Pink (2016)

Director: Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury

Story: Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury, Shoojit Sircar, Ritesh Shah

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

Music: Shantanu Moitra, Faiza Mujahid, Anupam Roy

Time: 136 minutes

Bottom-line: A clean film, and highly entertaining

 Amitabh Bachchan finds himself in top form in this courtroom drama, Pink. Co-starring Taapsee Pannu, Kirti Kulhari, Angad Bedi, Andrea Tariang in the lead roles, with Angad Bedi and Piyush Mishra in the supporting roles, the film addresses several social issues prevailing in India today, and in the process offers a superbly made drama, arguably one of the best films of 2016.

“We must learn to protect the boys…not the girls.”

The film starts off with a group of boys hurrying away in a car, with one of them bleeding profusely; there is some talk about a girl called Minal. Meanwhile in South Delhi, three girls - Minal Arora (Taapsee), Falak Ali (Kirti) and Andrea (Andrea Tariang) are independent working women living together in an apartment. We get to know that the girls were at a party one night with three boys – one of them the nephew of a politician – and as things went out of hand, Minal had smashed a bottle upon one guy’s eye. The boys file an FIR against the girls, labelling them as prostitutes and charging Minal with “Attempt to Murder”.

That’s when we see Deepak Sehgal (Bachchan) – who is pretty much a creepy stalker in the first hour or so – reveal his true colours. A retired lawyer suffering from bipolar disorder, he decides to (suit up and) help the girls fight against their incredible powerful opponents. How does he do it?

 

Bachchan as Deepak

The issue of female safety has always been a hot topic in India, particularly after the Nirbhaya incident. Apart from that, related topics like females’ dressing sense, their independence, their behaviour also come up often. Pink has such a solid storyline that it manages to give a heads-up to all of these. As Deepak’s character points out in his “Girls’ Safety Manual”, why is it that boys can live independently but girls cannot? Why is it implied that when a girl smiles and chats in a friendly manner to boys, she is “asking for it”? Why is it a “crime” if girls drink but merely a “health hazard” if boys do? As these questions ring in your ears, you cannot help but applaud and cheer as Bachchan delivers these lines (whether or not these issues are actually solved is a different matter, but at least you can put some thought into it after watching the movie!).

There is enough screen time inside the court for Pink to be categorised as a courtroom drama. While a lot of Indian films have scenes with lawyers fighting over an issue (mostly with the hero being wrongly accused!), this one was actually effective in providing the thrills. The way Deepak – ever so calmly – finds faults and loopholes in the arguments, the way he sarcastically and humourously proves his points, and not to forget the way he brings out the bitter truth in today’s reality is superbly scripted and filmed.

(From left) Andrea as Andrea, Taapsee as Minal
and Kirti as Falak

This is easily Bachchan’s best solo performance in a long time. I love the way his character is developed: from a silent man just observing the events around him, to a lawyer fighting a seemingly impossible case. Those lines he delivers have the “Big B” effect… and that’s why the message is so clear. The three girls have all done outstandingly well. Their expressions and body language in the courtroom, as they are verbally accused over and over again for soliciting, makes you want to empathise with them.

If you’re a Big B fan, stop whatever you are doing, and watch Pink. To all those wanting a clean, powerful film, watch Pink. This drama will surely be one to remember.

My Rating: 4.5/5