Saina

Released Mar 26, 2021

2h 15m

Biography

Drama

Sports & Fitness

List

60%

Tomatometer

10 Reviews

67%

Audience Score

Fewer than 50 Ratings

The story of Saina Nehwal, a professional badminton player who ranked # 1 in the sport and the doyen of Indian Badminton. World champion. Olympic medalist. Saina Nehwal is all of this and much more. This biopic chronicles the inspiring story of a gifted youngster's ascendance to the pinnacle of the badminton world through sheer passion and perseverance -- a journey that has since inspired and empowered an entire nation.

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Shubhra Gupta

The Indian Express

Parineeti Chopra gives us a good, solid Saina Nehwal. When she raises her racket after a hard-fought win, you cheer.

Rated: 3/5

Mar 29, 2021

Full Review

Anupama Chopra

Film Companion

Eventually, authenticity isn't as important as capturing the essence of a person and evoking emotion. Saina, shining with sincerity and hard work, also misses this crucial point...

Mar 29, 2021

Full Review

Nandini Ramnath

Scroll.in

The movie pays warm tribute to the player who put Indian badminton on the world map, but the essence of her brilliance doesn't leave the bottle.

Mar 29, 2021

Full Review

Saibal Chatterjee

NDTV

Parineeti Chopra is not bad at all. She is, however, let down by the tonal patchiness of the film.

Rated: 2/5

Mar 29, 2021

Full Review

Renuka Vyavahare

The Times of India

Saina the film could have been more memorable, but it doesn't fall short of inspiring the youth.

Rated: 3.5/5

Mar 29, 2021

Full Review

Anna M.M. Vetticad

Firstpost

Even with its flaws, Saina does provoke some thought, is moving in places and has some fun to offer.

Rated: 2.75/5

Mar 29, 2021

Full Review

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Audience Member

the film is a dramatised account so we are not sure if this was real, but the mother doesn't think twice before giving a tight slap to her under 12 daughter for seeing her happily flaunt her runner's up medal. in the world of sports, there's no place for people who come second. a young impressionable saina is soon comforted by her father, who tells her why winning is everything for his wife. you expect the incident to shake up the young girl's beliefs and thoughts on the arduous journey ahead, but she holds her head high, racquet higher and smashes her shortcomings. gupte marginally delves into the psyche of his characters, and the conversations around parents wanting to fulfil their dreams through their children, quite doesn't find an outlet. you don't see him glorifying the struggle or idolising the victory. he captures his protagonist as she merely goes on doing her job. there's a certain nonchalance in his execution that mirrors saina's approach to herself. she is like the ice-cream she likes — vanilla. more or less uncomplicated, straightforward and sincere. to make a seemingly non-controversial life interesting is a challenge, as you don't have enough props at your disposal to grab attention, but he manages well. the director's brilliance at working with children is this film's highlight as well. watching mumbai's talented 10-year-old shuttler naishaa kaur bhatoye (as young saina) displaying her skills on court is breathtaking. not only does she resemble the real saina, her mastery of the game gives the film an edge. she allows gupte to capture the raw energy of an athlete and stoic ambition of saina that he so craves to portray. you wish for him to do a richard linklater and let her age in real time, to see her continue playing saina in the film as well. with no sporting background, for parineeti chopra to essay a badminton champion was a mighty challenge. while most certainly one doesn't expect her to get the game and technique right in such a short span of time, you do expect her to get the emotion, body language and mannerisms right as an actor. parineeti's best isn't enough as she gives an impression of not being in the moment in some crucial scenes. her eyes occasionally conjure the sea of emotions one expects her to exude throughout. however, her ability to push herself for a character as physically demanding as this is admirable and not many would dare to take the bait. amaal mallik's music is on point and captures the pulse of the movie perfectly. shreya ghoshal's chal wahi chalein in particular and parinda will stay with you. amole gupte always had a tough task at hand as saina's life has been sober, relatively uncontroversial and transparent. the fact that she is an active sports person only adds to the expectations. her road to world domination wasn't outrageously wobbly. she has ultra supportive parents, loving sister, great set of friends and a husband (parupalli kashyap) that doubles up as her cheerleader. she was raised and loved like a winner right from her childhood. there isn't a shattering conflict that tugs at your heart strings. amol gupte still tries to capture saina's tiger spirit that lies beneath her modest persona. his film is a feel good tale about india's poster girl for badminton. saina, the film could have been more memorable, but it doesn't fall short of inspiring the youth.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

Full Review

Audience Member

AMAZING MOVIE ,KICK ASS BGM AND SUCH SOULFUL SONGS IT HAS EVERYTHING ,MUST WATCH SO INSPIRING

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I loved the movie it is very emotional 😍🥰

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/02/23

Full Review

mirza m

'Saina' is a well-intentioned yet predictable biopic which will appeal only to Saina Nehwal and Parineeti Chopra fans.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Amole Gupte

Director

Parineeti Chopra

Actor

Paresh Rawal

Actor

Manav Kaul

Actor

Meghna Malik

Actor

Amole Gupte

Screenwriter

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Synopsis

The story of Saina Nehwal, a professional badminton player who ranked # 1 in the sport and the doyen of Indian Badminton. World champion. Olympic medalist. Saina Nehwal is all of this and much more. This biopic chronicles the inspiring story of a gifted youngster's ascendance to the pinnacle of the badminton world through sheer passion and perseverance -- a journey that has since inspired and empowered an entire nation.

Director: Amole Gupte
Screenwriter: Amole Gupte, Amitosh Nagpal
Distributor: Viva Entertainment
Genre: Biography, Drama, Sports & Fitness
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 26, 2021, Limited
Runtime: 2h 15m