Fragrance. Review on Parijataham Movie

Refreshing mint... this is how this movie feels admist all the gangster masalas. I have been keeping away from tamil movies for quite some time as I only seemed to see different varities of masala flicks. But I really wanted to watch this movie on hearing that it is from Bhagyaraj.. who is back after quite a long gap.

The film opens with the director announcing that this movie is not a roller coaster ride but a gentle ride on a boat on a moon-lit night. This gentle ride continues till the end of the movie. All the characters in this movie have a role to play and they definitely do with finesse. There is no villian...and the "bad things" that some small characters do are really mild that it does not add any villianism to the movie.

The plot

Seetha moves into a new house where Sarath Babu sends his daughter Saranya as domestic help. Saranya impresses Seetha with her thinking and character and this makes Seetha choose her as the bride for her son Prithviraj. Prithviraj and dad Prakash Raj are kept in suspense about the bride. They lose Seetha to an accident before the suspense is broken. The rest of the movie takes the viewer through the events and circumstances that finally bring the lead pair together.

The Director

Well, no special mention needs to be made about ace film-maker Bhagyaraj. He has been entertaining the earlier generations with good doses of family sentiments and comedies. He has not lost power after so many years! He continues to weave the magical wand for the next generation.

The actors

It is very hard to distinguish the actors from the roles they play in this movie. You remember only Sumathi, Surender, Sampoornam and Santosh and not Saranya, Prithviraj, Bhagyaraj or Prakash Raj. They have played their roles to perfection. But the star is definitely Saranya who has essayed her character with finesse and ease that new-comers rarely display. Her close-up shots remind us very much of Poornima Jayaram (aka Poornima Bhagyaraj). The expressions she displays everytime she is questioned about the chosen bride makes your heart go out to her.

Screenplay and narration

The story that Sumathi narrates to Seetha takes up considerable time. Seetha imagines the lead characters of the story to be her son and Sumathi. I was initially irritated that an imaginative story should be told in such elaborate detail. But you get so absorbed in it that towards the end of the narration, you are actually in love with the characters Sridhar and Subhadra. When the story separates them, you are heart-broken just like Seetha is. This romantic story sets the mood for the remaining part of the movie. Bhagyaraj has succeeded in getting your involvement and interest for the rest of the movie with this elaborate narration.

The remaining part of the movie floats in the same pace with the audience holding the breath everytime some evidence points to Sumathi as the chosen bride, but situations snatching away the truth. There were no logical threads hanging in the air.

I felt the climax was a bit too quick and there were some lack of continuity. After Sampoornam receives a copy of the book published by Sumathi, the boat seems to pick up speed and reach the shore a bit too quickly.

There are sufficient doses of comedy, sentiments and seriousness just like any other Bhagyaraj movie. The blend of these is commendable. Perhaps the only thing missing is action which, if included, would have spoiled the movie!

Final word

Well, I do not know how the flower parijatham smells, but the fragrance from this movie is still floating in my nostrils. I hope there are more movies like these that would bring family audience back to the theatres. The film is aptly named in that the fragrance emanates from all the characters, the plot and the screenplay.