There is no denying the social relevance of this movie – if that alone is
your lookout, you can stop reading this review and go book your tickets. There
is nothing dainty about Pink – it takes the issue head on, doesn’t mince any
words, doesn’t shy away from calling a spade a spade (or in this case a crude
and narrow mentality) and relentlessly makes its point. However, taken as a
whole, there are definitely gaping holes that it chooses to gloss over simply by
over-emphasizing its issue and intent.
The choice of story-telling is smart – without actually talking about what
happened and letting the audience figure it out for themselves. It holds your
attention and gets you to put together the pieces. The build-up is even better –
though very dark and disturbing, so better to go prepared for that. There are
some very powerful moments in the first half that are quite well executed – the
sudden outburst, the veiled threats – all very nicely done indeed.
With the second half being a courtroom drama, it was this initial portion
that could’ve been a concern, but so far the director holds all the threads
together – though the pacing is a tad slower. Also, Amitabh’s presence is
grossly under-utilized in the first half – giving him a wraith like appearance,
where he is glowering most of the time, wearing an unexplained contraption –
such a waste of such precious talent.
The second half is where Sr. Bacchan gets the platform to showcase his
brilliance. However, despite his best attempts, his character comes across as
rather weakly developed – its as if his presence alone is meant to be more than
sufficient. The story progression seems too contrived and misses some obvious
plot points given the context as well as ignores some side tracks previously
established.
There is just dull and dreariness in the courtroom, the focus being more to
bring out the plight of the girls and rambling on about how narrow minded our
society is than to present an intriguing case. There are a few lustrous moments
as well – when the lawyer does some compelling cross examination. However, bulk
of the time is spent in repeating the facts of the case as well as arguments and
building a women’s safety manual, that just gets irritating beyond a point.
By choosing to use a sledge hammer to nail its point of view, into the
audience, Pink actually reduces the impact. The weakest point perhaps is the
climax, which uses an argument that could’ve been used as the opening statement
of the case, to arrive at the final decision. It simply doesn’t make enough
sense. In fact, a movie like Jolly LLB (not the most impressive courtroom drama)
had presented its case with much more conviction than Pink manages to.
What keeps you invested throughout Pink though, is the earnest performances
by the three girls – Taapsee Pannu is a far cry from her girl next door avatar
in Chashme Buddoor and as a fiesty and spirited girl delivers a wonderful
performance. The north eastern character of Tariang is a nice touch that subtly
focuses the lens on another important issue without over stating itself. If only
there was more such subtlety. Amitabh Bacchan’s baritone is ever reliable and he
doesn’t miss a trick. However, it is actually the little known Kirti Kulhari who
puts in a wonderfully natural performance (except for one tearful outburst) that
gets the most noticed. Piyush Mishra is again saddled with a weak character, as
the prosecution lawyer and pitiably doesn’t have much to do. That said, it’s the
strong performances of all its leads that lifts Pink to greater heights than the
script warranted.
Pink is by no means a bad movie, but when you scratch its surface, the cracks
become visible. What keeps you from doing so is the honesty with which it
portrays its central cause and the earnest performance of its leads. Prepare for
a combination of dull ramblings and exciting moments in the courtroom and not to
look at this one as a typical court case – and its unlikely that you’ll
come out disappointed.
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