Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDibakar Banerjee
Written byDibakar Banerjee
Varun Grover
Produced byDibakar Banerjee
StarringParineeti Chopra
Arjun Kapoor
CinematographyAnil Mehta
Edited byBakul Baljeet Matiyani
Paramita Ghosh
Music byScore:
Dibakar Banerjee
Songs:
Anu Malik
Dibakar Banerjee
Narendra Chandra
Kamlesh Haripuri
Production
company
DBP
Distributed byYash Raj Films
Release date
  • 19 March 2021 (2021-03-19)[1]
Running time
126 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi
Budget₹20 crore[2]
Box office₹58.125 lakhs[2]

Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar (transl. Sandeep And Pinky Have Absconded) is a 2021 Indian Hindi-language black comedy drama film directed and produced by Dibakar Banerjee with distribution by Yash Raj Films.[3] Parineeti Chopra and Arjun Kapoor star in lead roles.[4] The filming began on 7 November 2017 in Mahipalpur.[5] Initially scheduled for theatrical release on 20 March 2020, the film was postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic in India.[6] After being delayed for a year, it was finally released theatrically on 19 March 2021 and later on Amazon Prime.[1]

Made on the budget of ₹20 crores the film grossed ₹58.125 lakhs globally, emerging as a box office bomb.[2] The critical reception was mixed-to-positive with praise towards the storyline, performances (particularly Chopra), Banerjee's direction and social commentary but criticism towards its slow pacing.[7]

At the 67th Filmfare Awards, Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar received 10 nominations, including Best Film (Critics), Best Actress (Chopra) and Best Supporting Actress (Gupta), and won Best Dialogue (Grover & Banerjee).

Plot

The film opens with a group of friends joking in their SUV while returning home from a party when suddenly, they are killed in a rain of bullets. Several hours earlier, Sandeep Kaur Walia a.k.a. Sandy, a top executive at Parivartan Bank, is waiting for her boss, Parichay, for a dinner date at an upscale restaurant. She meets a journalist, Purva, who invites her to a party later in the evening. Outside, Sandy meets Satinder Dahiya alias "Pinky", who informs her that he is a cop with Haryana police and Parichay has sent a car to take her to a different location. Sandy is annoyed by Pinky's driving, especially since he is continuously on the phone with his boss (informing him of their location) and reveals that she is three months pregnant. Pinky encounters hooting from an SUV of young men and when his boss asks for his car's license plate number, he gives the number of the SUV.

The SUV is stopped at a police checkpost and they start firing indiscriminately at it, as shown in the first scene. Pinky, who is behind the SUV, witnesses the massacre and drives to an isolated place. He concludes that Sandy was the actual target and the police wanted to kill him as well to make Sandy a casualty in a failed operation on a suspended police officer. Pinky calls up his boss Tyagi, the head of a private security firm, who tries to calm him down and demands answers from Sandy but she remains evasive.

Sandy takes Pinky to the party Purva invited her to in order to relax and get a sense of the situation, where she finds that her SM accounts are blocked. The police track her and the duo flees the party. Pinky briefly considers killing Sandy to protect himself but cannot go through with it. He plans to go to Nepal and Sandy asks Pinky to take her with him, promising a million rupees in exchange. They travel by train and then bus to Pithoragarh, a border town to Nepal. Upset by the unsanitary conditions around her, Sandy requests a friendly couple, Aunty and Uncle, in the market to take them as paying guests. Pinky finds an agent who will create fake documents for them to cross over.

Uncle reveals that he has invested four lakhs in the 'Swabhiman' scheme of Parivartan Bank. Sandy is alarmed and helps him to withdraw his money from the scheme. Sandy reveals to Pinky that the Swabhiman scheme was her brainchild: a fraudulent scheme designed to get a vast number of depositors in a small-time to save her sinking bank. During this time, she had an affair with her boss and became pregnant. Sandy wanted to resign after taking her share of 32 crores for the sake of her child, which Parichay refused and is the reason he wants to kill her. She gets Uncle a refund from the scheme at the bank by offering the manager a chance to embezzle a few million rupees using her intimate knowledge of its operations.

Later that night, when the funds are transferred, Parichay's team in Delhi is alerted to Sandy's location. The bank manager recognizes Sandy and tries to rape her but she fights him off and consequently suffers a miscarriage. Pinky tends to Sandy's wounds and cremates her foetus. Sandy cannot bear this loss and goes into shock. Pinky tries to help her recover and they grow closer.

