Pareshan review: Thiruveer shines in this comedy rooted in Telangana

Pareshan opens with a hilarious scene involving a protest at a wine shop. A group of women are demanding the closure of the wine shop in the village while opposite them a group of men – led by Tiger Seenanna, an important character in the film – have launched a counter-protest. This scene is shot in a chaotic manner, showing how wild the film can get. Pareshan revolves around this penchant for drinking by the men in the village and the problems it leads to. Like the recently released Balagam, Pareshan is yet another film rooted in Telangana and is set in a small village called Ramakrishnapur near Singareni Collieries.

As the film’s title suggests, Pareshan (roughly translating to ‘tension’) is about a frustrated Isaac (played by Thiruveer) who belongs to a Christian family. He is a disappointment to his father (Muralidhar Goud) who wants to give up his job at the coal mine and take up devotional work as a preacher. Isaac’s friends too betray him, leading to further trouble for him. And his girlfriend too becomes just an annoyance. Whether Isaac overcomes all these difficulties and how forms the story of Pareshan.

Isaac is a carefree man who continues to disappoint his father with his antics. He is surrounded by friends who find any silly excuse to drink. Happy? Let’s drink. Sad? Let’s drink. Anxious? Let’s Drink.  None of them have a proper job and get involved in all kinds of petty troubles, and resort to drinking to forget their misery. Isaac loves them despite their immature behaviour and cannot stand someone hurting them. This kind and generous nature lands him in trouble when he loans them Rs 50,000 without his father’s knowledge. Isaac’s difficult journey to retrieve this money becomes more and more hilarious when the odds are stacked against him. It is a mystery how these group of friends continue to buy liquor and drink without having a stable source of income.

Pareshan has a lot of fresh content and shows what a promising filmmaker Rupak Ronaldson is. The drinking notwithstanding, the youth of Ramakrishnapur are also very talented – they produce music videos and exploit the visual medium. One of Isaac’s friends produces a music video called ‘Musi musi navvula manjula.’ The way this song transitions from a funny music video to a melody song between Isaac and Sireesha (Pavani) and then to a situational song for a funny scene shows how vital a part music is to the film.

Yashwant Nag’s music forms the soul of the film. When the jokes do not land and the film’s progression becomes uninteresting, it is Yashwant’s music that retains the attention of the audience.

The film has some really good comedy scenes. Picture this: to earn money, Isaac joins a band and is playing a percussion instrument at a wedding procession wearing a ridiculous outfit. And his father, who is passing by on a motorcycle along with a pastor, catches him. The hilarity of the scene does not end there. There is a fade-in and then you see Isaac taken away on the same motorcycle – the father sitting in the back holding him firmly to ensure that his son does not run away. The deadpan humour works brilliantly.

The scene when Isaac’s father blesses them like a preacher offering an English translation of a Telugu prayer evokes much mirth.

Similarly, the dialogues too offer many a chuckle. I could not stop laughing when a frustrated Isaac says, “Rich-a bochaa...” The context is that one of his friends is about to become ‘rich’ and repay his money. Isaac, who is certain that luck will not favour him, says this in dejection.

The film’s hilarious premise offers the director space to exploit the drama further and come up with some memorable comedy scenes, but Rupak restrains himself. But sometimes the film feels stretched when the jokes do not land. And over two hours of runtime with the wafer thin plot feels a lot.

Though Pareshan is a comedy film, it makes a subtle statement about the status of sex education in our country. Rupak also handles the sexual intercourse scene in a mature and sensible manner, invoking humour at the same time.

While Pareshan is a wild ride, it concludes on a sober note. Isaac, who learns an important lesson, continues hanging out with his friends but stops drinking with them. There is a poignant moment when he drinks in isolation before getting down into the mines. It is a job he dislikes but takes it up nevertheless.

Thiruveer is spectacular as the good-for-nothing Isaac. Pavani does not have much of a role but she impresses in the given screentime. Muralidhar Goud delivers a really good performance and nails his role to perfection. The performance of the actors who play Isaac’s friends feels amateurish. A better supporting cast could have salvaged the film to an extent perhaps.

Overall, Pareshan showed a lot of potential and was totally funny in parts. Better editing or tight writing could have made it even better.

Disclaimer: This review was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the film. Neither TNM nor any of its reviewers have any sort of business relationship with the producers or any other members of its cast and crew.

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