Pinjar (2003) User Reviews

Excellent!

[grkhetan · 9/10 · 16 February 2004]

Pinjar is a genuinely good film, with great acting, good narrative, good presentation, touching emotions, etc.

It seems to me that the quality of films that Bollywood is producing is quite improving these days, and this film is one evidence.

No Bollywood movie that I can remember of made such an impact on me - I was literally thinking about the movie for hours - marvelling at the various emotional situations that test the human in a human.

The film rests on the great acting of Urmilla Matondkar, and also some from Manoj Bajpai. Urmilla plays a girl in North India in the background of the partition, and all troubles seem sweet if compared with the problems she happens to face.

A must-see film. A technically superior Bollywood product, which I feel is comparable to the best movies coming out of other countries in the world.

Different Bollywood

[badmaash9911 · 9/10 · 30 December 2004]

Many of the reviewers have made it a point to note that Pinjar is unlike the run of the mill films produced in Bollywood. While this is true, Bollywood films in general are geared to a specific audience and should be appreciated for accomplishing their aims in this regard.

However,Pinjar is an excellent film for those seeking a change from the normal equation based Bollywood film. Set during the time of Partition between India and Pakistan, Pinjar focuses on a Punjabi girl who becomes the victim of societal and cultural attitudes toward the treatment of women in her time. Paro, the protagonist, is forced to choose between a life with a man who has abducted her and the fleeting hope of a life with her family back in Indian ruled Punjab. More than an issue of Hindus and Muslims, Pinjar addresses and defines a woman's role as a daughter, as a wife, and as a mother in India and Pakistan in 1947. Unlike typical Bollywood films which are escapist in nature, Pinjar is a film that makes its audience contemplate these issues during and after the film.

Breathtaking and deeply emotional saga...(keep a box of tissues handy though)

[JAGDEVS · 9/10 · 24 January 2004]

Pinjar is one of the few movies that really leaves a mark and makes you think hard. Set in Partition India, this film Shows the true reality of partition India. Urmila gets full marks for her beautiful and deeply emotional portrayal of a suffering woman with no way to go. Her freedom, personal identity and family respect taken away overnight over a tragic land dispute. Manoj bajpai is simply brilliant as her remorseful abductor. There several moments in the film where one is brought to tears. The film at points is deeply traumatic. Some of the partition scenes are spine chilling, yet Urmila's endurance and survival are both remarkable. From a woman robbed of her freedom to woman who gave freedom to women in similar situations. A remarkable film that should be given credit for intelligent characters and storytelling.

In a word...amazing.

[Manisha_Mishra · 10/10 · 25 January 2005]

In a word...amazing.

I initially was not too keen to watch Pinjar since I thought this would be another movie lamenting over the partition and would show biases towards India and Pakistan. I was so totally wrong. Pinjar is a heart-wrenching, emotional and intelligent movie without any visible flaws. I was haunted by it after watching it. It lingered on my mind for so long; the themes, the pain, the loss, the emotion- all was so real.

This is truly a masterpiece that one rarely gets to see in Bollywood nowadays. It has no biases or prejudices and has given the partition a human story. Here, no one country is depicted as good or bad. There are evil Indians, evil Pakistanis and good Indians and Pakistanis. The cinematography is excellent and the music is melodious, meaningful (thanks to Gulzar sahib) and haunting. Everything about the movie was amazing...and the acting just took my breath away. All were perfectly cast.

If you are interested in watching an intellectual and genuinely wonderful movie...look no further. This movie gives it all. I recommend it with all my heart. AMAZING cannot describe how excellent it is.

A movie for the thinking public

[shobra · 1 November 2004]

I was haunted for days after watching this movie. Spent several nights tossing and turning. What makes this movie stand out is the authenticity. Since the movie is based on a novel by Amrita Pritam, a woman who experienced the trauma of partition first hand, the original story was bound to have a soul. Add to that Dwivedi's penchant for perfection, and we have a classic.

Urmila's relation with Manoj Bajpai, and the way it evolves, could not have been portrayed more authentically. The guilt on Manoj Bajpai's face makes your heart reach out to him. You want to go there and console him, tell him its not his fault.

Lilette Dubey's lullaby (original poetry by Amrita Pritam), can bring tears to the eyes. The scene where Urmila self aborts or the one where she tries to wash away the tattoo from her hand, stand out. The way she rescues Sandhali Sinha brings a sad smile to your face. And the climax is so poignant, there are no words to describe it.

