'Pareshan', originally produced by Siddharth Rallapalli, has been released by Suresh Productions. Rana Daggubati is backing the comedy film. Here is our review of the latest release.
Plot:
Issac (Thiruveer) is a jobless youngster who has flunked the ITI exam. His father (Muralidhar Goud), a worker in Singareni coal mines, is waiting to retire once his son becomes an earning member. Issac's love affair with Sireesha (Pavani Karanam) results in an unexpected consequence just as his friend Satthi (Arjun Krishna) creates a financial mess. Issac must now confront mounting pressure on two fronts. He must placate his restless father and convince his impatient girlfriend. Can he?
Performances:
The performances are so incredibly real that you wonder if the artists knew that they were shooting for a film. Each artist is so unself-conscious that, in a parallel universe, they didn't know that a camera was shooting them.
Thiruveer is good, and a few others are simply excellent. Pavani, as a naive yet questioning lover girl, is impressive. Sai Prasanna, as a glamour-crazy and greedy girl named Rajitha, is natural. The artists who played Issac's friends, especially Maidaku, are flawless. Muralidhar Goud of 'DJ Tillu' fame plays his comfort role. By now, you know what he does in most movies.
Technical aspects:
Vasu Pendem's cinematography captures the landscape of the Telangana village where the film is set. Harishankar's editing follows some norms set by new-age indie films. Yashwanth Nag's music draws inspiration from the works of composers of Mark K Robin ('Agent Sai Srinivas Athreya' fame) and a couple of other new-age composers.
Post-Mortem:
The first hour is thoroughly engaging and uses the Telangana rural comedy vibe extremely well. The introduction of the characters is done with finesse. The male lead is introduced in a scene where he is seen playing an instrument in a Christian ministry presided over by a family friend. This happens more than 10-12 minutes into the film. Even his love story is staged without much fuss. It's only around the interval that the stakes are heightened.
Even an elaborately staged scuffle involving Issac and his friends doesn't look choreographed. The baraat dance, the skirmishes, the banter - nothing looks contrived.
In 'Mem Famous', the friendship element was sanitized. That film was about idealized friend characters. In 'Pareshan', the immediate concerns matter more than years-old friendships. When push comes to shove, Issac doesn't mind aggravating the friction. The lead man grows more restless and his girlfriend grows more desperate.
The good part is that there is no instant solution to Issac's problems. The poor part is that the solution arrives with a damp squib in the climax. And there is also a crucial conflict point that is allowed to fizzle out by its contrived arc.
Had the second half resolved the conflicts smartly, 'Pareshan' would have been gold. The episode involving a road accident is crass and insensitive. Director Rupak Ronaldson of 'Kobbari Matta' fame, in his bid to use dark comedy, makes 'Pareshan' appear pedestrian and gross for five minutes.
Closing Remarks:
'Pareshan' is yet another attempt at making use of the Telangana comedy vibe. It works despite a weak story. The performances are ridiculously lovely.
