Summer rewatch: How Saif Ali Khan and Vidya Balan's Parineeta is still pure poetry, even 20 years on

In the opening scenes of Parineeta, Lolita (Vidya Balan) encounters a sullen, furious Shekhar (Saif Ali Khan). He tries to storm past her, but she stops him, lightly mocking: why doesn’t he want to speak to her?

 He chides her: “You’re married, how can you talk like this?” She replies that it’s precisely because she’s married that she can.

 The scene erupts—he snaps, insults her, and leaves.

On first viewing, the moment almost confuses you: is this really a character with greys in a Bollywood film? But as Parineeta, set in 1960s Calcutta, unfolds, you begin to understand why Lolita mocks Shekhar and why she considers herself married. That’s the whimsical perplexity of the film—a quiet love story between two childhood friends fractured by Shekhar’s father, his insecurities, and his lack of trust.

A stunning debut for Balan and one of Khan’s most offbeat films, Parineeta remains poignant and visually enchanting, allowing you to overlook its flaws. The music is poetic, and Balan’s performance captivates—from the freshness in her eyes to the way she places a bindi or tucks a delicate flower in her hair during one of the film’s most intense moments.

It’s been 20 years since the film’s release. Two decades ago, Bollywood took us to a different Calcutta—fresh, quiet, and beautiful—without resorting to over-generalisation or stereotyping, a common fault in the industry. Perhaps now, more than ever, it’s the perfect time to revisit Parineeta.