This movie should have been India's official entry for the Oscars and should have participated in each and every film festival anywhere in the world. In fact, Amrita Pritam deserves a Nobel prize for this one. I have never seen a better Bollywood movie, and don't think ever will.

remarkably different

[murali83 · 10/10 · 3 September 2005]

A very good adaptation of the novel by amrita pritam. Urmila and manoj bajpai have given their best.

there is a natural flair in the movie and i felt it right through. It looked like bollywood finally gave away it's glamor and had some quality artists performing on screen.

Content wise, the movie depicted very much what exactly happened during partition by showing the sufferings of a particular family and also shows that trust in one's life goes beyond religion.

The best part was they did not make it a drama with a lot of tear shedding and melodrama.

I simply loved it.

Finally, a sincere movie on the Indo-Pak issue

[AishFan · 9/10 · 12 February 2004]

This movie was absolutely wonderful. The pre-partition time and culture has been recreated beautifully. Urmila has given yet another brilliant performance. What I truly admire about this movie is that it doesn't resort to Pakistan-bashing that is running rampant in movies like Gadar and LOC. With the partition as a backdrop, the movie does not divert to political issues or focus on violence or what is right and wrong. The movie always centers around the tragic story of Urmila's life. Her fragile relationship with Manoj Bajpai has been depicted excellently. The movie actually shows how the people, both Hindus and Muslims, have suffered from this partition. The theme that there is only one religion is truly prevalent in this film.

A sad commentary on Hindu psyche

[anshul2001anshul · 9/10 · 21 July 2007]

Superb. I had initially thought that given Amrita Pritam's communist leanings and Dr Dwivedi's nationalist leanings film will be more frank than novel but when I read the novel I was surprised to find that it was reverse.

Kudos to marita Pritam for not being pseudo-sec and to Dr Dwivedi to be objective. This movie touches a sensitive topic in a sensitive way. Casualty of any war are women as some poet said and this movie personifies it. It is also a sad commentary on Hindu psyche as they can't stand up against kidnappers of their girls or the Hindu Brother who can only burn the fields of his tormentor. On the other hand it also shows economic angles behind partition or in fact why girls were kidnapped in the first place. I think kidnappers thought that by kidnapping girls they Will become legal owners of the houses and thus new govt. will not be able to ask them to return the houses. This apart one has to salute the courage of characters of Puro and her Bhabhi they are two simple village girls unmindful of outside world and risk everytihng by trying to come back after being dishonored . Because there are many documented cases when such women were not accepted by their families in India.

No wonder that it required a woman to understand the pains of other women.

Emotionally and Dramatically Tough but Technically and Mathematically Rough.

[SAMTHEBESTEST · 7/10 · 3 November 2020]

Pinjar (2003) : Brief Review -

Emotionally and Dramatically Tough but Technically and Mathematically Rough. Pinjar didn't made it clear till the end that what was the actual motive of the script writer? Was it a love story beyond religious hatred or was it about ending Religious hatred that took place in partition era or was it a national drama trying to deal with cliche topic like Hindu-Muslim? There have been so many things in just one script that not a single ine got enough exploration and justice. Well it could be called a plus point on contrary to the earliee statement that the film explored multiple topics at once. However, the overall impact remains quite rough because the narrative doesn't give enough time to settle and get enough till the core to those multiple dimensions. Positively Pinjar is toughon emotional and dramatic portion because topics like woman slaving and hindu-muslim riots are never going to look bad or crap. It's just about how it is presented unless there's something new and innovative coming out of it. Pinjar deals with several serious issues but the essence isn't derived by settled segments which makes it look unstable on mathematical and technical level. The best part of Pinjar is acting by all the actors especially Urmila Matondkar, Manoj Bajpayee, Sanjay Suri and Sandali Sinha. Technical features like Cinematography, Editing, Sound, Background Score all are average in best case but what hurts the most is it's screenplay which doesn't completely prove any single topic despite long runtime of 183 minutes. Chandraprakash Dwivedi could have handled it better but before that it needed improvisation in on paper script. Gadar (2001) made on similar topic came out better than Pinjar despite massy elements. Overall, Pinjar is Graduation Level Film told on Matriculation Level. A very good film but could have been a Classic.

RATING - 7/10*

By - #samthebestest

If you haven't seen this film, you need to.

[jbengel-2 · 10/10 · 16 April 2007]

I come to Pinjar from a completely different background than most of the other reviewers who have posted here. I'm relatively new to Bollywood films and was born and raised in the US. So I don't have a broad basis for comparing Pinjar to other Indian films. Luckily, no comparison is needed.

Pinjar stands on its own as nothing less than a masterpiece.

