Paradha Movie Review: A Nuanced, Un-Preachy Take on Superstition and Women’s Choices

Paradha, produced by Sreenivasulu P. V., Vijay Donkada and Sridhar Makkuva under the banner Ananda Media, releases in theatres this Friday. TFN tells you what the film is about. Story: In a village named Padathi, women are not supposed to reveal their faces to any man besides their husband, dad, or sibling. If they reveal their face even accidentally, they will have to commit suicide to appease the local Goddess. The villagers believe that failing to do so will result in the deaths of new-born babies. Subba Lakshmi (Anupama Parameswaran) is about to get married to Rajesh (Rag Mayur). On the day of her engagement, shockingly, a magazine with the cover photo of her fully revealed face lands in their home. The engagement gets cancelled, and everyone in the village gang up to force her to commit suicide. This is when she, her family friend Ratna (Sangitha Krish) and a civil engineer named Amishta (Darshana Rajendran) go on a journey to Dharmashala to know the mystery behind the magazine cover. Analysis: Director Praveen Kandregula is now a three-film-old director. Paradha is more intense in terms of its messaging than Cinema Bandi and Subham. It affords greater significance to drama than comedy. Writers Poojitha Sreekanti and Prahaas Boppudi join Praveen in penning the movie. Anupama handles her character with nuance. She looks vulnerable when she is trying to escape from the clutches of superstition, and she looks emotional when she sees the life of her dreams slip away from her hands. Sangitha’s character is not that of the typical aunt, but someone who is desperate to have fun in life. Darshana Rajendran gets at least two scenes that most working women will relate to. Harshavardhan of Amrutham fame plays Ratna’s husband; through his character, the narrative gives men an opportunity to self-introspect. Balagam fame K Sudhakar Reddy plays Subba Lakshmi’s father. Rajendra Prasad and Gautham Menon have effective camos. Gopi Sundar’s music and background score enhance the range of the film. If one song is like a peek into the Shankar Mahadevan brand of sprightly music, another song (Yatra Naryasthu, sung by Anurag Kulkarni) is intense. Mridul Sujit Sen’s cinematography is superb. He is emerging as the go-to technician for content movies. Key highlights of Paradha: 1. The film is not preachy. The messaging about women and their choices don’t seem affected. We see female characters discuss issues that affect them and we get the point. 2. The religious superstition element has been handled sensitively, without belittling any tradition. 3. The Dharmashala episodes don’t take the form of typical road movies. There is a lot happening in the hotel room. There is a lot happening when a landslide leads to a traffic jam. 4. The climax is not melodramatic. Neither does it have a forced monologue. 5. The dialogues are not regular. There are no sentimental lines about a woman’s importance to the family structure and stuff like that. 6. Paradha defies definitions. You can’t label it a feminist film, because the film doesn’t give a damn about any ideology. Verdict: Paradha is a content-driven film that stands out for its sensitive handling of a delicate subject. With strong performances, a compelling story, and a nuanced message, it defies easy categorization.