It was a night of nostalgia, music, and cinema at its finest as Parineeta returned to the big screen in Mumbai ahead of its 20th anniversary re-release. The evening turned magical when Vidya Balan, the film’s leading lady, took the stage alongside the evergreen Rekha to croon the iconic track “Kaisi Paheli Zindagani.”
The screening turned into a star-studded celebration with the presence of Dia Mirza, Shreya Ghoshal, Shantanu Moitra, Swanand Kirkire, Rajkumar Hirani, and producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra. In a moment that felt straight out of a dream, Rekha, Vidya, Shreya, and Chopra joined together in song, while Moitra and Dia Mirza cheered on from the stage.
Swanand Kirkire, who penned the soulful lyrics of Parineeta, captured the magic in a video he later shared online. His heartfelt note paid tribute to the film’s late director, Pradeep Sarkar: “So many icons in one frame — with the timeless muse Rekha ji at the heart of it all. Missed Pradeep Sarkar, the real magician who left us a little too soon… but his spirit lived in every frame tonight.”
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Originally released in 2005, Parineeta — based on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s 1914 Bengali novel — brought together a remarkable ensemble cast featuring Saif Ali Khan, Sanjay Dutt, Raima Sen, Dia Mirza, and Sabyasachi Chakrabarty. The music by Shantanu Moitra, with lyrics by Swanand Kirkire and Gulzar, remains timeless, while Rekha’s unforgettable cameo in “Kaisi Paheli Zindagani” added a touch of allure to the film’s legacy.
The film is set to return to theatres on August 29, giving audiences a chance to relive the poignant love story of Lolita and Shekhar on the big screen. Two decades later, Parineeta continues to weave its spell — reminding us why some romances are truly eternal.