Tyagi traces the two to a wedding procession which they were supposed to use as a disguise to cross the border. Pinky learns of this and calls Tyagi, asking him to let Sandy pass in return for the 1 million he had earlier received from her and he surrender but his boss refuses. Sandy decides to settle some scores and convinces Pinky to leave without her. She returns to the city while Pinky cross-dresses and escapes the police check post.

Sandy understands that if Tyagi's team gets hold of her, she would be killed. She instead surrenders herself to the local police and exposes the scam of Parivartan Bank. Purva visits Sandy in jail and tells her about Parichay's arrest, with six cases of fraud filed against him. Purva points out that Sandy could have received a lighter sentence and more sympathy if she disclosed her miscarriage but Sandy refuses. Purva then gives Sandy a package from P. Thapa, which has been posted from Nepal, addressed to her. It contains only a few photos of kids dancing in a Bollywood dance school in Nepal. Sandy understands it's from Pinky and smiles.

Cast

Production

Yash Raj Films announced the film on 3 July 2017.[8][9] It marks the third collaboration between Kapoor and Chopra after they starred together in Ishaqzaade (2012), which was followed by the two pairing up again in Namaste England (2018).[10]

On 30 October 2017, Arjun Kapoor shared an image of his character which is shown to be a cop.[11][12] On 27 March 2018, the second look of both actors came out giving a glimpse of their different worlds.[13]

Filming took place at the nearby places (Pithoragarh) of Indo-Nepal border of Uttarakhand.[10] To get into their characters, Banerjee insisted the two not to communicate with each other prior to filming and even off-screen.[14] Filming of Arjun's portion wrapped up on 17 January 2018.[15]

Soundtrack

Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar
Soundtrack album by
Anu Malik, Dibakar Banerjee, Narendra Chandra and Kamlesh Haripuri
Released9 March 2021[16]
Recorded2019–20
GenreFeature Film Soundtrack
Length14:33
LanguageHindi
LabelYRF Music
ProducerDibakar Banerjee
Official audio
Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar – Full Album on YouTube

The film's soundtrack is composed by Anu Malik, Dibakar Banerjee, Narendra Chandra and Kamlesh Haripuri, with lyrics written by Anu Malik, Dibakar Banerjee, Pardhaan, Narendra Chandra, Sangeeta Chandra and Kamlesh Haripuri. The film's background score is composed by Dibakar Banerjee.

Track listing
No.TitleLyricsMusicSinger(s)Length
1."Faraar"Anu Malik, Dibakar BanerjeeAnu MalikAnu Malik5:42
2."Don"Pardhaan, Narendra ChandraNarendra ChandraPardhaan, Narendra Chandra2:46
3."iPhone"Narendra Chandra, Sangeeta ChandraNarendra ChandraSohaan Khan3:27
4."Maata Dharti Par Aaja"Dibakar Banerjee, Kamlesh HaripuriDibakar Banerjee, Kamlesh HaripuriKamlesh Haripuri1:42
5."Maa Ka Bulaava Aayega"Kamlesh HaripuriDibakar Banerjee, Kamlesh HaripuriMangesh Shirke0:56
Total length:14:33

Release

Initially scheduled for release on 20 March 2020, the film release was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[6] The producers announced in May 2020 that the film's release had been postponed until theatres reopen.[17] The film was released in theatres on 19 March 2021.[1]

Reception

Critical response

Upon release, the film received mixed reviews from the film critics who generally praised the performances of the lead actors, particularly of Chopra's but criticised the film for its slow pacing.[7] On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 55% of 11 critics' reviews are positive.[18]

Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV awarded the film 3.5 stars (out of 5) and wrote, ‘‘Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar is an inspired cinematic essay that draws strength from upending time-worn tics’’.[19] Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express gave the film 3 stars (out of 5) and wrote, ‘‘Dibakar Banerji, who has a nuanced eye when it comes to depicting power play and class differences in the NCR, should have given us a tighter film’’.[20] Sukanya Verma of Rediff gave the film 3 stars (out of 5) and stated, ‘‘Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar is an intriguing mess’’.[21] Stutee Ghosh of The Quint gave the film a score of 3 (out of 5) and wrote, ‘‘Devoid of excesses and dramatic highs, the sparseness with which Banerjee steers the story adds meaning and subtly. While mainstream Bollywood fares spell out every little detail and even hammer it repeatedly, Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar fervently sticks to its austerity’’.[22] Anupama Chopra of Film Companion wrote, ‘‘Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar doesn't have the pacing that you might expect in a chase film. The narrative has long stretches that plod dangerously. But ultimately, Dibakar steers it to a climax that is both stinging and satisfying’’.[23]

