Spoilers ahead…
The marketing department of Pari needs a rap on the knuckles. The tagline says “not a fairytale,” but given how the film has been publicised and positioned, it should really have said “not a horror movie.” There are a few jolt-scares, to be sure — slowly escalating sound effects leading to visuals like the one where a character clipping her toenails sees herself (or at least, a blood-spattered lookalike) clipping her toenails. But this is really a star-crossed interspecies love story. (Also inter-religious: it’s a Hindu-Muslim couple.) Imagine one of those films where an alien falls for a human. The shadings may come from sci-fi, but the genre is romance. Pari is something similar. Because we are dealing with demons and witches, the inflections are from horror cinema, but at heart, this is about the slow-burn relationship between Rukhsana (Anushka Sharma, also the producer) and Arnab (Parambrata Chatterjee).
Pari is a curiosity, a modest yet ambitious undertaking. The director, Prosit Roy (also the co-writer, with Abhishek Bannerjee), works in the lowest of keys. At times, we seem to be watching actors in between takes, doing things like… clipping nails. But the narrative is like a kaleidoscope that forms a different pattern every few minutes. Now, it’s a triangular romance, with Arnab’s fiancée, Piyali (a sweetly understated Ritabhari Chakraborty). Now, it’s one of those stories of a traumatised child learning to smile under the care of a tender, patient adult. Now, it’s Truffaut’s The Wild Child, about a feral forest-dweller slowly being exposed to “civilisation.” Now, it’s a wronged-woman revenge saga. Now, it’s a noir-tinted drama about how you can run and try to make a new life for yourself, but the past always catches up with you. Now, it’s one of those morality plays about how compassion always overcomes evil. Now, it’s a 1950s social drama about illegitimate children, a plea for inclusivity and acceptance. Now, it’s a clunky philosophy debate about the demons inside us. Along the way, there’s also a political subtext, about refugees. (The story is set in Kolkata, and keeps flashing back to Bangladesh.)
As you might expect, not all these angles are explored satisfactorily — but I was surprised at how elegantly Roy tells his story. The first time we meet Arnab and Piyali, she demonstrates the Pranayama technique. Much later, Piyali faces a situation where she instructs someone to take much deeper breaths. The events have a way of snowballing without calling attention to themselves. The connections between Arnab and Rukhsana are fleshed out not just through character traits (they’re both loners, and like he did as a child, she hides under the bed when scared) but also through the visuals, like the moment when they are both in agony, and we move from him on the floor, in a part-foetal position, to her in the same position. I wish Parambrata Chatterjee had found more notes to play — but he makes us believe and invest in Arnab. This is not a man who does things easily, so you really feel his betrayals (to Rukhsana and Piyali) weighing down his soul. It makes sense that when he does decide to turn saviour, it’s after weeks of wrangling with his conscience.
But as expert as Roy is in creating and sustaining mood, I wish he’d deigned to explain some of his conceits. If the accident at the beginning was really an instance of suicide, did the mother not care about the daughter she was leaving behind? Does it mean something that all important moments are staged during rains? Does no one wonder why Rukhsana was found in chains? Instead of a piecemeal approach — showing glimpses of tattoos and incense sticks and blood-filled bathtubs — why not pack it all into one solidly expository flashback? The explanations, when they come, don’t leave you with that aha! impulse to slap your forehead.
But I enjoyed the pace. I liked the funny (but not overdone) baroque touches like Qasim Ali (a superbly understated Rajat Kapoor, playing a witch hunter with the air of a self-righteous professor) removing his fake eyeball and cleaning the socket with an ear bud. It’s nice (and unusual) to see horror tropes play out in a Muslim setting, and also in a gendered setting. As in Rosemary’s Baby, you could read the happenings in a number of ways. For instance: Is the once-a-month pain a witch faces while her body gets infected with poison a reference to menstrual cramps? Is Pari really about the horrors women undergo — from rape to being expected to carry on bloodlines to being abandoned by their partners during pregnancy to even being chained by men when they don’t conform to feminine stereotypes?
