The perfect Parineeta

Here's reason why sometimes it's sacrilege to remake a classic that has stood the test of time. When I saw Ajoy Kar's Parineeta, I realised how hollow and OTT the Pradeep Sarkar film is. How inappropriate is the depiction of the characters in the new-age romance and how absolutely simple yet stunning the 1969 film is. Kar is as faithful to the Sarat Chandra classic, as Lalita is to her book version and Shekhar to his literary avatar. In short, the old Bengali film is flawless, marvellous and a must-watch for those who crave for golden oldies...

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Rollicking romance (Deya Neya)

 I've had a very juvenile belief since I was really small. I believe that if you do something on the first day of the year, you'll keep doing that for the entire year. So, ever since we were children, I made sure that my parents took me out for goodies at a pastry shop on January 1 every year. I made sure that I wore great clothes on this day when I was an adolescent. I made sure to be happy no matter what on this day, with the hope that happiness will reside in my abode the rest of the year. I made sure not to touch books to the utter displeasure of my parents. I made sure not to sulk over anything. And I made sure of many other things!! Children and their wishful thinking, you see...

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Football frenzy (Dhanni Meye)

What happened??? Where was Germany's beautiful game??? Where did their famed counter-attack disappear??? They were completely outrun, outnumbered and outplayed by Spain!! I'm shell shocked, I'm upset. And, I'm angry at Paul, the psychic octopus! He had predicted that Spain would defeat the mighty Germans in the semi-final. Why God why???

Under the weather and nursing great pain, I chose to watch Dhanni Meye, Arabindo Mukherjee's funny tale on football. Right choice, I thought. This game is indeed the flavour of the season. And right, it was. For, after the film I'm feeling better. Much much better.

Packed with hilarious incidents this 1971 Bengali film (yes, I'm writing on one for the first time!) is a frothy romantic comedy with football as its crux.

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