Pari – What Starts Promisingly Must End Tragically if you are a 21st Century Indian Horror Movie

Who is Pari supposed to scare,  Toddlers? 

I distinctly remember telling my wife many times recently that the Japanese horror genre is like the grand-daddy of all horror flicks these days, or almost all of them, across the world. The Ring series is just one of the many examples of how movie-makers from different corners of the world have been reusing, rather unashamedly, the Japanese way of presenting creepy people and everyday situations cooked with darkish spirits to grab the attention of audiences. Pari can be called the first bold attempt at something similar by an Indian director with a reasonably good casting couch. Remember, all those times when little Japanese girls are either trained towards or refrained from exercising their sorcery due to their cold-hearted mothers or family guardians? Pari borrows this part of the plot rather well. In fact, the first 30 minutes are rather promising. You feel the story is gripping, creating the basis for something that will lead to more-than-one sleeping issues. However, this where the mishap happens. The middle part is severely understated – there is nothing meaty enough for the viewers to bite into. The make-up effects are a disaster.

Getting More Serious about Pari Movie Review

The story seems slow on purpose rather than being held back by interesting series of events that should slowly unfold…the Japanese horror movie way. Anushka seems wasted. The role definitely does not call for great acting credentials. Seems like her production-wise investments made her undertake the role. Rajat Kapoor handles his screen-space rather well. Overall, the story seems intense at first and then gets too laborious. Towards the end, there are a couple of sharp turns in the plot that could be interesting for some movie-obsessed souls but Pari does not thrill or scare you. It does not even attempt to tell a story in a way that makes you think thrice about using the washroom as the connecting lobby seems uninhabited/unsafe and unworthy of risking your life! Average by all accounts, Pari wastes a decent story, never trying to get too graphic and this applies to the music score too. Horror genre is just not what we are made for…Pari underlines this fact with a huge fluorescent marker but very few people are ready to what lies in front of them!