REVIEW SAINA: Appeals emotionally!

The film sets out to follow the career highs and lows of the former world no 1, India’s ace shuttler, Saina Nehwal. The film also pays tribute to the people who immensely contribute to her resilience and unbreakable spirit. The film is a sports biopic which tells the story of how Saina Nehwal, daughter of Usha and Harvir Singh Nehwal, a Haryanvi couple who had settled down in Hyderabad created history in 2015 when she became the first Indian woman and only the second Indian after Prakash Padukone to attain the world No.1 ranking in Badminton, at the age of just 31. Jyothi Venkatesh

Undoubtedly, there are so many simple yet beautiful moments in the film that will make you shed copious tears stealthily and also touch your heart, especially when director Amole Gupte sets out to depict the bond of Saina and her parents. subtly. The way her mother goes all out in getting her trained at the best possible place, and the way her father sees no stop is commendable.

Though Amol Gupte has set out to direct the sensitive film deftly  making you root for the character of the hard working Saina, he is handicapped by a faulty screenplay and also dialogues which fail to move you instantly. Also one wonders why Amole Gupte has diluted the impact of his film by letting many manufacturers plug their products blatantly in his sensitive film including the Amul Ice Cream makers. Why Saina’s otherwise pleasant coach is perennially at loggerheads with the young Saina is not explained in detail. Also it is not clear how and why Saina’s mother meets with an accident when she just sets her feet outside her house in Hyderabad. Also Amole fails to justify the why and what of the character of Saina’s elder sister

As far as performances go, the ever dependable Parineeti Chopra scores in her role by leaps and bounds and renders a very moving performance imbibing the spirit of the ace badminton champion Saina Nehwal. Credit also ought to go to the child star Naisha Kaur Bhatoye for instantly appealing to the viewers with her innocent and naïve portrayal as the child Saina.

Manav Kaul is as usual dependable but as has been said earlier he is let down by the faulty script which is lopsided. While Shubrajyoti Barat plays a refined and restrained role as Saina’s loving and understanding father, Meghna Patel goes overboard in the character of her loud mother. Ankur Vikap is handicapped by a very small role while the less said about Eshaan Naqvi who plays Saina’s boyfriend Paruppalli Kashyap the better because he has hardly any scope in his part.

In short, to sum up, I’d say that Saina is a humane story that sets out to speak a lot  about the hardships faced and the sacrifices made in the journey of Saina Nehwal becoming world number one in badminton, with which one can relate to emotionally a lot.

Producers-Sujay Jairaj, Rasesh Shah and Bhushan Kumar

Director- Amole Gupte

Star Cast- Parineeti Chopra, Manav Kaul, Meghna Patel, Shubrajyoti Barat, Ankur Vikalp. Eshaan Naqvi and Naishaa Kaur Bhatoye

Genre- Sports Biopic

Rating- *** (Three)