Parineeta (2005 film)

Parineeta
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Pradeep Sarkar
Produced by	Vidhu Vinod Chopra
Screenplay by	Vidhu Vinod Chopra Pradeep Sarkar
Based on	Parineeta by Sarat Chandra Chatterjee
Starring	Vidya Balan Saif Ali Khan Sanjay Dutt Raima Sen Diya Mirza
Music by	Shantanu Moitra
Cinematography	Natarajan Subramaniam
Edited by	Hemanti Sarkar Nitish Sharma
Distributed by	Vinod Chopra Productions
Release date	10 June 2005 (2005-06-10)
Running time	131 minutes
Country	India
Language	Hindi
Budget	₹25 crore (US$3.7 million)
Box office	₹62.35 crore (US$9.3 million)

Parineeta (The Married Woman) is a 2005 Indian musical romantic drama film adaptation of the 1914 Bengali novella, Parineeta by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. Directed by debutant Pradeep Sarkar, it was based upon a screenplay by the film's producer, Vidhu Vinod Chopra. The film featured Vidya Balan (In her Bollywood Debut), Saif Ali Khan and Sanjay Dutt in the lead roles. Raima Sen plays the supporting role of Lalita's chirpy cousin. Sabyasachi Chakrabarty plays the pivotal role of Shekhar's father. Diya Mirza, with a cameo appearance as Shekhar's fiancé and Rekha, with a cameo performance of a night club (Moulin Rouge) singer, are other notable performances.

Parineeta primarily revolves around the lead characters, Lalita and Shekhar. Since childhood, Shekhar and Lalita have been friends and slowly this friendship blossoms into love. A series of misunderstandings surface and they are separated with the conniving schemes of Shekhar's father. The plot deepens with the arrival of Girish, who supports Lalita's family. Eventually, Shekhar's love defies his father's greed and he seeks Lalita.

The film has several notable allusions to the Indian literature and cinema. Despite the pre-release inhibitions, it received critical acclaim. It won the Filmfare Awards apart from several prominent awards. The director went on to win the National Award for Best First Film. Parineeta was showcased at prominent international film festivals.