List of Saina Movie Reviews from various popular critics and news portals. Kindly bookmark this page to check all the reviews which will be updated accordingly.
Star Cast - Parineeti Chopra
Director - Amol Gupte
Release Date - 26 March 2021
Total Reviews - 12
Average Score - 2.54/5
Overall Word of Mouth (Critics) - Mixed
Overall Word of Mouth (Critics) - Mixed
1. Indian Express -
Rating Score -> 3/5
Click this link for details‘Saina’ manages to be a proper sports movie, committed to the stretches which show the unstinting, relentless working up of blood, sweat and tears that go into the making of a winner, and the sacrifices those winners have to make to stay on top. And once she settles into it, leaving aside the very occasional mannerism, Parineeti gives us a good, solid Saina: when she raises her racket after a hard-fought win, you cheer.
2. First Post -
Rating Score -> 2.75/5
Click this link for detailsThis then is not a comprehensive biography of a sports superstar, but one that brushes inconvenient truths about her under the carpet and is not as socio-politically aware as one might expect from the choice of theme. Still, for those who have not tracked Nehwal’s life too closely, Saina is a potentially motivating film, entertaining if for no other reason than those well-produced matches in which Chopra’s involvement in the game is bolstered by Piyush Shah’s excellent camerawork and Manas Choudhury’s sound design.
3. NDTV -
Rating Score -> 2/5
Click this link for detailsSaina oscillates between the bland and uninspiring on one hand and the overly dramatic and gratuitously sanctimonious on the other in search of a winning formula. It is on the top of the game occasionally but is unable to hold on to the advantage long enough for it to make a significant difference to the overall contours of the film.
4. Hindustan Times -
Rating Score -> n/a
Click this link for detailsUnlike the sports biopics made on the Phogat sisters (Dangal), Mary Kom and MS Dhoni: The Untold Story, what Saina lacks is the 'wow' factor. It's a simple story told in a simpler way. Her journey may have been uncontroversial, but even the parts that could have been fleshed out were ignored.
5. Times of India -
Rating Score -> 3.5/5
Click this link for detailsAmole 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.
6. The Hindu -
Rating Score -> n/a
Click this link for detailsSaina is the kind of biopic that shows commendable commitment to please the audience in ensuring that they leave the hall either smiling or chest-swelling with pride. It is also the kind of film that rather charmingly illustrates the pitfalls of making a biopic — in mainstream Indian cinema — that looks myopic, without a single overarching emotion that binds the film together. At the risk of sounding completely honest, there is not a single moment that elicits some kind of reaction in you, let alone taking them home. For the most part of the 135-minute film, you are in the dark wondering why the scenes aren’t working for you, or if you have become too numb to familiar emotions.
7. Mid-day -
Rating Score -> 3/5
Click this link for detailsOne cannot help but root for Saina (both the film and the character) as she climbs one step after another. By the end, one is likely to cheer and clap, more for Nehwal than Chopra, because, unlike the film, nobody knew what would happen in her life next, not even the shuttlecock and the badminton racquet.
8. Rediff -
Rating Score -> 2.5/5
Click this link for detailsSaina, despite being predictable and sluggish at some places, seems like something Parineeti Chopra would be proud of. It has its shortcomings but it is a one-time watch.
9. Deccan Herald -
Rating Score -> 1/5
Click this link for detailsActor Parineeti Chopra’s latest movie Saina is a mediocre biographical drama, which fails to do justice to ace shuttler Saina Nehwal’s life story. The film revolves around the badminton star's rise to stardom while touching upon the challenges faced by her during the journey. The basic plot per se is fine and has everything—right from the mother sentiment to the inspiring songs—that one would associate with a Bollywood movie.
10. India TV -
Rating Score -> n/a
Click this link for detailsIf you were to ask for three reasons one might extend while recommending the film despite its mediocrity, we would pitch Naishaa as one. Amaal Mallik's fabulous musical score would be another. After a long time, we have a Hindi film with songs that linger in your mind. As far as a third reason goes -- one can't spot an obvious third reason. Saina Nehwal could do with a better biopic.
11. Anupama Chopra -
Rating Score -> n/a
Click this link for detailsSaina begins with a disclaimer that it is a fictionalised and dramatised version but the end credits roll against photos of the real Saina and Parineeti in the same poses, doing the same actions and even wearing the same clothes. Which encapsulates the problem with too many biopics. 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.
12. Komal Nahta -
Rating Score -> n/a
Click this link for detailsOn the whole, Saina is too unexciting to prove victorious on the box-office field. It neither moves the viewers emotionally nor inspires them much. It will, therefore, fail to make a mark at the ticket windows.
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