Spoiler-free Review of “Parasakthi”

Sivakarthikeyan’s Parasakthi is a deeply moving look at a turbulent but critical time in Tamil Nadu history. Based on the life of student activist Rajendran, Sudha Kongara’s Parasakthi is a fictionalized representation of the events that dominated Tamil Nadu news in 1965 – a series of events that have become sharply relevant in the recent past and continues to be a major issue – especially in the southern states.

Chezhiyan – played by Sivakarthikeyan – was an intensely politicized student who fearlessly opposed an attempt by Jawaharlal Nehru’s government to impose Hindi – India’s youngest language – as the national language of India, replacing English, but also threatening to obliterate all other Indian languages. Playing a pivotal role in the Purananooru resistance army, Chezhiyan is prepared to give up his life to protect his language and culture. However, a single incident forces him to redefine his life goals and redirects his energy to join the government service.

Six years later, Chezhiyan’s younger brother, Chinnadurai (Atharva) takes on a renewed move by Indira Gandhi’s government to make Hindi the sole official language. Facing the calculated ire of the Intelligence Bureau officer, Thiru (Ravi Mohan), the brothers soon realise that fighting injustice is much harder than they anticipated.

Sivakarthikeyan’s maturation as an actor is simply stunning. The character Chezhiyan is brilliantly written by Sudha Kongara and accurately reflects the inner conflicts and conscience-stirring decisions that had to be made by people of that turbulent time. It is a character that could easily have been portrayed as a fearless leader who heroically took on the establishment, but Sivakartikeyan infuses realism into the character to often show the uncertainty, the angst and the deep-seated emotions that motivated activists of the time. Relying more on expressions and body language, Sivakarthikeyan brings the character into the lives of the audience through a performance that makes one forget Sivakrthikeyan and see only Chezhiyan on screen.

Ravi Mohan, who plays the venom-filled antagonist – Thiru, makes a valiant effort in his portrayal of strong and credible character, but the problem is that there is too much of Ravi Mohan in the portrayal and not enough of Thiru.

Atharva is in a spirited and powerful role and is at his best in the scenes he shares with Sivakarthikeyan. His ability to portray strength and vulnerability simultaneously augments his performance in what is easily one of the most memorable characters of is career.

Sreeleela, in her Tamil debut, expertly combines vulnerability with determination and strength in a well-moulded character who is not content to remain in the shadows. She accurately portrays the difficulty of trans-lingual support at a time when language identity became the cornerstone of South Indian politics. It was therefore a stroke of genius for Sudha Kongara to write her in as a Telugu girl fighting what was initially the Tamil cause.

Prakash Belawadi, in only his third role on the Tamil screen, deftly portrays Chief Minister M. Bhaktavatsalam, the last Congress politician to hold the post of Chief Minister in Tamil Nadu. The film presents him an unflattering but accurate light as the Minister who turned his back on his own people.

Guru Somasundaram as M. Karunanidhi and Chetan as Annadurai are the best of the rest of the very talented cast. Both have limited screen time but make a huge impact in the screenplay.

Sudha Kongara has taken great pains to show her intention of presenting her protagonists as Pro-Hindi and Pro-Hindi people but fierce opponents of Hindi impostion. Unfortuanately, the events portrayed on screen dilutes this thought as the film progresses and the Hindi language becomes associated with oppression.

Sudha Kongara must also be praised for the restraint in her portrayal of other political leaders depicted in the film. Despite the fact that the film’s producers are strongly aligned to the DMK government, the screenplay attaches greater importance to Rajendran and other student activists than to the adult leaders of the time. Annadurai and Karunanidhi as characters in the film are given minimal screen time and their actions given only a cursory treatment.

The screenplay was largely impressive, but took a significant dip to portray the romance between Chezhiyan and Ratnamala. The first two songs are also speed-breakers in the narrative. Apart from this, the pace is excellent.

In summary, Sudha Kongara, assisted by Arjun Nadesan and Madhan Karky, has weaved a well-researched and powerfully worded script that explores history without being divisive. The use of subtle humour must also be commended in a script based on such a serious subject.

The film also excels in technical aspects.

Ravi K Chandran’s cinematography is a magnificent display of creative use of light, filters and framing. His colour palette also deserves a special mention, as this varies in the film.

Parasakthi is a must-watch film – not just for fans of Tamil cinema, but also historians, the latter having the freedom to reject or accept the film’s portrayal of the 1965 unrest in Tamil Nadu.

While it does not have the perfect screenplay, the depth of the characterisation, the well-researched script and the exposition of this event to current audiences make Parasakthi a laudable film.

Parasakthi scores 9 points out of 10.