In one line I can tell you that Pinjar is one of the most important films to come out of any studio anywhere at any time. On a mass-appeal scale, it *could* have been the Indian equivalent of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" had it been adequately promoted in the US. This could very well have been the film that put Bollywood on the American map. The American movie-going public has a long-standing love affair with "Gone With the Wind", and while Pinjar doesn't borrow from that plot there are some passing similarities. Not the least of which is the whopping (by US standards) 183-minute run time.

Set against the gritty backdrop of the India-Pakistan partition in 1947-48 is a compelling human drama of a young woman imprisoned by circumstances and thrust into troubles she had no hand in creating. Put into an untenable position, she somehow manages to not only survive, but to grow -- and even flourish.

If the story is lacking in any way, it's in the exposition. Puro's (the protagonist) growth as a person would be better illustrated -- at least for western audiences unfamiliar with Indian culture -- if her character's "back story" were more fully developed in the early part of the film. But that would have stretched a 3-hour movie to 3 1/2 hours or perhaps even more. Because not one minute of the film is wasted, and none of what made it out of editing could really be cut for the sake of time. Better that the audience has to fill in some of what came before than to leave out any of what remains.

I could use many words to describe Pinjar: "poignant", "disturbing", "compelling", "heart-wrenching" come to mind immediately. But "uplifting" is perhaps as apropos as any of those. Any story that points up the indomitability of the human spirit against the worst of odds has to be considered such. And Puro's triumph -- while possibly not immediately evident to those around her -- is no less than inspirational. For strength of story alone I cannot recommend this film highly enough.

Equally inspiring is Urmila Matondkar's portrayal of Puro. All too often overlooked amid the bevy of younger, newer actresses, Urmila has the unique capability to deliver a completely credible character in any role she plays. She doesn't merely act Puro's part, she breathes life into the character. Manoj Bajpai's selection as Rashid was inspired. He manages something far too few Indian film heroes can: subtlety. His command of expression and nuance is essential to the role. He brings more menace to the early part of the film with his piercing stare than all of the sword-wielding rioters combined.

If you only see one Bollywood film in your life, make it Pinjar.

A memorable story of partition of Bharat, could have been developed better

[BakulDalal · 7/10 · 3 December 2008]

A complex story laid on the background of partition of Bharat. An honest Muslim who kidnaps an innocent Hindu girl, and an educated Hindu who burns the harvest of a Muslim man - yet in the end you end up liking them both. The story is powerful, yet the screenplay and flow are hesitant. Background music score and the songs are outstanding. Next comes memorable acting by veteran Urmila Matondkar. Photography captures the time, the violence, and flavor of rural Punjab very well. Others actors either did not act well, or did not get a chance to act. Direction is really the weakest link. The characters were not developed well. Not crisp, in contrast to "the Earth", where even a 5-line character leaves a mark. The end is very interesting. This story could have several different ending - and all of them could have been equally good.

One of the best!

[poochki23 · 10/10 · 17 March 2004]

I have been a Hindi movie buff since the age of 4 but never in my life have a watched such a moving and impacting movie, especially as a Hindi film. In the past several years, I had stopped watching contemporary Hindi movies and reverted to watching the classics (Teesri Kasam, Mere Huzoor, Madhumati, Mother India, Sholay, etc.) But this movie changed everything. It is one of the best movies I have ever seen. I found it not only to be moving but also found it to be very educational for someone who is a first generation Indian woman growing up in America. It helped me to understand my own family history, which was always something very abstract to me. But, to "see" it, feel it and understand it helped me to sympathize with the generations before me and the struggle that Indian people endured. The film helped to put many things into perspective for me, especially considering the current world events. I never thought that a movie could change the way I think like this before... it did. The plot is fantastic, the acting superb and the direction is flawless. Two thumbs up!

Overrated

[AshishSinha2711 · 1/10 · 16 March 2020]

Just didn't connect to the emotions of the movie so it didn't worked for me. I Felt So Bored throughout the movie, was watching this Movie with My Uncle & He also felt the same !!! Maybe it's a Masterpiece Cinema for Class people but for Me It's total Disappointment !!! And Maybe That's why This film Was Huge Disaster at the BoxOffice.

a modern day classical art epic

[jungleking · 19 April 2004]

wow wow wow wow wow

This unquestionable loss of words is what I felt like when I saw Pinjar. Going in not expecting anything from the movie was a good way to stay objective, but having watched it, it really makes you think of all the suffering and torment that went on during partition. Being born and brought up in the west, one tends to forget the pain and the struggle that our forefathers and mothers must have gone through. I would have to quote this as one of the most serious art movie that bollywood has made in some time. Although in my view an art movie, it managed to churn out wonderful cinematography, narration, characters and pace. Before this movie I was very dismissive of Urmila and this had made me change my view on her acting capabilities.

