Parineeti Chopra struck a chord with audiences with breezy performances in films like Hasee Toh Phasee, Shuddh Desi Romance, and even Meri Pyaari Bindu. She tried hands-on thrillers, murder mysteries, and edgy cinema too. But lately, with Reporting Live and Shaque, I, as an ardent admirer of her work, stand unimpressed!
We get all sorts of sensations when Parineeti Chopra graces the screen. But whether it’s a theatrical release or an OTT one, she is vivacious, real, honest, and all things an actor should be. From a funky debut with Ladies vs. Ricky Bahl as Dimple Chaddha to a fierce lover as Zoya in Ishqzaade, her choices have been bold and unique. She never shied away from doing a multi-starrer film because she knows she will stand out!
Let’s talk about Shaque first!
However, after a much-deserved maternity break, when Parineeti started gracing the screens again, something felt off. Let’s talk about Shaque first. There’s one particular scene that did not sit with me. When a new mother wakes up to her child gone missing, she rushes to the babies’ ward to check on her daughter. She appears bland. There’s no sense of urgency, panic, or even a little bit of guilt on her face or in her body language. That scene made me think, is this the same Parineeti? That scene clearly lacked the plight of a mother in utter distress.
I was curious, so I scrolled through Instagram. I came across quite a few reels and opinions that pointed out the same scene, and somehow I felt confident in my judgement. On top of that, her conversation with her husband and the cop, played by Anup Soni, appeared too challenging and relaxed. She had quite an edge when she portrayed a disturbed yet edgy character in Girl On The Train, but despite this thriller belonging to the same genre, she lacked versatility here!
Then comes Reporting Live!
As a journalist, I loved her zeal to report on-field news, get that byte, and file the report. However, as personal and gruesome as these experiences are, for journalists, they won’t react that softly to their source being killed in a fire. I was disappointed again. When she receives the chit, hinting at her dog’s alleged death. I found no panic in the way she searched the room for him; that scene lacked honesty, and it was communicated right away!
Her co-actor was rather nonchalant about the same scene. When she finds her dog dead, hanging in her apartment. That gasp and scream felt unreal. It did not look like it came from any travelling of thoughts as an actor. There was clearly a lack of inner doing, or using her full body, for the scenes with such high-stakes demands.
The Actor’s POV!
In most of these scenes, it appears that Parineeti did not understand the ‘purpose of the scene,’ what the ‘subtext’ is, what ‘past off-stage, on-stage’ an actor is picking up, or what story she has created for herself to make better emotional and physical choices as an actor, especially when she has so much going on in both projects.
Jennifer Winget completely stole her thunder in Shaque, and there’s no denying that. When it comes to low-effort soft scenes (which actually require more effort, mind you), Parineeti comes off brilliant; that’s why she holds that screen presence with her audiences. However, we are still rooting for her, and we want more!