''Parinda'' () is a 1989 Indian
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...
-language
crime drama
Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and comb ...
film directed, produced and distributed by
Vidhu Vinod Chopra
Vidhu Vinod Chopra (born 5 September 1952) is an Indian film director, producer, editor, screenwriter, lyricist and actor. His well-known films as director are ''Parinda'' (1988), '' 1942: A Love Story'' (1994). He is also known for producing ' ...
. The film stars
Jackie Shroff
Jaikishan Kakubhai Shroff (born 1 February 1957), popularly known as Jackie Shroff, is an Indian actor and former model. He has been in the Bollywood industry for over four decades, and , has appeared in over 220 films in 13 languages namely Hi ...
,
Anil Kapoor
Anil Kapoor (born 24 December 1956) is an Indian actor and producer who works primarily in Hindi films, besides television and international films and television. In a career spanning over 40 years as an actor and since 2005 as a producer, Kapo ...
,
Nana Patekar
Vishwanath Patekar (born 1 January 1951), better known as Nana Patekar, is an Indian actor, screenwriter, film maker, and a former Indian Territorial Army officer, mainly working in Hindi and Marathi cinema. He is regarded as one of the finest an ...
and
Madhuri Dixit
Madhuri Dixit Nene (née Dixit; born 15 May 1967) is an Indian actress who primarily works in Hindi films. A leading actress of Indian cinema, she has appeared in over 70 films. Noted by critics for her beauty, dancing skills, and characters ...
. The story and scenario were written by Chopra, while
Shiv Kumar Subramaniam
Shiv Kumar Subramaniam (23 December 1959 – 10 April 2022) was an Indian actor and screenwriter who is known for his role as the leading industrial tycoon I. M. Virani in the Indian television serial ''Mukti Bandhan'' on Colors channel. H ...
and
Imtiyaz Husain
Imtiyaz Husain is an Indian film writer. He wrote the 2000 film ''Astitva'' with Mahesh Manjrekar.
Filmography As an actor
* Vaastav: The Reality (1999)
* Ghulam-E-Mustafa (1997) as Minister Imtiyaz
* Parinda (1989) as Dara
As a writer
* Ann ...
wrote the screenplay and dialogues, respectively.
R. D. Burman composed the music and Khurshid Hallauri wrote the lyrics.
Binod Pradhan
Binod Pradhan is an Indian cinematographer, director and actor. He has worked in several popular and acclaimed films as a cinematographer. Some of his award-winning films include '' 1942 A Love Story'', '' Devdas'', ''Rang De Basanti'', '' Miss ...
served as the film's cinematographer and
Renu Saluja
Renu Saluja (5 July 1952 – 16 August 2000) was an Indian film editor. In the 1980s and 1990s, she worked with both mainstream and art house Hindi cinema directors, including Govind Nihalani, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Sudhir Mishra, Shekhar Kapoor, ...
was its editor.
''Parinda'' follows Kishan (Shroff), who works for the underworld chieftain Anna (Patekar). Kishan's brother Karan (Kapoor) returns home after completing his studies in the United States. The two brothers are caught on different sides of a gang war after Karan decides to avenge his friend's death by Anna.
Chopra conceived the film after his low-budget suspense thriller ''
Khamosh'' (1985) failed to find a distributor for a theatrical release. This motivated him to make a more mainstream film with well-known actors. ''Parinda'' received critical acclaim when released. It is considered by several critics and scholars to be the turning point in the introduction of
realism
Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to:
In the arts
*Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts
Arts movements related to realism include:
* Classical Realism
*Literary realism, a mov ...
in
Hindi cinema
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
. ''Parinda'' won two
National Film Awards
The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorat ...
and five
Filmfare Awards
The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Hindi-language film industry of India.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were first introduced by th ...
, and was
India's official selection for the 1990
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...
, but it was not nominated. In 2015, Chopra remade ''Parinda'' as a
Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywoo ...
film titled ''
Broken Horses
'' Broken Horses'' is a 2015 American mystery thriller film directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra and starring Anton Yelchin, Chris Marquette, Vincent D'Onofrio, María Valverde, Thomas Jane, and Sean Patrick Flanery. It was released on April 10, 2015 ...
''.
Plot
Kishan and Karan are orphaned brothers who grew up on the streets of
Bombay
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...
