BOTTOM LINE
Progressive Not Powerful
RATING
2.25/5
CENSOR
U/A. 2h 25m
What Is the Film About?
Paradha is set around an age-old village tradition tied to Goddess Jwalamma, where removing the Paradha is believed to bring a curse. Subbu (Anupama Parameswaran) faces danger when a photographer captures her without Paradha. The film follows how superstition puts her life at risk and how she challenges it to free the women of the village.
Anupama Parameswaran lands a lifetime role in Paradha and delivers a decent performance. With stronger writing and more layered execution, this could have been a truly memorable milestone for any actress. Instead, it settles at a decent-to-satisfactory level. While Anupama puts in genuine effort and handles the challenge with conviction, the overall impact does not reach the desired mark. Still, her attempt deserves appreciation.
Darshana Rajendran in the role of Ami shines throughout. She lights up the screen with her energy and feels perfectly cast in the film.
Paradha is directed by Praveen Kandregula who earlier delivered Subham. This time, he once again attempts a different concept built around an age-old village tradition linked to Paradha, and the curse that follows when a woman removes it.
The film opens on an intriguing note drawing attention with its fresh concept. The backdrop of the village goddess Jwalamma while only moderately engaging, still adds an element of intrigue. Until the interval, the narrative focuses on how Subbu played by Anupama Parameswaran lands in trouble with a photographer, and how the weight of the entire tradition puts her life at risk.
There are moments of engagement scattered throughout, but the depth in Anupama’s character is missing. Her role begins on a promising note but fails to elevate in terms of emotional impact or character arc. That said, it is not completely ineffective either. There are a few blocks where the director could have experimented with multiple takes, but he settles for surface-level visual treatment. For instance, the way Anupama’s life is saved in a crucial scene, or how the search for the photographer is made into a low-stakes conflict, both dilute the impact and fail to raise the bar.
The Delhi road trip portion is written and executed in a dull manner with little to keep the audience invested. The only relief comes from Ami’s character played by Darshana, whose performance adds some weight. However, the writing overall lacks freshness and fails to engage consistently. Even the interval bang turns out to be as ordinary as it can get.
The first half, therefore ends up being passable. It engages in bits and pieces but does not rise above being a decent.
The second half begins on a preachy note with Rajendra Prasad delivering reflections on life. However, the major problem here lies in the setting. For a film meant to feel rooted and carry a strong native flavor, the chosen location feels inorganic and detached, weakening the authenticity throughout this portion.
As noted in the first half, the second half further amplifies the sense of boredom by drifting away from the core element of the story. Instead, it tries to highlight themes of feminism and women-centric issues. While progressive in thought, these ideas do not seamlessly blend into the central narrative.
There are a few well-written and executed sequences that stand out, such as Subbu’s moment of realization and the enlightening exchanges with Sangeeta and Darshana. These blocks are progressive and neatly crafted, but they are too few to carry the film forward. The songs, once again feel staged rather than organic. Even though the climax is executed neatly, it never raises the stakes, as the outcome feels predictable. The ending comes across as a cinematic closure rather than an authentic rooted resolution.
Director Praveen Kandregula once again attempts an innovative and progressive idea. However, his lack of experience shows in how the core story is handled. While he demonstrates promise in bits and pieces, he fails to pull the strings together for the desired impact. A film like Paradha, built on such a strong thought, should have hit hard by the time it reached its end, but instead it settles for a diluted finish.
Overall, Paradha can be watched for its progressive intent, but the execution and impact fall short.
Performances by Others Actors
Paradha runs on a limited cast with only a few recognizable names. Among them is Sangitha who plays the role of an aunt. She fits the part well, delivering a performance that suits both the setup and her character. Harsha Vardhan as Sangeetha’s husband performs his role convincingly.
Rag Mayur who has collaborated with the director in past is given a limited role. While he does fine, his presence fails to leave a strong impact due to the lack of length and importance in his character.
The father character in Anupama’s track, is a missed opportunity. The role should have been written with more arc and emotional depth, which would have allowed for a stronger performance. Unfortunately, it ends up underdeveloped.
Paradha has music composed by Gopi Sundar who does an adequate job. The songs, both audio-wise and visually fail to stand out and do not add much value to the film. However, the background score shows promise and provides good support to the narrative.
Cinematography by Mridul Sujit Sen is impressive giving the film a neat visual appeal especially in the first half. The village setup is captured well and adds authenticity to the backdrop. Editing by Dharmendra Kakarala on the other hand could have been much sharper as several portions feel stretched.
Production values from Ananda Media are adequate and suit the scale of the subject attempted in Paradha.
Highlights?
Core story built on a progressive idea
Writing in parts
Decent performances
Drawbacks?
Weak second half
Fresh idea underused
Superficial key blocks
Forced characters and discussions for message
Preachy, not organic
Did I Enjoy It?
Not much, though I liked the intent.
Will You Recommend It?
Only for the progressive thought, not the craft.
Paradha Movie Review by M9
– Paradha opens by establishing its link to the age-old Paradha tradition. Stay tuned for the report.
Paradha U.S.A. premiere begins at 5.30 AM IST. Stay tuned for Paradha movie review and premiere report.
Anupama Parameswaran and Darshana come together for a female-oriented film directed by Praveen Kandregula, who recently delivered Subham.
Paradha Cast: Anupama Parameswaran, Darshana Rajendran, Sangitha and others.
Director: Praveen Kandregula
Banner: Ananda Media
Producers: Vijay Donkada, Sreenivasulu PV, Sridhar Makkuva
Music: Gopi Sundar
Writers: Poojitha Sreekanti, Prahaas Boppudi
Script Doctor: Krishna Prathyusha
DOP: Mridul Sujit Sen
Editor: Dharmendra Kakarala
U.S. Distributor: Prathyangira Cinemas
Paradha Movie Review by M9
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