PINK –The Colour of Courage

Once in a while comes a film that makes you happy because someone finally made it. The courage is seen in the characters, in the taut screenplay that avoids frills, in the conviction of the makers that such a subject does not require over-dramatisation — the usual high-decibel treatment given in films about molestation. The courage is manifest from the title credits itself. The actors are listed in order of the importance of the characters, not the stature of the actors. First credited are the actors playing the three protagonists, Taapsee Pannu, Kirti Kulhar, and Andrea Tariang. Then comes the redoubtable name, Amitabh Bachchan.
The build-up of dread is finesse itself. No false alarms, no menacing musical notes. The brilliance is in nothing happening. The director plays on your knowledge of the antagonists’ nature and the clout they have. You know they won’t keep quiet. That something will happen, and menace is in the silent anticipation.
The courtroom scenes are applause-worthy, the dialogue is pointed, and the performances are bravura; especially Taapsee’s and Mr.Bachchan’s. The defence counsel’s one-word summation will remain etched in memory for a long time. NO. It is a full sentence. It needs no further explanation, no clarification, no justification. A woman has the right to study, dress, work, live, love, laugh as she pleases. Not just to be on paper. But to be imprinted on the minds of antediluvian people, both male and female, to make it a reality — for every girl, in every walk of life, at home or outside, day or night. With telling and touching impact, ‘Pink’ reiterates those rights. Above all, the inviolable right to say, ‘No.’