Parinda (1989)

Really Surprised!

One of my all time favorites.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

I was a 10 year old back then and a huge anil kapoor/jackie shroff fan at the time....This movie just shook me up and scared the hell out of me. It was the sheer horror of reality sinking in... what life can do to the underprivileged and how circumstances can sometimes test relationships...relationships between brothers...Nana Patekar was terrifying as the gangster with his own personal demons...yet if we see him...he is the mentor we see in todays corporate world or any world should i say...There is not one but many memorable set pieces that can be called cinematic brilliance from Mr. Vinod Chopra in his true element....The songs were beautifully shot, stirred the soul, yet you could feel the darkness lurking around.. somewhere ...in the sequence of events to come..I always felt and still feel that this movie was way ahead of its time....I am a bit surprised to see an average rating of 8 for such a movie considering the background of Indian cinema at the time, the kind of crap Indian audience is fed in present times... this movie still holds true in modern day era....wish we had more such movies....

Why would you want to watch a 1989 movie ?The scenario is pure Bollywood : brothers torn apart by values, sacrifice and family, a damsel in distress critical of the hero's actions, a pure evil villain and flashbacks to when all the movies major characters are hungry pitiable children. The tone is melodramatic(standard by old Bollywood standards) and the songs and their videos are typical of the time.Since childhood elder brother Kishen(Jackie Shroff) leads a life of crime under Anna(Nana Patekar) to support younger brother Karan(Anil Kapoor) but Karan does not know this. The occurrence of a series of events, anymore would be a spoiler, creates an idealist Karan versus merciless don Anna plot with Kishen torn between these two sides.The problem with most crime films is they tend to be too cold while dramas tend to drag on and lack a gripping plot. In this film, however, the crime and drama elements are well integrated and well paced, this overcoming the liabilities of either genre.Despite being a quarter century old technically it is still impressive. The cinematography is done thoughtfully and painstakingly. The background score is fitting. It even won a national award for editing.All of this is topped by great performances from Nana Patekar(National Award) and Jackie Shroff and by the old school eye candy i.e. Madhuri Dixit.Unlike the recent Vidhu Vinod Chopra movies i have seen(3 Idiots, Munna Bhai) it does not carry a direct message or say that this or that is right. Instead it presents the protagonist with a conflict, even the audience cant solve, like all fiction is supposed to do.(a theme is explored better by dialogue then by a lecture isn't it?)For a modern day viewer the acting and dialogue may be over the top and for the impatient a few scenes too slow.So, why would you want to watch a 1989 movie ? because it is a masterpiece. It is not special because of anything new or different it did but because it the perfection of the genre: Bollywood . A true Classic.

Parinda has always been my favorite because it was one of the first movies to break the stereotypical formula-based film making trend in India that relied heavily on larger-than-life heroes (and villains) and impossible fight sequences that defied both gravity and logic. Parinda was a breath of fresh air amid all this chaos. It showed the Mumbai(Bombay) underworld as it had never been shown before. The movie begins with a superb background score reminiscent of The Terminator theme. As one listens to the sombre yet striking music with visuals/shots of Mumbai high rises under a grey evening sky, one realizes it's going to be a dark and no-nonsense film. And who can forget Kishen's (Jackie Shroff's) entry as he walks up that huge tank to meet rival gang-leader Moosa? I always wished the scene was a little longer. If Tom Alter did full justice to the role of Moosa, the role of Anna seemed to have been written for (and only for)the immensely talented Nana Patekar. The cinematography of the film leaves all other films of its time way behind (with the exception of 'Raakh', another dark and gritty film released around the same time). Jackie Shroff's acting is simply fabulous, whereas Anil Kapoor is, well, loud as usual! I wish he had shaved off his mustache to fit the role of the younger brother better. Suresh Oberoi as the goon gives a superlative performance - one of the best in his career. In short, Parinda marks the beginning of realistic mainstream cinema in India. Indian art-house cinema had always been realistic, but mainstream commercial cinema used to be just escapist fares until Parinda happened.

With so many good reviews here and a rating of 7.5, one must think that it should be a path-breaking bollywood gangster movie, but though it is different from the high action pitched movies of the same genre in bollywood, still lacks the basic features of a good movie.The overall plot is so simple that the length of movie is too long to present, as a result you found yourself losing interest at many points. I could skip through all songs (except 'Tumse Milke' which is quite melodious but still is awkwardly placed in movie) and many scenes involving kabutars, sulking Anil Kapoor, and hyper Jackie Shroff.Though the cast is remarkable, but Vidhu Vinod Chopra couldn't get their best performances out. Anil Kapoor is too excited on his return from America, Jackie Shroff tried too hard to look sad with quick gulp of glass of whiskey, and Nana Patekar funny when trying to be fanatic on sight of fire.I found Nana and gang too stupid to run such a large illegal business (controlling police,politicians and city), lacking basic intelligence and vigilance. And all characters challenge your knowledge about human psychology.Overall the whole experience was very disappointing, if you are thinking of watching it, save your precious time and instead watch Agnipath (original one) again.