. To provide Karan with a better upbringing and education, Kishan works for Anna Seth, a gangster who owns an oil factory as a front for his illegal activities. Unaware of his brother's affiliation with a gang, Karan returns to Bombay after completing his studies in the United States. Inspector Prakash, Karan's friend, knows Anna is a gangster, but he is unable to arrest him due to lack of evidence. Anna plans to have Prakash killed during his reunion with Karan. Attempting to prevent this, Kishan books an earlier flight for Karan, but it is delayed and Anna's henchmen shoot Prakash, who dies in Karan's arms.
Paro, Prakash's sister and Karan's childhood friend, believes Karan is responsible for her brother's death. Karan learns from Anna's former messenger Iqbal that Anna is Kishan's boss and that Anna orchestrated Prakash's murder. He is also told that Anna burnt his wife and developed
pyrophobia. Karan tells Paro that Anna and Kishan killed Prakash; they fall in love with each other.
A few days later, Abdul is arrested and Karan recognises him as one of Prakash's killers. Kishan warns Karan against testifying, and is wounded when Anna's henchmen shoot at Karan. When Karan is summoned to identify the assailants at police headquarters, Abdul extorts his silence, threatening that Kishan will be killed by his home nurse if Karan testifies. Karan decides not to testify, and instead joins Anna's gang to get close to the crime boss. Anna tests Karan's resolve by ordering him to shoot Iqbal, who shoots himself so Karan can continue his plan without guilt.
The next day, Anna orders Karan to kill rival gangster Musa, while accompanied by his gunman Francis. Karan kills Francis and joins Musa instead. Karan abducts Anna's aide Rama Reddy and brings him to Musa. Karan takes pictures of Rama and Musa together to convince Anna that Rama betrayed him and shot Francis. Karan then murders Rama on Anna's orders. With Musa's help, Karan kills Abdul and completes his mission to avenge Prakash's murder. Karan and Paro are married, and plan on leaving the city. Told by Musa that Karan had been manipulating him, Anna shoots and kills Karan and Paro on their wedding night. To avenge his brother's death, Kishan goes to Anna's residence and burns him to death.
Cast
*
Jackie Shroff
Jaikishan Kakubhai Shroff (born 1 February 1957), popularly known as Jackie Shroff, is an Indian actor and former model. He has been in the Bollywood industry for over four decades, and , has appeared in over 220 films in 13 languages namely Hi ...
as Kishan Choudhary
*
Anil Kapoor
Anil Kapoor (born 24 December 1956) is an Indian actor and producer who works primarily in Hindi films, besides television and international films and television. In a career spanning over 40 years as an actor and since 2005 as a producer, Kapo ...
as Karan Choudhary
*
Madhuri Dixit
Madhuri Dixit Nene (née Dixit; born 15 May 1967) is an Indian actress who primarily works in Hindi films. A leading actress of Indian cinema, she has appeared in over 70 films. Noted by critics for her beauty, dancing skills, and characters ...
as Paromita "Paro" Nair
*
Nana Patekar
Vishwanath Patekar (born 1 January 1951), better known as Nana Patekar, is an Indian actor, screenwriter, film maker, and a former Indian Territorial Army officer, mainly working in Hindi and Marathi cinema. He is regarded as one of the finest an ...
as Anna Seth
*
Anupam Kher as Inspector Prakash Nair
*
Suresh Oberoi
Suresh Oberoi (born 17 December 1946) is an Indian actor and politician who appeared in Hindi films. He is a recipient of the 1987 National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor. He started his career in radio shows, modelling and later moving ...
as Abdul
*
Tom Alter
Thomas Beach Alter (22 June 1950 – 29 September 2017) was an Indian actor. He was best known for his works in Hindi cinema, and Indian theatre. In 2008, he was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India.
Early life
Born in Mussoorie ...
as Musa
*
Anang Desai
Anang Desai (born 4 May 1953) is an Indian film and television actor. Desai has appeared in more than 80 television shows and is popularly known for his portrayal of the character Babuji in the television series Khichdi and its eponymous film. ...
as Inspector Mirani
* Kamal Chopra as Rama Reddy
*
Shiv Kumar Subramaniam
Shiv Kumar Subramaniam (23 December 1959 – 10 April 2022) was an Indian actor and screenwriter who is known for his role as the leading industrial tycoon I. M. Virani in the Indian television serial ''Mukti Bandhan'' on Colors channel. H ...
as Francis
*
Achyut Potdar as a Marriage Priest
*
Vidhu Vinod Chopra
Vidhu Vinod Chopra (born 5 September 1952) is an Indian film director, producer, editor, screenwriter, lyricist and actor. His well-known films as director are ''Parinda'' (1988), '' 1942: A Love Story'' (1994). He is also known for producing ' ...
as a corpse
*
Sameer Khakhar
Sameer Khakhar is a Bollywood film and television actor.