Anna M. M. Vetticad of Firstpost gave the film 2.75 stars (out of 5) and wrote, ‘‘The film is a mixed bag but I found myself drawn to its quietude and to its heartening conviction that kindness may be found in the most unexpected places and the most unexpected persons could turn out to be allies, sometimes without the expectation of anything in return’’.[24] Ronak Kotecha of Times of India gave 2.5 stars (out of 5) and wrote, ‘‘Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar is one of those neo-noir films that set out with a promise to engage, entertain and educate by slowly unraveling its layered subtext. But with its preposterous execution and frustratingly slow pace, it’s the audience who might want to escape, much before Sandeep and Pinky’’.[25] Film critic based at Bollywood Hungama gave the film 2 stars (out of 5) and wrote, ‘‘Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar has a bearable first half but goes terribly downhill in the second hour’’. However, they praised Chopra and Kapoor by stating that they delivered a ‘‘convincing’’ and ‘‘restrained’’ respectively.[26] Tanul Thakur of The Wire (India) called the film “a joyless, drab watch” and stated that its Banerjee’s most ‘‘underwhelming’’ movie. He wrote, ‘‘The most obvious culprits are the lead actors who struggle to bring any kind of magnetism or chemistry to their roles’’.[27]

Box office

The film was released in 375 screens on 19 March 2021.[2] The film earned ₹6 lakhs on its opening day and the opening weekend collection was ₹20 lakhs.[2]

In its complete theatrical run the film grossed ₹40 lakh in India and ₹18.125 lakh overseas, for a worldwide gross collection of ₹58.125 lakhs.[2]

Accolades

Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
2022 67th Filmfare Awards Best Film (Critics) Dibakar Banerjee Nominated [28]
Best Actress Parineeti Chopra Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Neena Gupta Nominated
Best Story Dibakar Banerjee,
Varun Grover		 Nominated
Best Screenplay Nominated
Best Dialogue Won
Best Cinematography Anil Mehta Nominated
Best Costume Design Rohit Chaturvedi Nominated
Best Editing Bakul Baljeet Matiyani Nominated
Best Production Design Aparna Sud, Garima Mathur Nominated
28th Lions Gold Awards Powerhouse Performer of The Year Parineeti Chopra Won [29]
FOI Online Awards Best Feature Film Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar Nominated [30]
Best Director Dibakar Banerjee Nominated
Best Original Screenplay Dibakar Banerjee & Varun Grover Nominated
Best Dialogues Nominated
Best Actress in a Leading Role Parineeti Chopra Nominated
Best Actor in a Supporting Role Raghuvir Yadav Nominated
Best Actress in a Supporting Role Neena Gupta Nominated
Best Performance by an Ensemble Cast Cast of Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar Nominated
Best Cinematography Anil Mehta Nominated
Best Film Editing Bakul Baljeet Matiyani Nominated
Best Music Direction – Score Dibakar Banerjee Nominated
Best Costume Design Rohit Chaturvedi Nominated
Best Choreography “Faraar” – Vaibhavi Merchant Nominated