A definite movie to watch on a Sunday afternoon with a nice cup of chai.

The greatest creation of 2003.

[irisstrings · 10/10 · 3 December 2003]

Pinjar by Mr dwivedi is an awesome movie. Its definitely the greaest and finest of 2003. There are very good performances in it. Dwivedi knows what he can extract from MAST Urmila. she is like u have never seen before. one true great performance. along with her is a fine actor Manoj bajpai, who has shown bollywood what he is with Bhiku Mhatre. The movie is about a girl(Urmila) living in Pre-partition pakistan. she is from a punjabi family livin in a small town. she is been kidnapped by a muslim guy as a part of a going-on-for-years kinda fight with the punjabi family. and then follows a series of twists and turns as urmila's arranged marriage is due in few days. this movie is truly a very good movie. the storyline is solid with an amazing screenplay. all the performances like lillete dubey, isha koppikar (u wont believ but she can act as well besides jus dancin on Khallas), kulbhushan kharbanda and many more. those sets with pre-partition pakistan, costumes, cinematography, sound, background score add to the positive points. from the start till the end u r stuck to u'r seat with the question whats next? this movie is not jus worth watchin but deserved to be a part of your movie collection. the ultimate scene is the end of the movie. i would suggest all those No-Kabhi-Khushi-Kabhi-gum-and-No-Dil-To-Pagal-Hai crowd to watch this amazing flick. my rating: 10/10.

very well-made, and difficult to watch

[vrbass-1 · 9/10 · 1 June 2006]

This is a extremely well-made film. The acting, script and camera-work are all first-rate. The music is good, too, though it is mostly early in the film, when things are still relatively cheery. There are no really superstars in the cast, though several faces will be familiar. The entire cast does an excellent job with the script.

But it is hard to watch, because there is no good end to a situation like the one presented. It is now fashionable to blame the British for setting Hindus and Muslims against each other, and then cruelly separating them into two countries. There is some merit in this view, but it's also true that no one forced Hindus and Muslims in the region to mistreat each other as they did around the time of partition. It seems more likely that the British simply saw the tensions between the religions and were clever enough to exploit them to their own ends.

The result is that there is much cruelty and inhumanity in the situation and this is very unpleasant to remember and to see on the screen. But it is never painted as a black-and-white case. There is baseness and nobility on both sides, and also the hope for change in the younger generation.

There is redemption of a sort, in the end, when Puro has to make a hard choice between a man who has ruined her life, but also truly loved her, and her family which has disowned her, then later come looking for her. But by that point, she has no option that is without great pain for her.

This film carries the message that both Muslims and Hindus have their grave faults, and also that both can be dignified and caring people. The reality of partition makes that realisation all the more wrenching, since there can never be real reconciliation across the India/Pakistan border. In that sense, it is similar to "Mr & Mrs Iyer".

In the end, we were glad to have seen the film, even though the resolution was heartbreaking. If the UK and US could deal with their own histories of racism with this kind of frankness, they would certainly be better off.

Best of Best

[vjkaram · 10/10 · 24 July 2008]

I don't have words to describe how good this movie is. Only a genius like Amrita Pritam could have written such a real depiction of the days of partition. The movie kept haunting me for many days.

Urmila did the role of her life in this movie. She put life in the role of Puroo and Manoj Vajpai did no less in his role as Rashid. It is hard to imagine anyone other than these two doing the role of Puroo and Rashid. The Punjabi costumes looked so natural on Urmila and Manoj looked like a natural Punjabi Mussalmaan.

Sandhali Sinha as Lajjo and Suri as Ramchand did fabulous job. Priyanshu Chattarjee did good work as Triloki.

Some of the scenes you just can't get out of your mind. When Puroo meets Lajjo for the first time, it brings tears to your eyes. The climax is just killer. I was expecting a tragic ending but thankfully, the ending was wonderful.

This movie is in the same category as Pakeezah, Mughal-e-Azam, Banaras etc. Not to be missed.

Wonderful story

[its_sujen · 9/10 · 9 May 2012]

I by accident picked up the CD from planet M.It was on sale and i was expecting yet another painful partition story.Although its still a story about partition but delightfully different.Story is simply superb, i tried so hard to buy the Amrita pritams novel from book store but in vein.Its a masterpiece, songs could have been little better but performance by urmila matondkar and manoj bajpai more than makes up for the flaw.Above all story by Amrita Pritam is one of the best narrative of partition time without the general bias of Bellwood masala film.