Career
Khakhar's notable TV serial roles include the one of the drunken character Khopdi from yesteryears milestone TV serial ''Nukkad'' in 1986, directed by Kundan Shah and Saeed Akhtar Mi ...
as Iqbal
* Dilip Kulkarni as Inspector Chauhan
Production
![Vidhu Vinod Chopra March 2015](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ae/Vidhu_Vinod_Chopra_March_2015.jpg)
In 1985, director
Vidhu Vinod Chopra
Vidhu Vinod Chopra (born 5 September 1952) is an Indian film director, producer, editor, screenwriter, lyricist and actor. His well-known films as director are ''Parinda'' (1988), '' 1942: A Love Story'' (1994). He is also known for producing ' ...
made the suspense thriller film ''
Khamosh'', starring
Naseeruddin Shah
Naseeruddin Shah (born 20 July 1950) is an Indian actor. He is notable in Indian parallel cinema. He has also starred in international productions. He has won numerous awards in his career, including three National Film Awards, three Filmfare ...
,
Shabana Azmi
Shabana Azmi (born 18 September 1950) is an Indian actress of Hindi film, television and theatre. One of India's most acclaimed actresses, Azmi is known for her portrayals of distinctive, often unconventional female characters across several ge ...
and
Amol Palekar
Amol Palekar (born 24 November 1944) is an Indian actor, director and producer of Hindi and Marathi cinema.
Career
Palekar studied fine arts at the Sir JJ School of Arts, Mumbai, and commenced his artistic career as a painter. As a painter, h ...
. The film failed to find distributors and Chopra released a single print at Mumbai's
Regal Cinema
The Regal Cinema is an Art deco movie theatre located at Colaba Causeway, in Mumbai, India. Built by Framji Sidhwa, the first film to be aired at the Regal was the Laurel and Hardy work '' The Devil's Brother'' in 1933.
According to the '' ...
.
In retrospect, Chopra expressed his frustration that nobody would buy ''Khamosh'' and he decided to make a more commercial Hindi film about two brothers on the streets of Mumbai, which became ''Parinda''.
The story was based on two non-fictional brothers who worked for a gangster named Ashwin Naik. Chopra cast
Nana Patekar
Vishwanath Patekar (born 1 January 1951), better known as Nana Patekar, is an Indian actor, screenwriter, film maker, and a former Indian Territorial Army officer, mainly working in Hindi and Marathi cinema. He is regarded as one of the finest an ...
in the elder brother's role after he saw him in a play called ''Purush''.
Anil Kapoor
Anil Kapoor (born 24 December 1956) is an Indian actor and producer who works primarily in Hindi films, besides television and international films and television. In a career spanning over 40 years as an actor and since 2005 as a producer, Kapo ...
, who was cast in the role of Karan, told Chopra that Patekar was not suitable for the role of his elder brother.
Patekar was then offered the role of Anna, the film's antagonist.
Shah and Patekar were considered for the role of Kishan, which later went to
Jackie Shroff
Jaikishan Kakubhai Shroff (born 1 February 1957), popularly known as Jackie Shroff, is an Indian actor and former model. He has been in the Bollywood industry for over four decades, and , has appeared in over 220 films in 13 languages namely Hi ...
.
Kapoor asked Shroff to play his elder brother.
Shroff was initially hesitant to do the film because he did not want to get
typecast in the elder brother role. Later, Kapoor made Shroff listen to the songs and he agreed to do the film.
The location where Musa (Tom Alter) meets Kishan in the film was a water tank on
Antop Hill, which was spread with the scrap of nearby slum dwellers. Chopra had rented the site from
Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC; IAST: ), also known as the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM), is the governing civic body of Mumbai, the capital city of Maharashtra. It is India's richest municipal corporation. The ...
for .
The film was initially named ''Kabutarkhana'' (pigeon accommodation), but was later changed to ''Parinda''.
While filming the final scene's fire sequence, the film's crew lost control of a fire they built using rubber solution and petrol, leading to Patekar suffering from serious burns.
