For any Horror Film, its the most essential to scare the viewer with an impact. Some horror movie tropes including gore, screams or even absurdities. In 'Pari', what we get, is a richly atmospheric horror film, that will creep you out for sure. However, the disappointment lies its uneven story, that never comes up as a whole. More on that later...
'Pari' Synopsis: Arnab (Parambrata Chatterjee) allows a mysteriously women Rukhsana (Anushka Sharma, in terrific form), to stay with him after an accident, only to realize something eerie & creepy related to the women he's given his shed too.
'Pari', Co-Written & Directed by Prosit Roy, begins interestingly & takes you in its ghastly world instantly, although the brutality is very off-putting. Roy successfully transports us to an unsafe, unpredictable world & the director sets up an atmosphere of cold dread & fear. The first-hour of 'Pari' is engaging stuff, as the mystery unfolds slowly, but interestingly.
Its the second-hour, however, it fails overall. What starts off as a twisted tale of mystery, horror & subtle human-romance, suddenly turns into a bizarre story, that keeps getting more & more outlandish. While some moments in this hour are effectively unsettling, in its totality, it lacks the fizz. And that's underwhelming, since 'Pari' has a genuinely winning first-hour & a consistently well-created atmosphere.
Roy & Abhishek Bannerjee's Screenplay, which focuses on the concept of Ifrits & Jinns, begins strongly & builds up its story nicely, but loses the fizz mid-way. While I truly enjoyed the subtle romance between its leads, the entire romantic-triangle bit in the second-hour appears forced. How I wish the Writing was strong all through!
Roy's Direction is well-done. Cinematography captures the dread & gruesome violence, to great effect. Editing is alright. Make-Up is realistically done. Art & Costume Design are top-notch. Action-Sequences are too brutal & will put off the faint-hearted instantly.
Performance-Wise: Anushka Sharma delivers her best performance in years. 'Pari' is Anushka's 3rd home-production venture, after the superb NH10 & the heartwarming Phillauri, & Anushka oozes range in a role that gives her enough meat to chew on. As Rukhsana, Anushka is, at times, vulnerable & at times, frightening. She's simply terrific here. Parambrata Chatterjee is very nicely restrained. Ritabhari Chakraborty is excellent. She has wonderful screen presence & the confidence an actor demands. Rajat Kapoor is first-rate, in a strong supporting role. Dibyendu Bhattacharya leaves a mark.
On the whole, 'Pari' utilizes only half of its potential. And yet, its worth a watch for the fact that it dares to be a horror film that uses atmospherics as its trump card.
'Pari' Synopsis: Arnab (Parambrata Chatterjee) allows a mysteriously women Rukhsana (Anushka Sharma, in terrific form), to stay with him after an accident, only to realize something eerie & creepy related to the women he's given his shed too.
'Pari', Co-Written & Directed by Prosit Roy, begins interestingly & takes you in its ghastly world instantly, although the brutality is very off-putting. Roy successfully transports us to an unsafe, unpredictable world & the director sets up an atmosphere of cold dread & fear. The first-hour of 'Pari' is engaging stuff, as the mystery unfolds slowly, but interestingly.
Its the second-hour, however, it fails overall. What starts off as a twisted tale of mystery, horror & subtle human-romance, suddenly turns into a bizarre story, that keeps getting more & more outlandish. While some moments in this hour are effectively unsettling, in its totality, it lacks the fizz. And that's underwhelming, since 'Pari' has a genuinely winning first-hour & a consistently well-created atmosphere.
Roy & Abhishek Bannerjee's Screenplay, which focuses on the concept of Ifrits & Jinns, begins strongly & builds up its story nicely, but loses the fizz mid-way. While I truly enjoyed the subtle romance between its leads, the entire romantic-triangle bit in the second-hour appears forced. How I wish the Writing was strong all through!
Roy's Direction is well-done. Cinematography captures the dread & gruesome violence, to great effect. Editing is alright. Make-Up is realistically done. Art & Costume Design are top-notch. Action-Sequences are too brutal & will put off the faint-hearted instantly.
Performance-Wise: Anushka Sharma delivers her best performance in years. 'Pari' is Anushka's 3rd home-production venture, after the superb NH10 & the heartwarming Phillauri, & Anushka oozes range in a role that gives her enough meat to chew on. As Rukhsana, Anushka is, at times, vulnerable & at times, frightening. She's simply terrific here. Parambrata Chatterjee is very nicely restrained. Ritabhari Chakraborty is excellent. She has wonderful screen presence & the confidence an actor demands. Rajat Kapoor is first-rate, in a strong supporting role. Dibyendu Bhattacharya leaves a mark.
On the whole, 'Pari' utilizes only half of its potential. And yet, its worth a watch for the fact that it dares to be a horror film that uses atmospherics as its trump card.