Paradha Movie Review
#Paradha review: A movie that has a lot of potential but is drowned by being overambitious and superficial.
The movie is literally about ‘paradha’, which is believed by a group of people to save them from bad things happening to them, and that belief advanced into a superstition.
It wants to make Subbulakshmi, played by Anupama Parameswaran, the character who challenges superstition.
The premise of why “Subbu” believes that superstition is not compelling enough. When anyone asks why she believes it, she simply says “Subbu believes it.” That’s all! No supporting story.
Every superstitious tradition, or any tradition we believe in, could be hilarious or meaningless to others, because they didn’t grow up in that environment. Right, that’s true, but why do you believe it?
Every person has their own version, their own experience, or at least a thought about why they believe in something so strongly that they are willing to sacrifice their life for it.
“A thousand people are believing it, so I will” is absolutely not what someone feels inside.
Every person has their own inner self to justify what they do—even terrorists do, and that’s why they do it. But why “Subbu” believes that she is ready to sacrifice for her village, a village that doesn’t even support her when she needs them is not convincing. A person who believes she didn’t do anything wrong “like other women” is “okay” to die for their village, without a second thought or fear of sudden death—how is that human?
Doesn’t the village want to end the curse by helping her? So the village is all making all the rules? If the villagers are the actual culprits why is it not explored?
The premise is not strong enough for any character in the movie. For this reason, it is just enough for the characters to shift from one opinion to another so easily, just when a stranger “tells” them some new ideas. If that really worked, the world would have been a different place, isn’t it?
When you want to honestly show an idea in a film, sticking to it with 100% honesty is the key to pulling the audience into your world. Paradha has ten more threads that are actually serious issues, which it superficially pulls into itself but doesn’t ideally touch anyone. If the “paradha” issue alone had been dealt with honestly and with conviction, it could have been a real trendsetter.
For this, nothing more is required than just Subbu looking within herself to find herself. This is what the movie has failed to do. Getting influenced or excited by new ideas is common for human beings, but what’s not common is why you are convinced to change your life just by hearing someone. Was it lurking inside you from the beginning of your existence? These kinds of things should have been shown in this movie, so that it could really mean something.
Again, this doesn’t require extraordinary work; it only needs real conviction in your own idea or what you want to show.
Lastly: ‘Yatra Naryastu Pujyante Ramante Tatra Devata’ is the main idea that works against the idea of a woman’s freedom. Women don’t want to be worshipped, women want to be treated as normal human beings with emotions and dreams. The usage of “Aigiri Nandini” and “Yatra Naryastu” has been overused everywhere.
In Paradha, “Yatra Naryastu Pujyante” comes when they are in superstition—that suited those scenes. But using it everywhere, as though that’s the real truth while the film proceeds to explore, is actually going against the point the movie wants to make, which is: “Live life the way you want to”—ergo, freedom of a woman!
Review By Suharika
