Story

The film opens with Saina winning the 2018 Commonwealth games and her press conference. Then the story goes back into the flashback narrated by Saina herself. Saina's mother used to play badminton when she was pregnant with Saina. After delivery, Saina didn't leave the badminton bat and the story showcases her inspirational journey and her badminton career. 

Review

Though the story and narration are fast-paced, the film lacks in the context of structure as well as dialogues. The conflicts are not that great and most of the things that got showcased in the film can be found anywhere on the internet. It felt like the director focused more on the highs and lows of Saina Nehwal's life instead of her breakdowns and conflicts. At some point of time, the screenplay fell flat and Amole Gupta took the cliche way of storytelling.  

It felt like the director Amole Gupte took the template of regular biopic movies and focused only on a few elements. Also, the movie somewhat lacks continuity and it could have been better. 'Chal Vahi Chale' song is good and BGM is commendable. Piyush Shah's cinematography is outstanding. Especially in the badminton scenes, his visuals came out really well. Production values are up to the mark. Editing is top-notch and made the movie intriguing.  

Parineeti Chopra is commendable in pulling off her role. Despite getting a challenging role, the actress stepped into the character with ease and did a convincing job. She justified her role and shined with her performance. Meghna Malik got a meaty role and impressed with her performance. Manav Kunal acted naturally. Ishan Naqvi is too good in his role. Ankur Vikal delivered an honest performance. Rohan Apte made his presence felt. 

Verdict

'Saina' throws light on some of the incidents in the life of one of the finest badminton players of our country, Saina Nehwal, and the movie impresses with its emotional moments, fast-paced narration, and natural performances.