There are only a few woman-oriented films in Kannada. The number of such films remain negligible, with hero-worshipping taking centre-stage. Whenever there is an announcement of a woman-oriented film, the hype is therefore almost double.
Thus for Daughter of Parvathamma, starring two powerful women in the Kannada film industry - Hariprriya and Sumalatha Ambareesh - there was much buzz around the release. And to top it, it was announced that it was an investigative thriller. But, is it worth all the hype?
Doctor Ahalya is found dead on Ring Road in Bengaluru. She is murdered but there is also a hint that it could be a suicide. The police are unable to crack the case. Hence, CID officer Vaidehi (Hariprriya) is put on the job. Vaidehi is the daughter of Parvathamma (Sumalatha Ambareesh). When the case is handed over to Vaidehi, she goes to the cemetery and offers prayers to her ex-boyfriend Ananthu (Suraj Gowda). Cut to a flashback where Hariprriya is a college girl. She then gets on track with the Ahalya case only to be distracted by the owner of a cake shop Rajesh (Prabhu Mundkur). She gets back to case again and then gets ready to marry Rajesh. Sounds unconvincing?
Well, that’s exactly how the entire movie goes.
The storyline is so bad that even powerful, familiar faces like Hariprriya and Sumalatha fail to make the film interesting. In fact, there wasn't any necessity to name the film as D/O Parvathamma. It makes no sense at all. Sumalatha herself plays a cameo role in the film. The name of the movie makes no difference to the storyline. The icing on the cake: the film ends abruptly as well.
The first half doesn’t take off at all. It is all about Vaidehi’s college days and how she enjoyed (?) being a tomboy. She goes ahead and protects her boyfriend from rowdies after he is beaten up by them. Exactly what a macho hero is expected to do in commercial thrillers. She enjoys slapping the bullies in college and showing off her fighting skills in the first few minutes of the film.
The first half is about her past and the second half is about Vaidehi’s present life as a CID officer trying to solve a case that could’ve been easily cracked if the ‘eminent and most efficient’ CID officer had just tracked the call records of Ahalya’s boyfriend. The plot is that simple and dragged on unnecessarily for the heck of it.
Daughter of Parvathamma is Hariprriya’s 25th film. This is her third film releasing this year. Her last two films - Bell Bottom and Soojidara - had set a benchmark, especially for women actors. But, Daughter of Parvathamma is a huge letdown. Though she is both hero and heroine, the plot plays perfect villain for the success of the film.
As mentioned earlier, Sumalatha has a very limited role in the film. Except a line that Hariprriya utters - Who do you think I am? Parvathamma’s daughter - when her mom nags her, there is no reference to Parvathamma ever again. Sumalatha is a veteran actor who is under-utilised in the film. She is an acting powerhouse but she just ends up being a nagging mother who is worried that her daughter is unmarried.
The movie was touted to be a one-of -its-kind woman-oriented investigative thriller with Hariprriya portrayed as a wannabe Malashri. But the film is nowhere close to even being an interesting entertainer. In simple cop words, it is an open and shut case.
Director Shankar’s attempt to make it big with ‘twists’ fails miserably. Both Suraj and Prabhu’s roles are minimal. Prabhu dons the same shirt throughout the film and Hariprriya is mostly spotted wearing leather jackets in different colours. The director could have given at least a new shirt to Prabhu and cut out a leather jacket for Hariprriya. Could have been less of an eye-sore, we think. Prabhu is the owner of the cake shop and also doubles up as delivery guy. Pretty tough job that is, we believe.
The movie, touted to be based on a real life incident, could have easily been a crime story on television. The music and cinematography are below average. The film is filled with poor jokes as well.
Daughter of Parvathamma was meant to open up a new avenue. But the film doesn’t live up to the mark. The movie follows a typical commercial movie formula and the only difference is that a macho hero has been replaced with an attractive heroine. The body of the story remains the same.
Disclaimer: This review was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the series/film. TNM Editorial is independent of any business relationship the organisation may have with producers or any other members of its cast or crew.