He was critically injured and hospitalised for nearly two months,
and returned to filming after a year. The set was rebuilt in
Film City Film City may refer to
* Film City, Mumbai
* Noida Film City
* Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad
* Prayag Film City
The Prayag Film City, also known as the Midnapore Film City or Chandrakona Film City or Bengal film city is an i ...
, where the fire sequence was re-shot under more controlled conditions.
Scenes were shot in natural lighting with light coming through the windows or candles in the indoor scenes.
Binod Pradhan
Binod Pradhan is an Indian cinematographer, director and actor. He has worked in several popular and acclaimed films as a cinematographer. Some of his award-winning films include '' 1942 A Love Story'', '' Devdas'', ''Rang De Basanti'', '' Miss ...
, the cinematographer, decided to use shadow lighting as he was tired of the way Hindi films were lit. His main inspiration for the visuals of ''Parinda'' was
Gordon Willis
Gordon Hugh Willis Jr., (May 28, 1931 – May 18, 2014) was an American cinematographer and film director. He is best known for his photographic work on eight Woody Allen films (including ''Annie Hall'' and ''Manhattan''), six Alan J. Pakula fi ...
's cinematography in ''
The Godfather
''The Godfather'' is a 1972 American crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling 1969 novel of the same title. The film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caa ...
'' (1972). He had put
diffusion
Diffusion is the net movement of anything (for example, atoms, ions, molecules, energy) generally from a region of higher concentration to a region of lower concentration. Diffusion is driven by a gradient in Gibbs free energy or chemical ...
materials, like a piece of white cloth or tracing paper, in front of the light to make it softer and more natural.
According to Chopra, the use of natural lighting was a way for them to function on a limited budget. To decide the look and texture of the film, Chopra and Pradhan looked at the paintings of
Rembrandt
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (, ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), usually simply known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker and draughtsman. An innovative and prolific master in three media, he is generally cons ...
,
Vincent van Gogh
Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2,100 artworks, inc ...
and
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially rested on ...
.
The sequence in which Karan and Prakash reunite was filmed at
Kabootar Khana, a Mumbai landmark where hundreds of pigeons gather.
Chopra said this location was "one of the first things I spotted, probably because of all the pigeons flying around, when I stepped out of
Dadar station. I thought
hat
A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
the pigeons would
..convey the concept of emancipation of the spirit of the dying man".
Shopkeepers in that area shut their shops for the shoot, believing that Chopra was the younger brother of the Prime Minister.
The film's climax, when Anna kills Paro and Kishan, was shot at the
Gateway of India
The Gateway of India is an arch-monument built in the early 20th century in the city of Mumbai (Bombay), India. It was erected to commemorate the landing of King-Emperor George V, the first British monarch to visit India, in December 1911 a ...
over three years on New Year Eve, as they did not have the budget to assemble a crowd.
''Parinda'' was shot over the course of 66 working days.
Some sequences were also shot at the
Babulnath
Babulnath Mandir is an ancient Shiva mandir in Mumbai, India. Situated on a small hillock near Girgaum Chowpatty, it is one of oldest mandirs in the city, Shiva in the form of the Lord of the Babul tree is the main deity in this temple. The f ...
temple. The song "Pyar Ke Mod Pe" was shot in six to seven minutes as Chopra wanted to shoot the entire song in one sunset. The
shoestring budget also resulted in Chopra and Patekar bringing their own water bottles to set.
Suresh Oberoi
Suresh Oberoi (born 17 December 1946) is an Indian actor and politician who appeared in Hindi films. He is a recipient of the 1987 National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor. He started his career in radio shows, modelling and later moving ...
learned to play the flute from
Danny Denzongpa
Tshering Phintso "Danny" Denzongpa (born 25 February 1948) is an Indian actor, singer and film director who primarily works in Hindi films. He has acted in over 190 films since 1971. In 2003, Denzongpa was awarded the Padma Shree, India's four ...
, who had earlier been cast in the role of Abdul but was unable to perform in the film.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Sanjay Leela Bhansali (; born 24 February 1963) is an Indian filmmaker, director, screenwriter, and music composer who is known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is the recipient of several awards, including four National Film Awards, ten Filmfar ...
served as the associate director for songs in the film.
The editing was done by
Renu Saluja
Renu Saluja (5 July 1952 – 16 August 2000) was an Indian film editor. In the 1980s and 1990s, she worked with both mainstream and art house Hindi cinema directors, including Govind Nihalani, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Sudhir Mishra, Shekhar Kapoor, ...
