young men with powerful political ties has them caught in a web of social stigma, law-and-order problem leading to an arrest and finally a showdown in the courtroom.

Pink, like Madaari, also written by Ritesh Shah, is a film that has the trappings of a thriller to keep the audience guessing about the outcome every minute, while simultaneously engaging them in a conversation about contemporary society. Pink is about the patriarchal mindset which looks at independent women capable of making the same choices as independent, enfranchised men, as 'loose' or 'characterless'.

The screenplay is among the best-written ones of 2016 so far (even though that list isn't long). It is taut, does not beat around the bush and waste time in exposition; for instance, one could easily fall into the trap of 'explaining' where Mr Sehgal's angst is coming from or sketch the 'Girl-from-the-North-East' character Andrea with more detail, but all of that would only make the film longer than necessary.

When you have a great script along with actors like Amitabh Bachchan, Piyush Mishra, Dhritiman Chattejee plus competent young performers like Taapsee and Kirti, you already have a winner in your hands. As such, Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury, whose Bengali films had a rather sombre, poetic, deliberate aesthetic, does not get to show much directorial flourish in Pink.

A very interesting thing about Pink is how the film holds back the details of the aforementioned 'bad twist of events' up until the beginning of the second half, which is essentially the courtroom part, where everything falls into place. Therefore, the audience is put in the same position as that of the judge, who has no prior information on the plaintiff or the defendant to form an opinion.

As for the performances, Mr Sehgal's role is a cakewalk for Amitabh Bachchan. Piyush Mishra's acting has become very predictable and his turn as the slimy lawyer here too delivers no surprises. Taapsee Pannu is excellent, but more so is Kirti Kulhari. It is refreshing to see her in a strong, demanding role after a promising performance in 2011's Shaitaan. And last but not the least, Angad Bedi. Bedi, as the spoiled son of a politician, rages and froths with hyper-virile masculinity and institutional entitlement. He is a treat to watch.

However, as much as Pink pushes the envelope in Indian films in regard to discussion around morality, women's freedom of choice, etc., one can see Amitabh, the grand old patriarch of Hindi cinema, playing the sole voice of women's rights as regressive. But if not Amitabh, then who? Can one think of a more commanding voice and a more assertive personality than Amitabh Bachchan in Hindi cinema today, regardless of how many 'women-centric' films Kangana Ranaut has done? Pink is a giant leap, sure, but it can only leap so far. Keeping Pink as a starting point, future writer-directors should build on the foundation established by it to make more brave, more daring films on women's issues, where one day, not Amitabh Bachchan, but a woman can stand up and speak for herself and everyone will listen.