Saina
Biopic Sports Drama – 2hr 15 min
Imdb – 3.3/10
Saina movie review : Saina is the story of badminton player Saina Nehwal from her early childhood till she becomes the World No 1 in 2015. It also gives us a glimpse into her relationships with her coach, her parents, and her then-boyfriend (now husband).
Latest bollywood movie released in amazon prime videos.
Saina Movie Review – Summary
We see a young Saina getting slapped by her mother for coming second during a game. What we don’t see is whether it angered Saina or it made her realize that winning is way more important than she thought.
Saina then joins a renowned academy and with the help of her coach Rajan, she receives her first title and then some. She is on a winning streak, smashing opponent after opponent.
A severe leg injury puts her out of action for a good part of the year. A falling out with her coach doesn’t help either. She starts to lose games and is the victim of hate from the nation, as is typical with us Indians when our stars don’t perform.
She eventually gets back in the zone and ends up winning the title of world No 1. Her journey to victory is shown with a couple of song montages, one each for every important event in her life, be it the first time she is asked to get fit, or when she falls in love with Kashyap (a fellow badminton player).
Saina Movie Review – Review
If the movie wanted to be inspiring then it falls short of it, if it wanted to be truthful then it doesn’t do that either. For creative reasons, changes can be made but only if it brings something to the table (in the movie Bohemian Rhapsody, the truth was stretched a bit for dramatic effect, but it worked). In this movie these edits don’t make any sense and quite unnecessary (relationship with coach).
Parineeti as Saina is only an ‘okay’ performance and nothing great. She does a good job on the court and mimics a player quite well but her acting just doesn’t sit right. They could have done away with the fake mole which was more of a distraction than anything. The supporting cast is good, especially Manav Kaul as her coach is quite refreshing in this rather dull movie.
The story doesn’t delve deep into the player and her life. Unlike the movies Dangal and Bhaag Milka Bhaag, where there’s so much passion, emotion, and fire, Saina fails miserably in all aspects.
Song montages like in every other movie don’t do any good to further the plot but are there just for the sake of it.
At the end of it, some positives are that it is a feel good movie and you do feel a sense of patriotism watching Saina win the world title for our country.
Why to watch
- Rajan played by Manav Kaul
- Young Saina played by real badminton player Naishaa Kaur Bhatoye
- Exciting on court games
- Badminton as a sport
Watch it on Prime Videos
Also check out Movies That Explores Generation Gap