.
For a shot in the film where Shroff slaps Kapoor, Kapoor completed 30 takes until he was satisfied with his performance.
The screenplay of ''Parinda'' was written by Chopra and
Shiv Kumar Subramaniam
Shiv Kumar Subramaniam (23 December 1959 – 10 April 2022) was an Indian actor and screenwriter who is known for his role as the leading industrial tycoon I. M. Virani in the Indian television serial ''Mukti Bandhan'' on Colors channel. H ...
, who also acted in the film.
The dialogues were penned by
Imtiyaz Husain
Imtiyaz Husain is an Indian film writer. He wrote the 2000 film ''Astitva'' with Mahesh Manjrekar.
Filmography As an actor
* Vaastav: The Reality (1999)
* Ghulam-E-Mustafa (1997) as Minister Imtiyaz
* Parinda (1989) as Dara
As a writer
* Ann ...
.
Made on a production budget of , the entire film was shot and set in Mumbai; it was distributed by
Vinod Chopra Films
Vinod Chopra Films is an Indian film production company owned and operated by Hindi film-maker Vidhu Vinod Chopra
Vidhu Vinod Chopra (born 5 September 1952) is an Indian film director, producer, editor, screenwriter, lyricist and actor. ...
.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack of ''Parinda'' was composed by
R. D. Burman and its lyrics were written by Khurshid Hallauri. The album consisted of seven songs, including two versions of "Kitni Hai Pyari Pyari"—one sad and one slow. The song "Tum Se Milke" also had a sad version. The vocals were performed by
Asha Bhosle
Asha Bhosle (; Mangeshkar; born 8 September 1933) is an Indian playback singer, entrepreneur
and occasional actress and television personality who predominantly works in Indian Cinema. Known for her versatility, she has been described in th ...
,
Suresh Wadkar
Suresh Ishwar Wadkar (born 7 August 1955) is an Indian playback singer. He performs in both Hindi and Marathi films. He has sung songs in some Bhojpuri films, Odia albums and bhajans and in Konkani films.
He was awarded the Sangeet Natak ...
,
Sadhana Sargam
Sadhana Sargam (née Ghanekar, born 7 March 1969) is an Indian singer known for her playback career in Indian cinema predominantly in Hindi, Bengali, Telugu and Tamil language films. She is a recipient of the National Film Award and Filmfare ...
and
Shailendra Singh.
The soundtrack album of the film was released in January 1989 under the banner of Weston Musicassettes (now
Tips Industries Limited
Tips Industries Limited is an Indian music record label and film production, film promotion, and film distribution company in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It was founded by Kumar S. Taurani and Ramesh S. Taurani in 1975. Its distributors serve ...
). It marked the debut of Shantanu Mukherjee (later known as
Shaan) and
Sagarika Mukherjee
Sagarika Mukherjee (born 4 September 1970), also known as Saag, is an Indian singer and actress. She sings mainly in Hindi, Assamese and Bengali language songs but has also sung in Tamil and Telugu languages. She is the daughter of singer ...
as an adult playback singer.
''
Filmfare
''Filmfare'' is an Indian English-language fortnightly magazine published by Worldwide Media. Acknowledged as one of Indian most popular entertainment magazines, it publishes pieces involving news, interviews, photos, videos, reviews, events, an ...
'' wrote about ''Parinda''s music in their "100 Filmfare Days" series, stating, "RD Burman's music adds depth to Parinda's drama".
The music of "Tum Se Milke" is based on
Leo Sayer
Gerard Hugh "Leo" Sayer (born 21 May 1948) is an English-Australian singer and songwriter whose singing career has spanned five decades. He has been an Australian citizen and resident since 2009.
Sayer launched his career in the United Kingdom ...
's 1977 single "
When I Need You".
Release, reception and legacy
''Parinda'' was released theatrically on 3 November 1989. The film was promoted with the tagline, "the most powerful film ever made". In a 2010 interview, film critic and Chopra's wife
Anupama Chopra
Anupama Chopra () is an Indian author, journalist, film critic and director of the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. She is also the founder and editor of the digital platform Film Companion, which offers a curated look at cinema. She has written sev ...
noted, "there was so much buzz about ''Parinda''" before its release. After the film's release, Chopra went to Alankar cinema in
Girgaon to see the audience's reactions, but found some people were not happy with it because the lead characters are killed.