Paro character is memorable one but more than her i loved the character of Rashid, how beautifully he wins over paro for his mistakes.

The end is the best part of the movie you cant help but let tears roll down on face.A movie i bought by accident is number of one on my list of favorites be it be in Hollywood or from Indian film industry.Simply superb sujen

Best Movie from Bollywood, In the same league of Schindler's List or Pianist.

[shahj-78753 · 10/10 · 17 November 2021]

I don't remember how many times I watched this movie since 2003. Time to time I watch to experience the time and era of 1946-1947 Indian independence and Partition. Realistic and unbiased depiction of the situation. The Music, Songs, Cinematography takes me back to the time. This movie stays with you, haunts you , transports you to that time. A perfect adaptation of a perfect Story by writer Amrita Pritam.

This is a movie that stands tall and in the same league of movies like Schindler's List or Pianist. You can feel the pain of the that time.

Every character did perfect justice to their role. You see real people in them, stuck in situations that is beyond their control.

I could not find a single dull moment in 3+ Hours length and every song perfectly fit the narative of the movie.

Amazing movie

[krishnashivakumar · 9/10 · 30 October 2011]

I just recently saw this movie and was amazed by it.I have not seen much movies about the partition but so far i think this might be the best partition flick.The story and screenplay was just fabulous and so was the scenes.The characters be it all of them were excellently written.I also liked how the movie was shot it seemed very realistic mostly because its the 1940s.The acting was fab.Urmila was simply brilliant here especially in the climax scene.And one thing i liked about her acting was the way how she used her eyes to emote in many areas which was wonderful.Manoj Bajpai was simply brilliant here also.I also liked the way how the relationship between Puro and Rashid was shown especially in the climax scene.Sanjay Suri and Priyanshu were excellent too.And the actress who played Lajo was good too.I liked her in the scene where she tells Puro that nobody wont accept her and also in the scene where she tells Puro that she wants to escape.The only thing i didn't like about the movie is the length it was over 3 hours and by the last 30-40 minutes it started to bore a bit.The songs were unnecessary but Shaba Ni Shaba and Maar Udaari were nice.Minding the length of this i will say it is an excellent movie and deserves a watch

Movie for people with brains !!!!

[anisa43 · 25 June 2004]

If you like movies with any sense and leave movies like Kal Ho Na Ho and Main Hoon Na for dodos then this is the movie for you. The movie shows the real plight suffered by the people from both side of the border during partition without being biased. There are no chest-thumping dialogues that make your blood boil. But instead it has sensible script that makes you think on whatever happened during partition was it really necessary.

All the cast has put a commendable performances. The director has done a stupendous job first by selecting a topic so volatile and then portraying it in such a beautiful way. Hats off SIR!!!!

Over all a fantastic movie!!!! Rating 9 out of 10.

PS: Here I would like to make a point to the people who make & watch movies like Kal Ho Na Ho, Main Hoon Na, Kaho Na Pyaar Hai. What are you trying to achieve by making & watching eye-candies that don't have any sense. Because of these kind of brainless and baseless movies, good movies like Pinjar goes unnoticed. I think its time for people to decide who deserves more credit Pinjar or Main Hoon Na?????

Took pre-independence period

[naninunna-96152 · 10/10 · 21 April 2021]

I gave 10 rating,

After watching thousands of films, this is the first review I'm giving I think.. What an care director took. Awesome, fantastic epic..

Great work

[singhanamika-55701 · 9/10 · 14 June 2022]

Pinjar is genuinely a master piece by Chandra Prakash Dwivedi. Moreover, Manoj Bajpayee has nailed the role. He has mesmerized with all his roles. Every one has performed well.

Pinjar is a well-made Indian movie

[ravisuman-78641 · 10/10 · 30 June 2020]

Simplicity is the beauty of Pinjar. Well written and directed. Music to match. Excellent acting. A must watch that tells the tale of effect of Islamic aggression. No wonder this movie is not talked about in a so called Secular (pseudo) environment of India where you can't talk about such issues, even historical ones, openly. Kudos to film-maker Dr. Chandraprakash Dwivedi.

Human controlled by emotions

[manish-anandrpr · 10/10 · 21 February 2020]

Every soul has good and bad face and they fight to dominate us. Our decisions and actions categorise us and define path of our life timeline. This movie is a perfect example.