Bala comes up with yet another hard hitting dark movie of the people in margin which always had been his story telling background. Paradesi is an important film in many ways not only for its cinematic genius but also for documenting the untold history of the people of lower strata.
Paradesi has been adapted from Eriyum Panikadu, the Tamil translation of the English novel Red Tea(1969) by Dr Paul Harris Dabiel. The novel was based on the people he met during his work as a doctor in tea plantations in the Western Ghats and it could not have been told in an uncompromising manner than Paradesi.
Paradesi captures the strikingly simple life of people who were so much in tune with the mother nature and without any exceedingly complicated expectations. It is heart breaking to see such people were taken for a ride in the name of employment. The movie starts with a simple story of people in Salur Village. Their people predominantly faces poverty everyday yet live with content. Their weddings, their satire, their food, their entertainment, their opinions..everything takes us to a entirely different world which is a typical feature of Bala's movies. He is a true creator in all ways.
The protagonist Adharva is a news announcer in the village and begs food from everyone for his everyday life and gets abused even by his own grand mother for such a life style. The relationship between him and the tomboyish Vedika makes Adharva realize the importance of making money which in turn opens up the crux of the story. During his search of an employment he gets introduced to a broker looking for coolies and eventually convinces the entire village to work in the tea estate.
The entire village is made to walk over 45 days to reach tea estates in western ghats. The grueling episodes of the tea estate is heart breaking and depressing. It is certain that those images will flash in our minds at least once before we sip a cup of tea. These things reiterates the importance of freedom time and again. The unfortunate fact is these kind of cruel capitalism still exist in many such places.
The expression of the joy in a dry village and the misery in a lush green place is probably the most challenging aspect in Paradesi and Bala as a creator comes out with flying colors. The place where the innocent people were put, their work schedule, their medical care, their food, the way they have been treated etc. everything is unbelievably heart aching and no words could capture their agony.
A dark history captured brilliantly and the story has been told very beautifully in a linear way without any major dramatic episodes leading to a high dose, undramatic yet powerful climax which creates that inexpressible feeling and makes one's heart heavy. Bala is a legend.
The casting is fresh as usual with Bala's films and all of them acted beautifully and to me it is just Bala's show for the command he has over story telling and movie making. Chezhiyan's cinematography, Kishore's editing and debutante CS Balachander's art direction are top class. Bala has always associated with literary world and I think that's what makes people like him more special and take the movie experience more than just a pop corn entertainer. This time he joins hands with Legendary writer Nanjil Nadan.
Ilayaraja is badly missed in Paradesi. Even though GV Prakash scored well in songs, he couldn't provide the background score without a template. Raja's music would have been on a totally different level. It is also unfair to expect GV to fill the big shoes of the Maestro. Vairamuthu's lyrics are extremely good and Bala's desire to work with him probably opted him to go away from Raja. Paradesi, deservingly, is sure to rock the festivals and awards.
Verdict - 4.5/5 Paradesi is a classic and Bala's Master Piece. Pithamagan, Naan Kadavul and Paradesi are three best movies of Bala each told in different horizon with different emotions. Paradesi can be classified as his most honest attempt till date made without any cinematic compromise and can be tainted as one of the most original and brilliant Tamil films. Bala is a pride of Tamil Cinema.
