Dr Chandraprakash Dwivedi's Pinjar is based on the famous novel of the same name by noted writer Amrita Pritam. The film deals with the period from 1946 to 1948, largely surrounded by the partition.
It's the year of 1946. Puro (Urmila) leads a very carefree, sheltered life with her parents (Kulbhushan Kharbhanda and Lillete Dubey), brother Trilok (Priyanshu Chatterjee) and two sisters (Ishaa Koppikar plays one of them, Rajjo). The parents are all set to marry Puro off to Ramchand (Sanjay Suri) who she's caught a glimpse of while he's not even seen her. Ramchand's sister Lajo (Sandali Sinha) has been promised in marriage with Trilok. Everything seems perfect till one evening Puro is kidnapped by Rashid (Manoj Bajpai). Puro's family is grief stricken but they neither bother to lodge a police complaint nor look for her. We are told that when a girl is kidnapped mysteriously from a house, she's as good as dead for the family. The audience is left uncomfortable for a couple of reels as the reason why Puro's kidnapped is not clearly known. Till an exhausted Puro demands to know from Rashid about the real reason. We are then told that the two families - his and hers - have been rivals for some years now. Her grandfather had got one of his aunts kidnapped and kept her at their house for three successive nights, while his grandfather, father and uncles pledged revenge. It was a done thing and so it was now Puro's turn to face the consequences of her ancestors' misdeeds. In the meanwhile, Puro's parents decide to get their younger daughter Rajjo married off to Ramchand as since the marriage was fixed, the commitment had to be honoured. But Ramchand refuses to marry Rajjo and instead suggests his cousin brother get married to her. The honour of both the families is thus intact while Trilok and Lajjo get married.
The rest of the movie is about how family equations change and everyone is faced with difficult life-altering decisions. The redemption track of Manoj takes precedence in the latter half of the movie.
On the plus sides are the performances - Sandali Sinha, Lillete Dubey, Priyanshu Chatterjee and Sanjay Suri play their parts well. Manoj Bajpai as Rashid is simply super. Lust, love, anger, rejection, sorrow, repentance, selflessness - he portrays a gamut of feelings. And, of course, Urmila as Puro.
Music [Uttam Singh] is mellifluous; it gels well with the period look. 'Watna Ve' is the pick of the lot, more so because of its rich lyrical value. Cinematography [Santosh Thundiyil] is of international standards. It gives the film the look of an epic. The locations also succeed in taking you to that period. Dialogues [Dr. Chandraprakash Dwivedi] are brilliant. Ranging from poetic to acidic to patriotic, the dialogues add sheen to the enterprise. Costumes and sets [Muneesh Sappel] deserve a special mention as well. Performance-wise, PINJAR rests on two strong shoulders – Urmila Matondkar and Manoj Bajpai. Urmila transforms into Puro with such correctness that it's impossible to believe that it's an actress portraying a part. She is so believable. With PINJAR, besides BHOOT, the actress not merely takes a step forward, but plunges ahead with a giant leap. Manoj Bajpai is outstanding in a role that seems tailormade for him. After Bhiku Mhatre in SATYA, this is yet another performance that is sure to win him awards, rewards [more film assignments] and bouquets [fan following].
Overall, the film is brilliantly executed and handled with utmost sensitivity but its length is one factor, which might affect its prospects in the long run.
