Considering that Bollywood hasn’t seen a scary film in quite a while, it’s good to see Prosit venture into this genre without resorting to the old cliches.
Film: Pari (Horror thriller)
Critic’s Rating: 3 / 5
Cast: Anushka Sharma, Parambrata Chatterjee, Rajat Kapoor and Ritabhari Chakraborty
Director: Prosit Roy
Duration: 2 hours 16 minutes
Language: Hindi (A)
Story:
After a matrimonial meeting with Piyali (Ritabhari), Arnab (Parambrata) is returning home with his parents when suddenly an old lady is hit by their car. Like a law-abiding citizen, he notifies the police and the subsequent investigation leads him to the old woman’s daughter Rukhsana (Anushka), tied in chains in her hut by the swamp in a forest. Guilt-ridden, he decides to help her and even agrees to let her stay in his house. Meanwhile, a professor Qasim Ali (Rajat) is looking for Rukhsana and wants to kill her after learning that her mother had the ‘devil’s mark' on her hand. Will Arnab get to know the truth about Rukhsana and forsake her?
Review:
Debutant director Prosit Roy, who has also written the film along with Abhishek Bannerjee, shows promise in his handling of the genre. Unlike most Bollywood horror films that also resort to a dose of erotica, Pari stays true to its genre with the supernatural, demon, evil spirits, an old cult, women in chains, blood and gore. While the first half seems to drag a little, more so with a song, the second half appears a little hurried in unravelling the mystery about Rukhsana.
Anushka scores with a brilliant performance, essaying the myriad moods and phases of her character with conviction. From her first scene, when she is discovered in chains, the actress is in full form and holds your attention till the end. Subtlety seems to be Parambratha’s forte. The actor who impressed cinegoers with his cop act in Kahaani (2012), effectively portrays the nervousness and anxiety of Arnab when faced with unforeseen circumstances.
Rajat Kapoor plays the rationalist professor on a mission with ease and his prosthetics make him even more sinister. Ritabhari plays her part well as Arnab’s fiancee Piyali.
Given a good horror film also hinges on the novelty factor, besides a strong plot, wonderful actors and convincing execution, Pari does keep you engaged, despite its flaws. While the interactions between Rukhsana and Arnab get a little monotonous, Ketan Sodha’s background score and Anish John’s sound design keeps you on the edge of your seat. Credit also goes to production designer Meenal Agarwal and cinematographer Jishnu Bhattacharjee for adding to the scare quotient, taking it a couple of notches higher.
Considering that Bollywood hasn’t seen a scary film in quite a while, it’s good to see Prosit venture into this genre without resorting to the old cliches.
Verdict:
Pari, as the tagline says, is ‘not a fairy tale’. Those who love the horror genre can give it a try.
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 "Anushka Sharma and Parambrata Chatterjee in a still from 'Pari'")
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