Parada Movie Review: The film Parada, with Anupama Parameswaran in the lead role, was subjected to multiple delays before finally getting a release on August 22nd. This entire promotional campaign was about advising audiences to watch the movie only after reading reviews about it. Two days before the release, special premieres were conducted to further strengthen this position. But does the film meet this promise? Let us see.
Plot Summary
The action takes place in a village by the name of Padathi, where a strange superstition holds sway over society. The girls are to cover their faces with a veil from the time she reaches the point of puberty. Only family members can see her; if an outsider happens to see a girl’s face, it is believed to carry misfortune for her. The villagers believe that such incidents are causing loss of child for pregnant women, and hence, girls who reveal their faces are forced to kill themselves.
Subbalakshmi (Anupama Parameswaran), daughter of a family that sells veils, is in love with Rajesh (Raag Mayur), and the two finally convince their parents and get ready for marriage. But come fate, and her veil is blown away from her face by the wind. Even if she hastily hides her face, it later appears in a magazine. The brother of Rajesh puts a stop to the wedlock, and the villagers demand that Subbalakshmi end her life. The rest of the story is how she fights injustice, who clicked her photograph, and does she really escape this cursed fate.
Direction and Screenplay
A good film should take the audience into its world within 15 minutes, and Praveen Kandregula has succeeded in doing so. The village atmosphere and Subbalakshmi’s love track hold the viewer in the beginning. Right up to the wedding, the level of suspense is built well, with the incident involving the veil being one of intrigue.
However, post-interval visits the grandeur of the first half-the downtrodden villagers trying to sympathize and give her a second chance decline the feel of momentum. Predictable sequences drag the story towards an uninteresting climax. While the first half of the film is crisp and compelling, the second half is rather felt long, dragging its closure that resulted in the audience being unengaged.
Technical Aspects
The technicalities of the movie are on a decent level. The cinematography has a big screen here, able to depict its rural setup well. However, all the songs are just below par when it comes to enhancing the emotional peaks. The editing could have been sharper, which could help trim more time off the film and maintain the pace.
Performances
Anupama Parameswaran jade in a strong role, her finest since some time.
Sangeetha also gets a well-defined character and does well.
Raag Mayur has an impressive performance to consider as the male lead.
Amishta’s character was nicely built up, but importance waned later.
Harsha Vardhan provides a fair dose of light entertainment, the rest of the cast being mediocre.
Advantages
First 45 minutes keep you hooked with film.
Great cinematography.
New concept.
Disadvantages
Poor second half.
Predictable climax.
Uneven pace-large lag to no avail.
Parada begins on a promising note with a novel idea complemented with an impressive first half. Unfortunately, the lack of engrossing narration thereafter within the movie renders it quite a tedious watch. A more tightly knit screenplay and sharper editing could have turned this brave concept into an equally brilliant film. As it stands, Parada feels more like a botched attempt at what could have been a bold cinematic statement.
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