''Parinda'' is credited by several critics for introducing
realism
Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to:
In the arts
*Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts
Arts movements related to realism include:
* Classical Realism
*Literary realism, a mov ...
into mainstream Hindi cinema and redefining the portrayal of the underworld in films.
It is also considered a landmark film and one of the best of Indian cinema.
Cinematographer
Sudeep Chatterjee
Sudeep Chatterjee ( bn, সুদীপ চ্যাটার্জী) is an Indian cinemaatographer, who mainly works in Hindi films and Bengali films. He has collaborated with critically acclaimed directors like Buddhadeb Dasgupta, Nagesh ...
felt that during the 1970s and 1980s "the image lost its importance". He credits ''Parinda'' for changing that and said the film "introduced a completely new imagery, started a new trend."
The film was included in
News18
Network18 Media & Investments Limited, (formerly SGA Finance and Management Service and Network18 Fincap Limited) commonly referred to as the Network18 Group and sometimes as the Network18–Eenadu Group, is an Indian media conglomerate owned b ...
's 2013 list of the "100 greatest Indian films of all time", ''Mint'' list of "70 iconic films of Indian cinema", ''Filmfare''s "100 Filmfare Days" series, the "70 iconic movies of independent India" list and the book ''100 Bollywood Films'' by Rachel Dwyer.
Chopra, despite having made two critically acclaimed films, remained relatively unknown until ''Parinda''s release. While reviewing
Vikram Chandra's 2007 novel ''
Sacred Games'', critic Carl Bromley called the film "hands down the most powerful and influential Hindi gangster film of the last two decades." He also mentioned that the book's legacy "might prove similar to ''Parinda''s." Abhishek Srivastava of ''
Firstpost
''Firstpost'' is an Indian online news and media website. The site is a part of the Network 18 media conglomerate owned by Reliance Industries, which also runs CNN-News18
CNN-News18 (originally CNN-IBN) is an Indian English-language ne ...
'' called the film "in true sense a precursor to the mafia films
Ram Gopal Varma experimented with".
Filmmaker
Nikkhil Advani
Nikhil Suresh Advani (born 28 April 1971) is an Indian film and television director, writer and producer who works in Hindi cinema. He along with his sister, Monisha Advani and Madhu Bhojwani, co-founded the entertainment company Emmay Entert ...
credits ''Parinda'' for changing his life and inspiring him to become a director. Director
Dibakar Banerjee
Dibakar Banerjee (born 21 June 1969) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, producer and advertisement-filmmaker known for his work in Hindi films. Banerjee started his career in advertising, being a feature filmmaker, he still continues t ...
said in an interview that ''Parinda'' was a game-changer for him.
Anurag Kashyap
Anurag Kashyap (born 10 September 1972) is an Indian filmmaker and actor known for his works in Hindi cinema. He is the recipient of several accolades, including four Filmfare Awards. For his contributions to film, the Government of France awa ...
said the first two Indian films which "impacted" him with their violence were ''Parinda'' and ''
Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one o ...
'' (1990). He said the scene involving a dead body being dumped inside a wood machine, Patekar's character and the fire scene in the climax, had an emotional impact on him. The film is credited for showing the way for realistic crime films in Hindi cinema in following years. Patekar's role as the psychopathic don is considered to be one of the best performances of his career. Film-critic Gayatri Gauri of ''Firstpost'' wrote, "''Parinda'' was well-crafted, slickly-written and brilliantly executed". It was selected as the
official Indian submission for the 1990
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...
but was not nominated.
Chopra co-wrote, produced and directed ''
Broken Horses
'' Broken Horses'' is a 2015 American mystery thriller film directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra and starring Anton Yelchin, Chris Marquette, Vincent D'Onofrio, María Valverde, Thomas Jane, and Sean Patrick Flanery. It was released on April 10, 2015 ...
'' (2015), an English-language
Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywoo ...
remake of ''Parinda''. The film starred
Vincent D'Onofrio
Vincent Philip D'Onofrio (; born June 30, 1959) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his supporting and leading roles in both film and television. He has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award.
His roles include Private Leonar ...
