Vidya Balan, Swanand Kirkire, and Shantanu Moitra re-visited the music album of the romantic-drama Parineeta recently as the film is set to be re-released in theatres on August 29. Shantanu composed the music while Swanand wrote the lyrics and even gave his vocals for a song. The film is memorable for Shantanu’s compositions, be it ‘Piyu Bole’, ‘Kasto Mazz’, ‘Kaisi Paheli Zindagani’, ‘Raat Hamari To’ and ‘Soona Mann Ka Aangan’.
Vidya said that ‘Piyu Bole’ is her favorite track from the film. “I think it’s so easily hummable, it has that old-world charm, it’s so romantic, and the way it was shot added to making the song somewhat timeless. It’s still relatable, even for people today. In fact, a lot of young kids have told me they like that song, and I feel that is very telling that there's truly something timeless about it.”
She said that the first song that she heard from the film was ‘Raat Hamari Toh’. “I was shooting with Dada (director Pradeep Sarkar) for a music video in Kolkata, and he told me, ‘Just go down to the car, there’s a CD with a song we’ve just recorded.’ I went down, played it, and I burst out crying in the car. It’s such a beautiful, haunting, and powerful song… it’s so easy to cry listening to it. I love the music of Parineeta every single song,” Vidya said.
Shantanu said, “Parineeta is a piece of my heart. The music was born from a place of pure truth — melodies given room to breathe, carrying words that spoke directly to the soul. I was in awe of how Chitra ji, Sonu Nigam, Shreya Ghoshal and Sunidhi Chauhan infused every note with such depth and sincerity, and how Rekhaji’s performance lent ‘Kaisi Paheli Zindgani’ its timeless grace.”
Talking about working with Swanand, Shantanu said, “His lyrics didn’t just complement the music—they lifted it to another plane. And at the centre of it all was Pradeep Sarkar, who wove music, story, and visuals into a seamless work of art. Hearing this soundtrack now, remastered and alive on the big screen, feels like meeting an old friend in a new light — the soul is the same, but the colours are brighter.”
Swanand said, “Parineeta was a dream — where poetry and melody danced in perfect harmony. Every song was born out of deep lived emotion—from the tender confession of Piyu Bole to the unrestrained joy of Kasto Mazza to the playful enigma of ‘Kaisi Paheli Zindgani’. Two decades later, hearing these songs remastered in all their glory feels like opening an old letter that still gives me goosebumps."
Along with Vidya, Parineeta also starred Saif Ali Khan, Sanjay Dutt and Rekha in pivotal roles. It was adapted from Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's iconic 1914 Bengali novel.
