Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury's 'Pink' is a gripping Courtroom-Drama, that's Bold & Brave. It tackles the sensitive & thought-provoking issue of gender-equality & the difference between one's approval & one's disapproval. The message of this well-made film, is, without doubt, even stronger than the film itself.

'Pink' Synopsis: After a rock-concert, Three independent women (Taapsee Pannu, Kirti Kulhari & Andrea Tariang) are harassed by three men. Soon after, the women are targeted, arrested & subjected for something they never did. Things take a turn when an aged lawyer (Amitabh Bachchan) decides to defend the 3 women in court.

'Pink' is about fighting for whats right & how A "NO" is clearly A "NO". India is a country that's been dealing with the horrors against women, as this society, by and large, is chauvinistic & men-driven. 'Pink' is about gender-equality & how its not remotely fine, to harass any girl, just because she decided to hang out with you after a few drinks. Its about keeping that enormous "I'm a man, I can do anything" bull-crap away & dealing with a situation with a sense of reality & chivalry. 'Pink' is a dramatic look at three brave women, who with the help a righteous lawyer, storm against the men who wronged them & are not held responsible for doing something so wrong & repulsive.

'Pink' works, because the narrative is straight to the point. And mind you, the incident, that the film is based upon, isn't shown to us till the end credits roll. And yet, 'Pink' holds you. The first-hour builds, as the proceedings get darker & more on-your-face, but its the second-hour, when the drama shifts to the courtroom, is when things are pulled out & argued upon. Although the second-hour does drag for a bit, the drama never shifts to anything else & stays to the point, at all times.

Ritesh Shah's Screenplay is well-done. Shah tackles a really thought-provoking, relevant topic & presents it, as it should be. A special mention for the sharply Written Monologue towards the film's concluding moments, where Amitabh powerfully says "A NO is A NO". Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury's Direction is excellent. He's handled this dramatic film, with precision. And its a joy to know that the prolific Shoojit Sircar, has produced this film! Cinematography & Editing are super. Art & Costume Design are perfect. Music by Various Artists, is in sync with the film's mood.

Performance-Wise: Amitabh Bachchan shines, in a role, that's undoubtedly the strongest here. His delivery in the final monologue, particularly, is note-worthy. But its The Ladies who steal 'Pink'. Taapsee Pannu, Kirti Kulhari & Andrea Tariang are exceptional. Taapsee is excellent as the women who protected herself & keeps the fire alive to fight back. Also, she looks gorgeous. Kirti is a revelation. She's terrific & her angry breakdown in the courtroom, is heart-wrenching. Andrea gets a smaller role & even lesser lines to speak comparatively, but is simply flawless as a woman, who refuses to be a victim. Of the supporting cast, Piyush Mishra hams it up as the lawyer defending the baddies, while Dhritiman Chatterjee is first-rate as the Judge. Angad Bedi is okay, but Vijay Verma crawls your skin & is absolutely unforgettable as the chauvinist, remorseless young-blood. Mamta Shankar, As Amitabh's wife, is decent in a cameo. Rest lend very good support.

On the whole, 'Pink' is a well-made film, with a strong message. Do Watch.

Rarely come in Bollywood films that provoke you, reignite a topic of grave importance, unleash fury in you so much that it stays with him or her for a long time. One such film is "Pink", a highly engrossing courtroom crime drama by Bengali filmmaker Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury.

Minal (Tapsee Pannu),Falak (Kirti Kulhari),and Andrea (Andrea Tariang) are three independent working women who live alone in a rented apartment in the capital city of India. Following a night of drunken brawl with some men they met at a rock concert, the trio come back home in a state of exponential disquietude. What really happened towards the end of the night at a hotel where the trio and the men met and further partied post the concert is not clear, save for one immediate consequence: one of the men had to be rushed to the hospital. What follows is a harrowing story about a study on assumptions that society as a whole makes on people, especially women. Hence, one guesses, the title, "Pink".

The film does not describe what really happened that night, and one has to wait for the second half to get some deep insights into the matter as the scene shifts to a Sessions Court where Deepak (Amitabh Bachchan),a reputed lawyer, comes out of retirement to enable the female trio a chance at vindicating themselves after they were picked up by the police for crimes that they say they didn't do. One can connect the dots here, but that is where one will go wrong as the story gathers pace and proves you wrong. The plot will have you flummoxed for it does not take side as to who - the unruly group of four men or the trio of liberal and rebellious fashionista women - are at fault. What could have been averted with just an apology blows out of proportion when the male group use the hand of politics that is resting on their shoulders to settle scores with the female group who also are not fully of one mind about a possible compromise. It goes to show that today's youth - or let me be more general - today's people, practice vendetta more than pacifism, and the blame is on feudalism, which has mutated itself to an ultra-strong force that produces madness in today's world.

One will be impressed and hooked with the narrative in 30 minutes, guaranteed. While police apathy is one theme it touches upon, Pink is largely about what today's society, with its feudal roots, assumes when a woman consumes alcohol, when she hangs out with her male friends, when she keeps a casual relationship with that widower, when she has casual sex with that librarian she met while discussing Franz Kafka's "The Trial", or when she wears that transparent-lace brassiere - the possibilities are endless. It focuses on the futile point that a woman's (or a man's) character is defined by their behavior, their demeanor, their air at a given point of time and at a given location. It strains to enlighten us with the fact that this assumption is rubbish and full of void. It narrates the assumptions in strong points, delivered, some as innuendos ad others as clearly as text written on iron, by the talented Piyush Mishra as solicitor defending the male group. It also has a lot to say about the discrimination of Indians against their own brothers and sisters who hail from the Northeast, a topic which was most recently reignited by a TV commercial. The courtroom sequences are well-edited, but are slightly cheesy if not fast-paced for an audience whose senses have been numbed by the likes of Great Grand Masti (2016) and Freaky Ali (2016). A much- needed jolt to their senses, this film embraces realism wherever required and furnishes a story that is divinely appropriate and fabulously timed, just to convey an important message: that when a woman says NO, it means NO.

The three actresses are marvelous and well-directed. There's not a single frame where they go out of character, helping the story to reveal itself using their own portrayals as windows of loud expressions. Sometimes, the most difficult characters to play are the ones that are so close to real life. Amitabh Bachchan again comes up and impresses his audience, hat-tricking his bout of roles that are aligned in the same column of crime thrillers. Mishra and supporting cast are very good, and happy to see Dhritiman Chatterjee. The film works partially because of the cast and their performance, along with some crisp writing, easy screenplay, and a subtle, but loud score.

The 150-minute drama does, of course, have its share of flaws, but not substantial enough to affect your viewing or enjoyment. The courtroom scenes don't always sample realism, but that can be forgiven as a cinematic liberty taken by Mr. Chowdhury and writer Ritesh Shah. The hand of political influence which the male group were banking on fails to advance inside the court as is not what usually happens, either in real or reel life. But, one doesn't have time to pinpoint these petty flaws in the film because he or she also wants to assume that the women are not guilty or that the men are not guilty; this way, even the plot tries to play with you, making you believe in smoke and mirrors.

It partially reminds one of Quentin Tarantino's debut, Reservoir Dogs (1992),where the actual scene of the heist is never shown. Here, the actual scene is not clearly shown unless you are patient enough. So, don't miss the end credit roll.

BOTTOM LINE: Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury's debut Bollywood feature "Pink" is gritty, relevant, and a well-executed film that demands immediate viewing for it will be quoted in numerous occasions as we leap forward with a backward mind. Book a theater ticket now!

Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES

If you like court movies, you'll probably like this too. It goes by the basic formula and delivers entertainment, but has nothing special over other court movies.