Pariah or Pariah Vol.1: Every Street Dog Has a Name [2024] tells the story of an unnamed hero who is a social outcast, but the bigger pariah is the stray dog
The nature of this meaty business is obviously bad, but is it okay to be violently fair? Is the pariah resorting to demagogy to address this problem? It’s bound to polarize. But again, Kaliyuga na? If a Durga can take the form of a brutal Kali to kill demons, then can a dog-savior hero be faulted for brutally eliminating monsters like Nanda? We found one thing strange when any animal is slaughtered before the others in the cage, there’s always chaos among them. And so when our hero brings these monsters to justice nothing. The dogs don’t react at all. They seem almost silent cheerleaders of the violence being meted out on those creatures. Demagogy?
Last year we had Anshuman Jha’s Lakadbaggha [2023], where his character goes searching for a missing stray. That film unraveled illegal animal trafficking though; Pariah raises an alarm over brutal meaty business. Jha took a more realistic approach I think. Tathagata Mukherjee’s film leans more towards Korean gore-like action drama to draw its target audience. The film claims that it is based on certain true events, but while remaining massy in its appeal, it doesn’t go over the top with action or anything.
Eating dogmeat is alright in most parts of India, I mean it’s not legal. But what about the right for fish to live, birds, cattle and caprine creatures etc? The Indian Constitution grants citizens the right to food which allows them eat any kind of meat except for those whose sale is illegalised by law. Our North East brethren won’t find this very amusing I’m sure Or maybe Tathagata is subtly targeting the Red Dragon?
In Pariah, moral argument isn’t raised by the hero himself but rather through his questioning of society as seen in the butcher character. “Don’t blame me, blame the society that desires meat. No one battles an eyelid when chickens are slaughtered it’s purely a case of demand and supply. Tomorrow if humans start eating humans, I will chop them too” Nanda literally screams on the face of the pure soul Kamalini [Angana Roy] who works in an animal welfare NGO. but he is mindful not to mention fish, mutton because ah that would have resulted in riots in Bengal I guess? He also throws in a bit of philosophy: “In this brutal world, you either survive or end up as meat.”
As barbaric as he is, but his words are likely to hit on your senses. The veg vs nonveg debate is more complicated now as we have vegans too… A law can ban meat/bird consumption if ever the collective conscience of the society awakens but will there be voices against using animals in science labs?
Shut you’re eyes to the gore and Pariah presents plenty of food for thought. This bloody film marks perhaps a change in Bengali cinema moving from soft slice of life stories to action noir. The quality writing; Tathagata’s astute direction ensures that. The director has a quality cast at his disposal; we’re introduced to these talents for the first time.
Vikram Chatterjee is cold as stone throughout. He’s bulk frame, beard, deep somber eyes of his is partly Wolverine from Logan [2017]. Even the protagonist and antagonist have things in common. They both carry past scars. They don’t eat non-veg food. It was really a surprise for Nanda but then again if you slaughter on daily basis sight of cooked meat can trigger bloody memories. Their actions are equally brutal.
This bad man doesn’t shy form saying, “You’re no different. You too are a butcher”. To which our protagonist quickly retorts, “Deer eats grass. Tiger eats deer. That’s nature but it’s only humans who are sick in the mind.” So, is eating non-veg food sickness?
Chatterjee doesn’t drop the intensity ever not even when beautiful Kamalini is hitting on him. He doesn’t seem to like humans much either, and he’s restrained in his feelings for pooches too. Harm a voiceless creature at your own risk; he’ll maul you like a wolf. The director called him his Dark Knight. You wonder who really is this man? Is he even from this planet? The closing visuals of Pariah give some insight into the man. Chatterjee is simply flawless in his act. Having met him we were impressed with his Hindi too.He sure has potential to be a pan India action hero.
What do we say about Soumya Mukherjee? Phew, he scared the s** of us. He’s done rom-coms before. This butcher avatar will shock his fans. Called Nanda though but that beard perhaps suggests that his real identity could be different. The filmmakers wisely stay clear of any stereotypes. Mukherjee transforms himself into this monster thereby triggering fear of the devil in audience’s heart. This evil act is as perfect as it can be. Looking at Hindi cinema over the years, there is dearth of villains. After this master performance Bollywood can look upon Soumya as the desired on-screen evil.
The ferocity at which Nanda comes at poor Kamalini would break anyone down. Your heart goes out to young Angana Roy. She is the lone pure soul in this dark world. Her innocence, her love for animals is far more genuine than her NGO head [played by Sreelekha Mitra]. Roy partly springs back memories of a young Moushumi Chatterjee. The tears all the more justify the comparison. She is so innocent that it makes her unfit for the job. Here is a girl from NGO who is tasked to visit premises of couple who allegedly have been torturing their Golden Retriever. She quickly senses that this doctor is dangerous and lusty. Kamalini starts hyperventilating. She heads for exit door but it wouldn’t open. Tears begin to flow as douchebag nears her. He puffs on her face. Then opens latch. Doctor whispers in her ears that he is well aware of law.The woman bawls her way out. Why does world suppress such poor innocent souls?Roy leaves a lasting impression in minds of non-Bengali audience, most of whom will presumably watch her for first time
Sreelekha Mitra has taken care of homeless dogs in her real life and therefore was a logical choice for this movie. The same can be said about Mitra too, she is simply amazing. Ambarish Bhattacharya is known as an actor who excels in comedy roles. Is this his first time playing such a grey character? You cannot overlook his avatar as Supreme Court Advocate M.N. Sharma.
Pariah is not a film for sensitive people because of the violence but it’s still a great crime action thriller overall. The story needs a dogfight so all men have one. Maybe the brutality could’ve been dialed down a bit though. Ranajoy Bhattacharjee’s BGM serves as another character itself. it’s very gripping! And thanks to Amir Mondal’s superb editing every scene is necessary or boring moment there
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