Movie: Pari
Direction: Prosit Roy
Cast: Anushka Sharma, Parambrata Chatterjee
Music: Ketan Sodha (BGM)
Cinematographer: Jishnu Bhattacharjee
Editor: Manas Mittal
Genre: Horror, Mystery
Rating: ∗∗∗½
What is it about: It’s a supernatural horror film which ponders the theory of the Devil’s child. What happens during the course forms the crux of the story directed by debutante Prosit Roy.
Why it’s disappointing: One may find mistakes in the film, but I enjoyed the freshness. So no qualms about it.
What to watch out for: You can most definitely ask what’s so different about “Pari” which we haven’t seen or heard earlier? Surely the packaging was fresh and it had a neat technique in putting forward a ritual which may or may not be fictional in a convincing way. It deals with a sect in the film and it was handled meticulously, ‘cause it might’ve affected religious sentiments. Prosit Roy along with Abhishek Banerjee derived a tight screenplay which gets to it, right from the start, making it engaging and keeps the intensity of the genre on tip toe. I was surprised with audience reacting in the theatre, as they were genuinely scared. Well if that’s the case the director made it happen.
Anushka Sharma as Rukhsana was brilliant. She was right under the skin of the character. It had multiple layers, she played it right to the dot. The character was gracefully carried and performed.
Parambrata Chatterjee as Arnab, as grounded his looks are, so was his performance. And the way he keeps the sanity of it was great. He gave a commendable performance.
Rajat Kapoor as Professor did a crisp job. He was spot on and played it like a gangster.
Ritabhari Chakraborty as Piyali, did a good job. Regardless of the screen space given, her character brings another dimension in to the story.
The cinematography by Jishnu Bhattacharjee was intense, and he had a grim tone for the film which was splendid. It was sharply edited by Manas Mittal. And the music by Anupam Roy was sweet and the background score by Ketan Sodha was intensifying. The VFX and SFX were hand in hand and gave an amazing theatre experience, which was required for a genre of this kind.
Verdict: Prosit Roy, did a crisp job for a debutante and presented a neat supernatural film which explores the nuances quite well. It satisfies the genre and brings a freshness to the technique. Definitely worth a watch.
