'Parakramam', acted, written, produced and directed by Bandi Saroj Kumar, hits the screens today (August 23). The film comes from the director of YouTube hits 'Nirbandham' and 'Mangalyam'.
Story:
Lovaraju (Bandi Saroj) is a stage actor from a village. He moves to Hyderabad to perform at Ravindra Bharathi. Lakshmi, the daughter of the village head, idolizes and loves him to the core. Her wait to watch Lovaraju perform the three chapters of a stage play titled 'Parakramam' has a personal connection.
What is Parakramam about? How is it related to Lakshmi's father? What is the secret that Lovaraju doesn't know about his father Satthi Babu (Bandi Saroj, again)? Answers to these questions are found as the story progresses.
Performances:
Bandi Saroj Kumar has organically built a niche fan following of his own in the digital space. His YouTube releases were crowd-funded post their release. With 'Parakramam', he makes a silver screen entry with conviction. His performance is solid although a little more refinement would have helped. He is honing his own style of dialogue delivery and it is appreciable. He plays Lovaraju with the abandon of a Puri Jagannadh hero and the thoughtfulness of a Trivikram lead.
Shruti Samanvi Kakarlapudi, a Kuchpudi dancer, plays an autistic girl who finds liberation in Lovaraju's inner personality and guts. Naga Lakshmi is seen as Lovaraju's 'maradalu'. Mohan Senapaty, Nikhil Gopu, Anil Kumar, Sashank Vennelakanti, and Vamsiraj are seen in different roles.
Analysis:
"To fight oppression, it is not enough for you to be righteous. You need to show 'parakramam'," says Lovaraju in one of the early scenes. This hook is what drives the mood of 'Parakramam'. But you would be mistaken to believe that the film is about physical violence. It is more in the zone of a spiritual fight against the vice.
The chief antagonist suffers from an endless bout of existential dread because of a prophecy. The male lead, as a passionate stage actor who is well-versed in religious imagery and symbolism, goes about using the power of storytelling and enactment. What if we told you the film doesn't end with an action sequence but something else in which Lovaraju willingly chooses defeat?
The initial portions bring out the emotional turmoil undergone by Satthiraju, Lovaraju's helpless father who wants to essay Yamaraju to perfection. As someone who pines for recognition, his life revolves around art. Many years later, Lakshmi, a girl in her early 20s, is shown waiting for Lovaraju to turn up for a stage show in Hyderabad.
In terms of characterization, 'Parakramam' stands out. It is hero-centric without seeming like one. In a scene, the lead man says that he is a fan of a Pakistani cricketer, not of Sachin or Lara. This would have come across as an irrelevant detail had cricket been a mere prop in the context of the story. It is not. Cricket is a motif the film explores even in the second half.
You would think that Lovaraju's dream girl who rides a horse is an outdated trope. But if you consider how the film revels in the philosophical concept of destiny and Karma in many ways, you start seeing poetry. Lovaraju says risk-taking alone makes us special. He meditates, he assures the individuals around him, he values blood relationships, he is always reliable. So, when he makes a statement against the misuse of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, he comes across as a humanist rather than an agent provocateur.
On the flip side, 'Parakramam' takes its production values too lightly. The staging does not befit the mythical aspects of the script. The songs, too, deserved better cinematography and picturization.
Vox Verdict:
'Parakramam' is a finely-written revenge drama set in the backdrop of stage plays. Its hero-villain confrontation is unusual. If you are a fan of dialogue-driven dramas with a gentle mythification of the hero figure, you will like this movie.
Rating: 2.75
