The World of 'Parineeta'

The world of Parineeta is the Calcutta of the 60's - a cauldron of cultural influences, political aspirations and contradictory influences. Parineeta - the movie - captures glimpses of this kaleidoscope.

FESTIVAL TIME: Girish performing an 'aatri' before the idol of the Mother Goddess on Durga Puja

THE RED DOT: Lolita adorning a 'sindoor bindi' on her forehead - the mark of a married Hindu woman

BACK TO THE WATERS: On the fourth day of the Durga Puja - Bengal's greatest Hindu festival - the idol of the Mother Goddess being immersed in the waters of the Hoogly

RITUAL BY THE RIVER: A Hindu priest performs a Shiva ritual near the famous Kali temple of Dakshineshwar.

Within these exciting worlds, several smaller worlds are spinning in their own orbits. There's Lolita's home- the abode of a middle class genteel family. A magnificent bungalow, now past it's prime, it is home to a loving family that's desperately trying to defy the passage of time.

There's Shekhar's home, resplendent with the beauty that wealth accompanied by good taste can create. There's Girish's home, a warm cozy sunlit haven, the perfect setting for languorous afternoons of card-playing, chatting or delicious flirting. Of course, when there is a wedding, Puja or an occasion, these homes are transformed by fairy-lights, marigold garlands, gorgeous young girls and women wrapped in yards of silks, and by the delighted squeals of little children.

Outside the confines of these homes is the magnificent Calcutta of the 60's…. the city of rickshaws and trams, of coffeehouses and Kalibari - the famed temple of Goddess Kali, the city of doubt and faith, of love and longing. The Calcutta of exotic Park-street nights, echoing with the melodious voices of crooners in Moulin Rouge and Trincas, the roads sporting vintage cars…and the Hooghly running through it.

This is the world of Parineeta…

See also: Film Review: Parineeta

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