Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar

Amazon Prime Video

*ing: Parineeti Chopra, Arjun Kapoor, Jaideep Ahlawat as Tyagi, Raghubir Yadav, Neena Gupta 

Rated: 5.5/10

The movie had a theatrical release on March 19, 2021. Given the present pandemic few would have heard of this movie getting released let alone going to the cinema hall to watch it. The good thing is that the makers decided to release it on an OTT platform catering to a much wider audience who are looking for meaningful cinema.

This is the third time that Arjun Kapoor and Parineeta Chopra have come together for a project; the previous ones being Ishaqzaade (2012) and Namaste England (2018). This is also the third film of Chopra that released in the last few months — The Girl On The Train and Saina were the other two. For Kapoor it is his second film to be released in a week, Grandson Of Sardar released last week.

Directed by Dibakar Banerje, who has directed movies like Khosla Ka Ghosla, Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye and Lust Stories delivers yet another black comedy. Yet Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar is different from the films that Banerjee has directed in the past. Unlike Khosla Ka Ghosla which had plenty of comic moments, these provided by Neena Gupta and Raghuvir Yadav fail to draw a smirk. But this has more to do with how the movie opens — bullets flying killing three people — unlocking a more sinister plot and a couple on the run to save their lives.

The good part is that the film is off on an interesting note – a killing – that too a wrong one. The pace picks up. With the story told in present and flashback, the picture gets clear about why a suspended cop, Pinky, played by Arjun Kapoor and a bank employee, Sandeep, played by Parineeti Chopra are on the run. Another plus is that the plot sucks you in from the word go even though the second half is sluggish.

While Arjun Kapoor stands tall, it is Parineeti Chopra who takes centrestage. After The Girl On The Train, she shines and the different shades and emotions that she showcases here has been done rather brilliantly. Jaideep Ahlawat does his bit as well. It would have been great to see more of Raghuvir Yadav and Neena Gupta and their domestic squabbles to give respite from an otherwise intense film.