Inspired from a novel, ‘Red Tea’, Paradesi paints an episode of the lives of innocent people who suffered as bonded laborers at the hands of the British bureaucrats who used to employ them in order to develop tea estates.
Set in pre-independent India, in the year of 1939, the movie takes a deep dive into the lives of such nomads who were treated like animals by their employers who were loyal to the British bureaucracy without paying much heed to any sort of human emotions. The story has been told in a dark and morbid way carrying the intensity throughout the course with an overdose of grief tinged with satire.
Shooting a period film would have always had its own set of challenges and on top of it Bala has employed numerous junior artists in order to recreate and bring forth that period to the viewers. Right from the hairstyle of all the artists, their costumes (however minimal it might be), the ornaments that they wear, the Tamil dialect (as spoken by the pre-independent populace living in and around the then Madrasapattinam) and casting in general was exceptional.
Before going into the artist’s performance, let me congratulate the make-up artist, costume designer and the art director for doing an amazing job and creating the ambience of a bye-gone era and people whom we did not even know had existed till now.
Adharva, after some faulty baby steps has learnt to walk tall. Like in most Bala movies, being the protagonist, he bore the wrath of being disfigured and has been made to live the role. Well done!
Vedhika has been given a rebirth with a brief but noteworthy role. She too has been soiled and tanned and was made to get into the skin of the character!
Like in Bala’s previous flicks, here too the villain is gruesome and has made his debut - Jerry! I think he would be a regular for such superbad roles in the coming days!
Dhansika, Ritwika and Udhay Karthik in supporting roles have been utilized well to bring out the gloom in the screenplay and to support the casting at large!
Music by GV Prakash was not upto the mark, except for ‘Avatha Paiya’ which was part of a breezy first half. The BGM was average as well!
Cinematography by Chezhiyan takes us on a walk through a nomad’s life! Throughout the movie he has maintained a sepia tone which adds an emotional backdrop to the happenings. He made a mark right from the beginning where the camera was made to seep through the narrow gap between thatched roofs and then among the folklore in order to depict the village ethos!
Editing by Kishore was good except that there was some vacuum in the second half where he has tried to blend in BGM and songs. Also the rapid shift in time period has been liberally used without paying much attention to details like the character’s looks!
The first half was a bit racy and had some funny moments as well before it turned out to be somewhat of a rhetoric (with some lewd comments) as comedy and Bala are as different as chalk and cheese! The second half was having some genuine satire, but also had a gruesome and disturbing tale to narrate!
Overall, Paradesi is for those who have appreciated Bala’s previous dark flicks. The ones who look forward to quality entertainment, please stay away, as this time Bala has made an even more poignant effort to paint the murals with blood!
Verdict: Recommended!
Rating: 3/5
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