Home media

On 20 May 2021, the movie began streaming on Amazon Prime Video and was positively received.[31][32][33]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "BREAKING:Yash Raj Films unveils release dates of its forthcoming films!". Bollywood Hungama. 17 February 2021. Archived from the original on 17 February 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar – Movie – Box Office India". Box Office India. 19 March 2021. Archived from the original on 6 April 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  3. ↑ "Parineeti Chopra on Arjun Kapoor's look in Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar: I think he is really sexy in his first look". The Indian Express. 2 November 2017. Archived from the original on 20 October 2019. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
  4. ↑ "Shooting of Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar to start this week: Parineeti Chopra". 2 November 2017. Archived from the original on 20 October 2019. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  5. ↑ "Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar: Arjun Kapoor-Parineeti Chopra reunite for Dibakar Banerjee's next". m.indiatoday.in. Archived from the original on 3 July 2017. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
  6. 1 2 "Coronavirus outbreak: Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar release pushed; Disney puts production of The Little Mermaid, Home Alone on hold". First Post. 14 March 2020. Archived from the original on 14 March 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  7. 1 2 "Dibakar Banerjee on 'polarised' reviews of Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar: 'Gatekeepers need to be more nuanced'". Hindustan Times. 29 May 2021. Archived from the original on 6 April 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  8. ↑ "Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar: Arjun Kapoor-Parineeti Chopra reunite for Dibakar Banerjee's next". India Today. 3 July 2017. Archived from the original on 24 December 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  9. ↑ "Yash Raj Films Announced their next film under the Title Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar". Movie Alles. 1 August 2018. Archived from the original on 26 October 2019. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  10. 1 2 "Arjun Kapoor ditches beard for Dibakar Banerjee's Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar?". Deccan Chronicle. 2 January 2018. Archived from the original on 4 January 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  11. ↑ Shruti Shiksha (31 October 2017). "Presenting Arjun Kapoor as a Cop in Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar First Look". NDTV. Archived from the original on 4 January 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  12. ↑ "Arjun Kapoor on Twitter". Twitter. Archived from the original on 21 December 2017. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  13. ↑ "#SAPF on Twitter". Twitter. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  14. ↑ "Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar actors Arjun Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra are not talking to each other. Here's why". The Indian Express. 17 November 2018. Archived from the original on 5 January 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  15. ↑ "Arjun Kapoor on Twitter". Twitter. Archived from the original on 26 February 2018. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  16. ↑ "Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack". Jio Saavn. 9 March 2021. Archived from the original on 15 April 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  17. ↑ "REVEALED: Yash Raj Films won't take the OTT bait, to release all their films in cinemas first! : Bollywood News – Bollywood Hungama". Bollywood Hungama. 16 May 2020. Archived from the original on 9 December 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  18. ↑ "Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  19. ↑ "Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar Review: Parineeti Chopra, Arjun Kapoor's Film Is Of Unique Spirit". NDTV. 20 March 2021. Archived from the original on 6 April 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  20. ↑ "Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar review: Two worlds collide in Arjun Kapoor, Parineeti Chopra film". The Indian Express. 7 January 2021. Archived from the original on 6 April 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  21. ↑ "Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar review". Rediff.com. 27 May 2021. Archived from the original on 6 April 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  22. ↑ "'Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar' Has Good Intentions, But Goes Astray". The Quint. 20 March 2021. Archived from the original on 6 April 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  23. ↑ "Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar Is A Masterful Takedown Of Indian Masculinity, Greed And Corruption". Film Companion. 19 March 2021.
  24. ↑ "Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar movie review: A quiet tale of unlikely allies and kindness in unexpected places". Firstpost. 19 March 2021. Archived from the original on 6 April 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  25. ↑ "Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar Movie Review: A layered but excruciatingly slow dark comedy". Times of India. 19 March 2021. Archived from the original on 6 April 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  26. ↑ "Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar Movie Review: Parineeti Chopra – Arjun Kapoor's Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar has a bearable first half but goes terribly downhill in the second hour". Bollywood Hungama. 19 March 2021. Archived from the original on 6 April 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  27. ↑ "'Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar' Sputters Into a Joyless, Drab Watch After a Riveting Opening". The Wire (India). 20 March 2021. Archived from the original on 18 January 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  28. ↑ "Nominations for the 67th Filmfare Awards 2022". Bollywood Hungama. 18 August 2022. Archived from the original on 19 August 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  29. ↑ "28th Lions Gold Awards: An Award-Winning Night For Vaani, Parineeti and Sharvari". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  30. ↑ "7th FOI Online Awards, 2022". 15 January 2022. Archived from the original on 16 January 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  31. ↑ "Arjun Kapoor, Parineeti Chopra-starrer Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar is now streaming on Amazon Prime". The Indian Express. 20 May 2021. Archived from the original on 20 May 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  32. ↑ Bhasin, Shriya (20 May 2021). "'Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar' starring Arjun Kapoor, Parineeti Chopra premieres on Amazon Prime Video today". www.indiatvnews.com. Archived from the original on 20 May 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  33. ↑ Vibha Maru (20 May 2021). "Arjun Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra's Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar is streaming on Amazon Prime Video". India Today. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
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