Lafangey Parindey

Sometimes, your reputation precedes you. Pradeep Sarkar carries the reputation of making women-centric movies. Films like Parineeta and Laaga Chunari Mein Daag prove it. Who would've ever thought Sarkar would do a 360 degree turn in his third film by calling it Lafangey Parindey, set it in a chawl and make his characters speak tapori lingo? Hard to digest, isn't it? Frankly, the skilled storyteller takes you on a trip least expected from him.

When you attempt something you haven't attempted earlier or ventured into before, you either fall flat on your face or walk with your chin up in air. Sarkar doesn't slip, although Lafangey Parindey does have its share of hiccups that show up intermittently. Unlike Parineeta and Laaga Chunari Mein Daag, Sarkar narrates a simple story this time around and though it has nothing to do with the Rajesh Khanna - Mumtaz - Meena Kumari starrer Dushmun, you can't help but draw parallels with it, which, frankly, could be a coincidence as well. Yet, to be fair to Sarkar, he ventures in an unknown territory like a seasoned player.

On the flipside, the film has a major flaw and that dilutes the impact to an extent: Casting Neil Nitin Mukesh as a tapori. He just doesn't look like one. Even if he tries very hard to get into the skin of the character, you just can't connect with him since the suave and dashing demeanor makes him look like a Harvard returned, not someone from the streets or wadis of Mumbai definitely.