Never Ending Movie Carnival
Never Ending Movie Carnival
Paradise movie review: Unsettling and leaves you unexpectedly scattered, rattled.
What: ‘Paradise’ - one of those stirring films that gets underneath your skin and pricks with its message on human frailty and morality.
Known for his thought-provoking films set against the backdrop of socio-political issues, Srilankan writer-director Prasanna Vithanage’s Paradise conjures a complex predicament for an Indian couple who grapple while the civil unrest while holidaying in Srilanka.
Paradise movie synopsis
The couple, Keshav and Amrutha, played by Roshan Mathew and Darshana Rajendran, have turned five and they are on a visit to the serene hills of Srilanka where things take an unexpected turn on a fateful night. They are robbed by thieves in their homestay – Keshav loses his iPad and Phone, Ammu her phone and laptop. Keshav has just cracked a deal in a finance pitch with Netflix and he needs to be in touch with his office colleagues, but the theft leaves him in a state of panic.
Meanwhile, the local police headed by Sgt. Bandara (Mahendra Pereira) gets three suspects and Keshav identifies them, based on his hunch. The three are subjugated to merciless, third-degree treatment. Bandara, who is under pressure, also comments, “You are adding fuel to the fire”. Ammu questions Keshav’s hunch.
We are quickly drawn into the palpable conflicts that Vithanage crafts along with tense atmospherics, while extracting and relying on compelling performances from his protagonists. Creating a wonderful dichotomy not just by labelling his film on unrest and public outrage as ‘Paradise’ but also juxtaposing the quaint exotic beauty, the clouds enshrouding the mountains against the tension that brews in the life of the couple, Vithanage also infuses metaphors in the form of mythology.
During their sight-seeing, their tour-guide Andrews (Shyam Fernando) shows them various places of mythological significance from Ramayana. At one point, Ammu reverts if he has heard about the Jain version of the epic where Sita fought Ravana.
Darshana’s Ammu defies regressive notions towards women and emerges as a voice to be heard, albeit subdued. She is kind and her compassion transcends the intricate frailties that we observe in Roshan’s Keshav. At one point, when they are out on hunting a deer, Ammu subverts the gun and says, “it’s too beautiful to be killed”, causing a little dismay to Keshav who is craving for some delicious venison. These rare nuances make their chemistry and conflicts achingly real and authentic.
Not only Roshan and Darshana render their layered parts wonderfully but the supporting cast comprising Sumith Ilango (as Shree, the caretaker) and Azher Shamsuddin (as Iqbal, the cook) perform without a hint of affectation. Here’s an entire Srilankan actors’ ensemble who registers a profound mark when it comes to histrionics.
Paradise - Final Words
Paradise won tremendous international acclaim when it was screened in Busan Film Festival last year. It dares to raise questions and interpretations but shies away from the real politics of the state. All said and done, it has got that quality to leave a lingering, unsettling touch with its unpredictable and evocative climax.
I go with 4 stars out of 5 for Paradise. The film, presented by Mani Ratnam’s Madras Talkies and produced by Newton Cinema, is running in theatres from 28th June 2024.
Paradise won tremendous international acclaim when it was screened in Busan Film Festival last year. It dares to raise questions and interpretations but shies away from the real politics of the state. All said and done, it has got that quality to leave a lingering, unsettling touch with its unpredictable and evocative climax.
I go with 4 stars out of 5 for Paradise. The film, presented by Mani Ratnam’s Madras Talkies and produced by Newton Cinema, is running in theatres from 28th June 2024.
Ahwaan Padhee, is an IT Techie/Business Consultant by profession and a film critic/cinephile by passion, is also associated with Radio Playback as well, loves writing and conducting movie quizzes. More By Ahwaan Padhee