The film ‘Parineeta’, based on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s famous Bengali novel from 1914, is all set to re-release in cinemas to mark its 20th anniversary. This re-release celebrates not only the timeless story but also the incredible journey of
Vidya Balan, who made her debut with ‘Parineeta’.
When the film first came out in 2005, it was praised by critics and loved by audiences. Directed by the late
Pradeep Sarkar, the film starred Sanjay Dutt, Vidya Balan, and
Saif Ali Khan, and featured music by
Shantanu Moitra that added to its charm.
Producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra revealed in 2012 during a press interview that his first choice for the lead role was Aishwarya Rai. He said, “When we thought of ‘Parineeta’, I immediately thought of a face like Aishwarya Rai. The character of the girl is like two men falling in love with her…so the heroine has to be bigger.”
But the director had other plans. Pradeep Sarkar told him about Vidya Balan. Chopra said, “I was like let me see what she can do.” After testing Vidya, he added, “But then we tested and tried her (Vidya) and she cleared it.”
Vidya Balan auditioned 75 times!
Composer Shantanu Moitra shared a moving story about Vidya’s struggle. In a past interview with IANS, he recalled, “This story is for those people who think that enough is enough, let’s give up. The girl auditioned about 75 times and got rejected every single time. Can you imagine her self-worth?”
Shantanu remembered how the director kept asking for new looks for Vidya during auditions. “At that time, many top actresses were giving the same auditions as well and calling him for a role. Think about the pressure on that girl!” he said.
After her 75th rejection, Vidya went to a
Bryan Adams concert to cheer herself up. Shantanu said, “At that time, Pradeep said that 'let's do one last audition' and around 3:30, she quickly came and gave the test with the belief that it won't happen and after her test, she left for the concert.” Vidya eventually landed the role after multiple auditions.
Why ‘Parineeta’ means so much to Vidya?
According to DNA, Vidya Balan in a statement said that, “This is a very emotional moment for me. ‘Parineeta’ is where it all began… Every frame of the film holds a piece of my heart, and I will always be grateful to Pradeep da and Mr Chopra for believing in me.”
She added, “I owe a lot to this film for who I am as an artist. Even after so many years, people remember this film, its songs and how it made them feel. People say every frame of the film is like a painting… and that is the magic of Pradeep Sarkar… so I hope people and the new generation will be able to discover old-fashioned love through ‘Parineeta’.”
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