All of which means that Pari fits squarely into what we’ve come to recognise as The Anushka Sharma Production. As an actress, this isn’t much of a stretch — she does what’s needed. (The plain-looking face, with freckles, is a nice touch.) But her real talent in these films seems to be in picking out interesting scripts, and directors (Roy is a first-timer) who really fit the material. These may not be Great Movies™, but they’re fresh, unpredictable and have a definite voice. (I’m thinking about the staging with billowing clothes and curtains, or the scene where a man pulls out chains and the woman, though probably hurt, puts them on as though he’s given her anklets.) And Anushka is making these films even as she’s still in demand as a heroine, starring in the upcoming Shah Rukh Khan vehicle, Zero. Apparently, Virat Kohli is not the only one set for a long innings in that household.
Copyright ©2018 Baradwaj Rangan. This article may not be reproduced in its entirety without permission. A link to this URL, instead, would be appreciated.
Devarsi Ghosh
March 3, 2018
I thought that naming a soft-spoken, shy character “Arnab” was a sly touch.
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brangan
March 3, 2018
Hahaha!
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sanjana
March 3, 2018
Enjoyed reading this review. Very well written.
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Radhika
March 3, 2018
The other reviewers have panned the movie and after reading yours, I feel like giving it a try. Interesting how people have such a different take on things
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hattorihanzo4784
March 3, 2018
I read a youtube comment where someone was criticising an on-line reviewer and told him to be like BR, who has transcended his job of writing reviews into an art-form…
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Anu Warrier
March 3, 2018
BR, I’m waiting to watch it. Have read good reviews of it elsewhere but your review makes me want to watch it. I admire Anushka a great deal – not only is she choosing interesting stories to tell (the ones that may not otherwise get the backing) but she’s giving fresh new voices a chance – directors/script writers, etc. She reminds me of the older lot of actor/film-makers – the ones who acted in run-of-the mill films so they could make the films they believed in. She is definitely putting her money down to back her talk.
And I’m glad her star wattage gives these films a decent viewing – she’s recovering her investment, which allows her to back yet another good script, yet another promising director or scriptwriter. Good for her!
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Astha
March 3, 2018
******SPOILERS AHEAD*****
Completely agree with you here. By the intermission I had already figured out that the movie is about some occult like activities. I figured Rajat Kapoor is not the bad guy and Anushka is falling for Parambrata. I wanted to see some part of the mother’s story as well. Like how did she end up getting captured into Oladchakra given she was resisting that marking being etched on her hand. If she was aware that her baby is part “Ifrit” why did she escape Rajat Kapoor?
I guess because half satan or not she loved the child that was growing inside her. That is the reason she kept her daughter in chains because although she loves her, she does not want her to procreate and make more people like her daughter. She wanted to keep her child alive and that is why she kept all those dogs there for her. I wished the movie had ended with Rajat’s character delivering the child and realising its not satan’s child instead of Piyali asking her to breathe in and out which was really comical.
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chenab35
March 4, 2018
Do not know why the film did not work out for me. It seemed average right from start to finish apart from a few moments here and there.
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Srinanti
March 5, 2018
Very finely written and analysed, I had many of the questions too but I think though those questions will keep playing in our mind.
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sach3
March 6, 2018
Hey..
Saw the movie, absolutely loved it. The good thing about the movie is that it most definitely is a horror movie (mujhe pata tha, jab “common every horror film” scenes aane vaale the, but still i covered my face quite a few times) but the best thing is that it is so much more. Didn’t feel bored even for a single second. Anushka is doing her bid by making such films. Lets do ours by going to the theatres.
To(try to) answer your doubts BR.
