Claim: Saif Ali Khan was employed in a drama with many characters.

Parineeta -LRB- The Married Woman -RRB- is a 2005 Indian musical romantic drama film adaptation of the 1914 Bengali novella , Parineeta by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay . Directed by debutant Pradeep Sarkar , it was based upon a screenplay by the film 's producer , Vidhu Vinod Chopra . The film featured Vidya Balan -LRB- In her Bollywood Debut -RRB- , Saif Ali Khan and Sanjay Dutt in the lead roles . Raima Sen plays the supporting role of Lalita 's chirpy cousin . Sabyasachi Chakrabarty plays the pivotal role of Shekhar 's father . Diya Mirza , with a cameo appearance as Shekhar 's fiancé and Rekha , with a cameo performance of a night club -LRB- Moulin Rouge -RRB- singer , are other notable performances .   Parineeta primarily revolves around the lead characters , Lalita and Shekhar . Since childhood , Shekhar and Lalita have been friends and slowly this friendship blossoms into love . A series of misunderstandings surface and they are separated with the conniving schemes of Shekhar 's father . The plot deepens with the arrival of Girish , who supports Lalita 's family . Eventually , Shekhar 's love defies his father 's greed and he seeks Lalita .   The film has several notable allusions to the Indian literature and cinema . Despite the pre-release inhibitions , it received critical acclaim . It won the Filmfare Awards apart from several prominent awards . The director went on to win the National Award for Best First Film . Parineeta was showcased at prominent international film festivals .