PLOT: The film is based on the life of Badminton player Saina Nehwal who becomes the first Indian woman to achieve the top ranking in badminton. It also pays tribute to the people who immensely contribute to her resilience and unbreakable spirit.
Saina is a biographical sports film directed by Amole Gupte and produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Sujay Jairaj, and Rashesh Shah under the banner of T-Series and Front Foot Pictures. The film was initially set to release in September 2020 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in India. Finally, it was theatrically released on 26th March 2021.
Star Cast:
Parineeti Chopra as Saina Nehwal
Manav Kaul as Pullela Gopichand
Eshan Naqvi as Parupalli Kashyap
Meghna Malik as Usha Rani Nehwal
Subhrajyoti Barat as Dr. Harvir Singh Nehwal
Ankur Vikal as Jeewan Kumar
Sharrman Dey as Damodar
Sameer Bassi as Rohan
MOVIE REVIEW: Saina is just a mediocre biographical sports drama film, which couldn’t entirely justify Saina Nehwal’s life story.
The film opens in the year 2018 where Saina wins two gold medals at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia. The first half of the film begins from her childhood days and Naishaa Kaur Bhatoye perfectly portrayed young Saina. Although she hardly got any dialogues but she is so comfortable with badminton matches because in real life also she is one of India’s brightest young prospects in the sport of badminton.
Amole Gupte’s story is predictable and his direction is simple, nothing great about it. He manages to narrate the 31 years of Saina Nehwal in 135 minutes runtime. But the storyline is highly predictable even for the viewers who don’t know much about Saina Nehwal’s achievements.
The screenplay is stretched in the second half and the downfall of Saina’s life isn’t executed well. The matches aren’t choreographed as expected in sports films, more focused and compelling cinematography would have taken Saina movie to next level. Also, the climax match of the film lacks the required intensity.
Parineeti Chopra delivered a decent performance. She looks quite convincing as a badminton player and manages to pull off this role with dexterity. Subhrajyoti Barat got an underwritten role. Meghna Malik got a well-written role in the first half and delivered a good performance.
Manav Kaul’s character isn’t well established, he tries to lift a poorly written character with his sharp dialogue delivery. Eshan Naqvi as Parupalli Kashyap, Saina’s boyfriend (now husband) is just shown as her supporter. The makers could have shown that he too is a badminton champion who has won several medals for the country. Other supporting casts are just average.
The movie has few loopholes but it is definitely a One-Time Watch for sports lovers and Parineeti’s fans.
Saina Movie Rating:
Direction 2/5
Acting 3/5
Editing 3/5
Story 2.5/5
Screenplay 2/5
Overall Hit ya Flop Rating: 2.5 out of 5 Stars (AVG)
Not Recommended 
