The Girl On The Train Review: Parineeti Chopra Gives A Rock Solid Performance, But We Just Can't Get Over Avinash Tiwary
Parineeti Chopra starrer The Girl On The Train has been one of the most awaited films. Well, I really wanted to watch it, because of course, Parineeti was back after some time and I did not want to miss the chance to watch her play a character like Mira Kapoor. It was a break from the mould that we have seen her in so far. While I must say that I have not been disappointed and Parineeti's performance was top notch in this one, however, Avinash Tiwary was the man of the movie here despite limited screen time.
Let's begin from the beginning here. One might have read the novel or seen the 2016 version of the novel, but let's begin by saying that this one has been adapted and isn't what you might expect. It has its differences and the focus solely lies on Parineeti's character Mira Kapoor, who is on a journey to recover her memory and find out if she had indeed murdered Nushrat, played by the beautiful and talented Aditi Rao Hydari . Avinash Tiwari plays Mira's ex-husband Shekhar, while Kirti Kulhari plays Officer Kaur. While they form the important characters, there are side characters too.
The film is a thriller so giving away some can soon turn to be a spoiler. However, it has to be said that Parineeti Chopra plays an alcoholic who suffers from amnesia. She had taken to alcoholism after she lost her child in a miscarriage. It is in Nushrat's life that she sees perfection, of a life that could have been hers- of marital bliss and happiness. It is when she feels there are problems in the perfect picture that she tries to chase her! But did she kill her?
The film has subplots too, some that were not present in the original novel. One thing that has been retained is the part of emotional abuse, toxic relationship and gaslighting. Personally, this part of gaslighting could have been dealt with better. What I loved was how the women characters were given a strong background and individuality. However, the bonding of the women characters was ignored. There was just a fleeting glance of a 'sismance', in the relationship that Mira shared with her best friend.
Coming to the performances, it was a Parineeti film out and out. It is her character who says 'yeh meri kahaani hai', and true, it is a film to bring out her talent and versatility. She does justice to the character of Mira, bringing her vulnerability, her dilemma, her trauma. She infuses life to the character, and you begin to root for her, knowing full well that she could be a killer. However, that being said, Avinash Tiwary walks away with the cake. And it is with just one scene, a confrontation between his character Avinash and Mira, that he hits the ball out of the park. You see the obsessive nature of the character, his sadism and his manipulation. Avinash brings that villainy out and how! He is frightening and the scene gave me goosebumps. What a performance there!
Kirti Kulhari plays the cop, who has more than what meets the eye. She is spontaneous and gives yet another compelling performance. Yet, there is much scope that her character should have gotten!
Ribhu Dasgupta has both directed the film, and written the story with all the changes and newness. He has done a commendable job at handling it, but I really felt that the last 30 minutes could have been better. Some things should have been given more time- like Shekhar and Mira's relationship and the toxic nature of it. Shekhar's character was dealt with less depth and more on the surface. In giving Mira everything, Ribhu Dasgupta did not quite do justice to Shekhar's character. We needed to see his side, his character more.
All in all, this one is a good watch, that totally deserves your time and attention.