The Paradise is an iconic place in Secunderabad, and the Paradise hotel is equally famous. There was also a Paradise cinema theatre in Secunderabad, which was later renamed. Director Srikanth Odela has created a fictional story around a place called The Paradise, and because of the title’s connection to the iconic place and food joint, the film naturally creates curiosity.
Nani, who started his career as a next-door-boy hero, has now completely embraced a massy avatar. He previously explored this side in HIT: The Third Case, where action formed the main backdrop, and he continues in the same vein with The Paradise. In fact, he has taken it a step further this time with more violence and a more mass-oriented look. Srikanth Odela made his directorial debut with Dasara, which also starred Nani, and The Paradise marks their second collaboration.
These days, filmmakers are presenting action episodes in increasingly intense ways, and sometimes the gore becomes difficult to watch on the big screen. When a film focuses too much on action, it can lose sight of the most important element — the emotional quotient. For any story, emotion is important, and it should also be relatable and believable.
Films like KGF and Salaar changed the scenario of Indian cinema, with filmmakers creating their own worlds for their stories. Director Srikanth Odela has also created his own world in The Paradise, revolving around a tribe called the Savaris, who are fighting for recognition and identity. As usual, a rich and influential person rules the place and punishes anyone who revolts against him. Srikanth has also used lookalikes of real-life personalities in the second half to bring some sense of reality to the film, but it never really helps. The predictable story, flat narration and, most importantly, the lack of emotion between the mother and son become the film’s biggest drawbacks.
Director: Srikanth Odela
Cast: Nani, Kayadu Lohar, Mohan Babu, Sonali Kulkarni, Raghav Juyal, Tanikella Bharani, Eswari Rao, Sampoornesh Babu and others
The story revolves around a tribe called the Savaris, consisting of nearly 5,000 people who settled in a place called Paradise in Secunderabad. They fight for recognition and identity but do not receive basic government benefits such as medical facilities and education. The people outside the community do not help them because of Shikanja Malik (Mohan Babu), whose family has been ruling the place and treating the Savaris as slaves and untouchables. Anyone who revolts against the Malik family is brutally killed. Sammakka (Sonali Kulkarni) gives birth to Jadal (Nani), who revolts against Malik as a child and ends up in jail. He returns after serving 14 years but hates his mother because of what he believes was her wrongdoing. An incident makes Jadal realise the truth about his mother and the sacrifices she made for him.
What is that incident, and why does Jadal hate his mother? Subbu (Kayadu Lohar), an aspiring actor, falls in love with Jadal. What is her role in the Savari tribe’s fight against Malik? What did Vikram Malik (Raghav Juyal), Shikanja Malik’s son, do to the Savaris, and what happened to him? Will the tribe finally get recognition from the government? You have to watch the film to find out.
There are stories with the backdrop of action, love, entertainment or something else, but everything depends on the director and how effectively the story is narrated and connected to the audience. Whether a story is fictional, larger-than-life or based on a real incident, it needs strong writing. In recent times, several big films have been made around the core point of an identity crisis. KGF, Pushpa and the recent Peddi also revolve around characters fighting for recognition and identity. Director Srikanth Odela has taken a similar storyline, with a tribe fighting to establish its identity and gain recognition.
The earlier films worked because the directors narrated their stories effectively, with strong emotional connections and engaging writing. When it comes to The Paradise, Srikanth has taken a similar kind of storyline but narrated it with a lot of action and very little emotion. Before the release, the director and lead actor repeatedly stressed the mother-son sentiment. But on the big screen, the director focuses more on lengthy action sequences that drag for too long. At one point, you simply get tired of watching the mindless violence, with headless bodies falling and hands and legs being chopped off amid excessive gore.
A rich landlord rules a particular area called Paradise and treats the Savaris as untouchables and slaves. A young man decides to revolt against him, and the story could have been made interesting by showing how he unites his tribe and fights back, even though similar stories have been told before. Instead, the director focuses more on individual action blocks and narrates the story in a flat manner. The film starts on an interesting note but completely loses its way after the first half-hour. At one point, it becomes difficult to understand what the director is trying to say or where the story is heading.
Srikanth seems to believe that the mother-son emotional quotient would work well, but except for one or two scenes — particularly the scene where Eswari Rao tells Nani about his mother — there is hardly any emotional connection. The sentiment never reaches the audience in the way the film requires. Moreover, the director has not written several characters properly. Raghav Juyal’s Vikram Malik, for example, is a complete waste. It feels like the director concentrated almost entirely on Nani’s character and failed to make proper use of the others.
Mohan Babu is a gigantic personality, and his commanding voice and screen presence naturally give weight to a character. However, the director completely sidelines him after a point. On one side, the Maliks are killing hundreds of people, while Jadal is also killing hundreds of people. These mindless violent sequences overshadow the actual story — the mother-son relationship and what the Savari tribe is fighting for. There is a lot of scope to create some good scenes around this story, but the director turns it into a typical commercial film following the same formula. The entire sequence where the Savari tribe tries to save a newborn baby from the Maliks is too long and feels forced.
The Kayadu Lohar episode is also completely forced and unnecessary. It is difficult to understand what the director actually wanted to convey through her character. Subbu wants to become an actress, but after noticing that many people are interested in watching B-grade films, she decides to make one herself and convinces her mother to support her decision. Then there is a scene where her mother holds a camera and shoots Subbu in an aesthetic manner, showing her body. Is it supposed to be a short film, a two-minute video or a feature film? Only the director knows. The entire episode feels like a big joke and comes across as cheap.
To bring some reality into the film, the director has included lookalikes of former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and former Chief Minister N T Rama Rao. Perhaps the intention was to indirectly refer to the Telangana movement, but these portions at least provide some entertainment because the audience can easily identify the personalities being portrayed.
Another major minus is Anirudh Ravichander’s background score, which is excessively loud and fails to make the desired impact. The songs Aaya Sher and Yeshunagula were already popular before the release, but apart from these two songs, Anirudh does not offer much in this film. In some scenes, the dialogues are not clear, and the heavy Telangana dialect may also be difficult for some audiences to understand. Srikanth has written a few dialogues well.
Avinash Kolla, the production designer, deserves appreciation for creating the world of Paradise in a realistic and convincing manner. Cinematographer deserves equal credit for capturing the visuals effectively. Technically, the film looks good and maintains high production values.
When it comes to performances, Nani has tried his best as Jadal, but the role does not completely suit him. Audiences have seen Nani in many different shades, but watching him kill people brutally and jump from one place to another like a Jackie Chan character does not feel natural for him. That said, Nani has worked hard, especially on his appearance with the braids. Some of his dialogues are difficult to understand, and his Telangana dialect also does not feel convincing throughout. Kayadu Lohar is good as the female lead, but her character is not written properly. Mohan Babu plays the main antagonist, and his presence on screen immediately creates interest. However, once again, the director dilutes his role, especially in the second half and climax. Raghav Juyal is a big waste in the film and does not get much to do. Sonali Kulkarni gets a lengthy role as Jadal’s mother and does a good job, but the intended emotion does not translate effectively on screen. Sampoornesh Babu is another wasted character. Eswari Rao shines in one particular scene and delivers her part effectively.
Finally, The Paradise falls short of expectations. Director Srikanth Odela has focused more on mindless action and violence and much less on emotion. The mother-son sentiment was supposed to be the heart of the film, but the director fails to convey it effectively on the big screen. Except for one or two scenes here and there, the film offers very little and ultimately turns out to be a misfire. Paradise Biryani is very famous in Hyderabad, but this Paradise leaves you disappointed.