Pinki Elli

Pinki Elli? is a 2020 Indian Kannada-language drama film directed by Prithvi Konanur and starring Akshatha Pandavapura, Anoop Shoonya, Deepak Subramanya, and Gunjalamma. The film was screened at the Bengaluru International Film Festival.

Plot

Inspired by a true incident that happened in Bengaluru ten years ago, an 8-month-old baby nicknamed Pinki goes missing.

Cast

Akshatha Pandavapura as Bindushree, Pankaja/Pinki's mother
Anoop Shoonya as Girish
Deepak Subramanya as Manjunath
Gunjalamma as Sanamma

Reception

A critic from The News Minute wrote, "the collective impact of the sensitive material, the style of filmmaking, and the overall authenticity is undeniably overwhelming". A critic from The Hindu wrote, "The minimalistic performances compliment the realistic nature of the film. Pinki Elli shows people struggling to match the pace of the bustling city. They are all flawed. Yet, at some level, we sympathise with them". A critic from Bangalore Mirror rated the film 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote, "It is a must watch for all". A Sharadhaa of Cinema Express gave the film the same rating and wrote, "Pinki Elli? sheds light on rare and lesser-explored aspects of life. It doesn’t rely on overt dialogues to deliver its messages; instead, they are skillfully woven into the fabric of each scene". A critic from OTTplay gave the film the same rating and wrote, "It’s a serious film that cuts to the chase in no time. If thought-provoking cinema with no extra frills ".

Accolades

The film premiered at the Busan International Film Festival under the 'Window on Asian Cinema' section.
The film became the first Kannada film to be chosen as the inaugural film of the New York Indian Film Festival where it won the Best Screenplay Award and Akshatha Pandavapura won the Best Actor Award. It also won the 2020 Karnataka State Film Award for Best Film, which was awarded in 2025.
;International Film Festival of India 2020