Dibakar Banerjee’s Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar begins with three uncouth men speeding their car on a Delhi highway as the credits roll. In a few moments from then, we see a series of events unfold that form the core of the film. The film is pretty much what the title suggests. Parineeti Chopra’s Sandeep Waliya aka Sandy is a hotshot banker who’s an MBA and a gold medalist. Satinder Dahiya aka Pinky played by Arjun Kapoor is an ex-Haryana police officer. Their paths cross when Pinky is made a scapegoat and given the job to kill Sandy. However, it turns out that they both are required to save their lives from their respective bosses and there’s no way left for them but to run away. 

Thereafter, the film progresses with Sandeep and Pinky absconding to Pithorahgarh, a bordering town to Nepal. They pretend to be married and take refuge in a house belonging to an old couple, delightfully played by Neena Gupta and Raghubir Yadav. The chemistry between these two starts as comical and waggish but does turn out to be a usual patriarchal household where the man has the last word. Nevertheless, both the actors do a good job with their respective parts. Another interesting character to look out for is Munna, a local shopkeeper’s son, wonderfully performed by Rahul Kumar (popularly remembered as ‘Millimeter’ from 3 Idiots).

Sandeep and Pinky Faraar is a chase film, the pacing of which is a bit questionable. The gaps which include slow-paced walks, profound silences, and a not-so-necessary song could probably have been avoided and caused no difference to the narrative. Even so, the screenplay is well-crafted, credit to the co-writers, Dibakar Banerjee and Varun Grover. Both do a super job at keeping the viewer hooked more often than not and satisfy the audiences with a compelling climax.

The film also throws light on the intersection of class and gender privileges. Sandy is an English medium literate, who carries a bag worth two lac rupees but eventually is expected to contribute in the kitchen when Neena Gupta’s character falls sick. While Pinky not having proper education and any particular skill has the privilege to sit comfortably and eat while the woman serves. Later on, it is also nauseating to witness a timid junior employee trying to prey on his boss just to serve his male ego. 

Both Arjun Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra have acted well. Though the character was a stretch for Arjun Kapoor as he was given a Harayani dialect to master, he does it effectively to the film’s advantage. Parineeti plays the emotional arc written for her well. She is subtle, simple, and smart. I loved her expressionless face where the eyes are doing the work to convey the required emotion. Her eyes perfectly portray the fear, uncertainty, panic, angst, and even her privilege when the scene demanded.  

Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar is a good film to put on to witness a unique blend of thrill, suspense, drama, tragedy, dark comedy, and social commentary to an extent simultaneously.

The film is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

Movie rating: 3.5/5