,
Anton Yelchin
Anton Viktorovich Yelchin ( rus, Антон Викторович Ельчин, p=ɐnˈton ˈvʲiktərəvʲɪtɕ ˈjelʲtɕɪn; March 11, 1989 – June 19, 2016) was an American actor. Born in the Soviet Union to a Russian Jewish family, he emigr ...
and
Chris Marquette (corresponding to the roles of Anna, Karan and Kishan, respectively). It was released on 9 April 2015, receiving generally unfavorable reviews and became a box office failure.
In 2012, several films of Chopra were released theatrically as part of a retrospective, including ''Parinda''. In April 2017, Chopra submitted the supplementary materials from six of his films to the preservation vaults of
National Film Archive of India
The National Film Archive of India (NFAI) was established as a media unit of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in February 1964. It is was a member of the International Federation of Film Archives.
In March 2022, it was merged wit ...
. The materials include lobby cards, film posters, song booklets, contact sheets, promotional catalogues and working stills from ''Khamosh'', ''Parinda'', ''
1942: A Love Story'' (1994), ''
Mission Kashmir
''Mission Kashmir'' is a 2000 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed and produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. The film stars Sanjay Dutt, Hrithik Roshan, Jackie Shroff, Preity Zinta, and Sonali Kulkarni. It deals with terrorism and t ...
'' (2000) and ''
Eklavya: The Royal Guard'' (2007). The film is also available on
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...
.
Analysis
''Parinda'' is noted for the realism it introduced to mainstream Hindi cinema; several critics drew parallels between the violence and the location in the film. Author and film professor Ranjani Mazumdar in her book ''Bombay Cinema: An Archive of the City'' wrote that ''Parinda'' uses some popular locations such as the Gateway of India, a nearby fountain and the Babulnath temple as "spaces of terror". She wrote, "These display sites, which are central to the cartography of Bombay, are turned into nodes of violence and death". Mazumdar also said the film destroyed the image of Bombay as the 'dream city' and turned it into a violent nightmare.
According to ''Filmfare'', the film blurs the lines of black and white for its heroes and adds shades of grey to the villain; writing, "As two brothers face-off on conflicting sides of morality, ''Parinda'' speaks of themes like family values, bonding, unemployment, illegal trades etc."
Ashish Rajadhyaksha and Paul Willemen note in their book ''Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema'' that ''Parinda'' represented a "postmodern variation" of the crime genre in Hindi cinema.
The film also explores the themes of childhood and memory; all its major characters are orphans.
The city in the film is shattered into "dark, morbid spaces with all the characters framed within a light and shadow zone".
Tapan K. Ghosh, in his book ''Bollywood Baddies: Villains, Vamps and Henchmen in Hindi Cinema'', said the film showcased the sociopolitical scenario of that time and showed "smuggling rivalry on a gruesome scale". Authors Swaralipi Nandi and Esha Chatterjee, in their book ''Spectacles of Blood: A Study of Masculinity and Violence in Postcolonial Films'', drew metaphorical similarities between ''Parinda'' and
Martin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of many major accolades, incl ...
's crime film ''
Mean Streets'' (1973), saying both films explore the masculinity of young men who commit violence and reject societal norms because of a lack of guidance. Through its frequent use of night shots and dark spaces, ''Parinda'' uses the aesthetics of
film noir
Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American '' ...
in its visual style.
Accolades
At the
37th National Film Awards
The 37th National Film Awards, presented by Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India to felicitate the best of Indian Cinema released in the year 1989. Ceremony took place in Ma ...
, Patekar received the
National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor
The National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor, officially known as the Rajat Kamal Award for the Best Supporting Actor (), is an honour presented annually at India's National Film Awards ceremony by the Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF), an ...
for ''Parinda'' and Saluja the
Best Editing Award. At the
35th Filmfare Awards
The 35th Filmfare Awards were held in 1990.
''Maine Pyaar Kiya'' led the ceremony with 12 nominations, followed by ''Chandni (film), Chandni'' with 10 nominations, and ''Ram Lakhan'' with 9 nominations.
Sooraj Barjatya's ''Maine Pyaar Kiya'' w ...
, the film was nominated in six categories and won five of them.
See also
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References
Sources
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Further reading
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External links
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{{Indian submission for Academy Awards
1980s Hindi-language films
1989 crime drama films
1989 films
Films about brothers
Films about organised crime in India
Films directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra
Films featuring a Best Supporting Actor National Film Award-winning performance
Films scored by R. D. Burman
Films set in Mumbai
Films whose editor won the Best Film Editing National Award
Hindi films remade in other languages
Indian crime drama films
Indian gangster films