*The accident in the beginning was not a suicide. You see… the father said that it was a suicide to the police inspector and then the inspector asked arnab. Arnab hesitated but then said yes looking towards his father. He hesitated because ‘uske adarsh’. There is another instance of the same later during his first meeting with rajat.
*Anushka was chained by her mother because during ‘that time of the month’, she would go out of control and if she leaves the woods, she can get caught. Also, anushka mentioned ki ammi ne sikhaya h chuhe ki tarah rehna.
also the continuous rain was making me uncomfortable to the point that i felt wet myself. I think it worked to add to the mood of a horror movie.
All this👆 can be me, overly justifying the film. But its really what i felt. And its sad that you did not mention anushka’s work as the actor.
She was really good. 😊 she deserve some kind words.
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vishal yogin
March 7, 2018
So many threads spawned throughout the movie, but most of them not explored well. I assume that would make it a 6 hour movie on the lines of gangs of wasseypur. As it is, the indian audience is probably not used to multi layered cinema yet, so that wouldnt work either, the time hasnt come.
Memories of The Wailing surfaced, and I thought this film was a baby step in that direction. I would have enjoyed this more (the mood, the atmosphere) if not for the usual irritating distraction from the audience. Luckily, it was just 3 girls in the audience of 50 for a 4pm show who were trying to cover up their apparent disconnect from what was going on, by their random laughter and shrieks from the beginning to the end. This is what makes it a love and hate affair with cinema on the big screen sigh.
Coming back to Pari, I had an instant connect, being an outcast in the modern era too. I also had zero friends growing up 🙂
It really was a fairy tale (for misfits), with a not-very-fairy-tale-ending. I wait patiently for a version of my fairy tale, should it happen some day.
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MANK
March 7, 2018
Your’s is the rare positive review, almost everyone else has thrashed this.
Anushka needs to be careful with the marketing of her films. Aamir Khan is the most successful actor producer in town not only because he is a wonderful performer and has a great sense of cinema, his marketing genius play a major part
btw, And Anushka is making these films even as she’s still in demand as a heroine
But she is still the lead heroine of this film right?. May be she felt it as a challenging role. i dont think she would have much to do in Zero , being the second lead with katrina kaif and SRK’s dwarf act going to be the highlight.
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cinemaathomeblog
March 15, 2018
Ya, this is why I loved the film too. As you said, with the “inflections of a horror film”, it is so much more about two lonely people in a house having their lives intersect as other factors spiral in the air around them out of their control. Which is why I found it lovely that when they made love, they did so in their shadows. It’s not just them making love there, it’s their identities coming together in a moment that is out of their hands, as they hide not just from themselves and the world but also from all the mystic factors around them, which is exactly what is dropped in as a bomb as the Professor drops in outside his house in the next scene.
Just a lovely film that will go down sweetly into my memory.
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brangan
March 16, 2018
cinemaathomeblog: Which is why I found it lovely that when they made love, they did so in their shadows. It’s not just them making love there, it’s their identities coming together in a moment that is out of their hands, as they hide not just from themselves and the world but also from all the mystic factors around them….
Oh, what a lovely, empathetic reading. Thank you so much.
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sanjana
March 16, 2018
This film somewhat reminds of Tagore’s Hungry Stones.
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Midhuna Joseph
June 7, 2018
Hi BR..
Arnab mentioned tat it isn’t a suicide wen he took responsibility fr Rukshana I guess. So it shud hav been an accidental death..
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Rocky
September 20, 2018
This is a very nice and frank interview by both Varun Dhawan and Anushka Sharma. They both are candid and come across as very likeable and grounded person. The good thing is that unlike Masand, Anupma lets them talk without interruptions
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Rocky
September 20, 2018
Speaking of Masand , he sneakily put in a question about whether Sui Dhaga is similar to TEPK pandering to one of the PM’s Yojna about self employment.
Anushka fumbled a little , but Varun Dhawan hit it for a six.
Respect Mauji and Mamta !!
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