If you like Karan Johar kind of commercial cinema then go ahead and
watch it. Don’t waste your time on a gritty, realistic and power-packed
Parzania.
Parzania tells the story of life for the common man before and after the Godhra
riots of 2002 in Ahmedabad. Seen through the eyes of a Parsi family and an American student Parzania keeps you glued to the screen with its raw realism. A family that is neither Hindu nor Muslim but yet suffers
because of the riots. A student whose beliefs in non-violence are questionedThe film reminds a little of ’Bombay’ by Mani Ratnam and ’Final Solution’ by Rakesh Sharma but is not a copy by any means.
Performances are good. Corwin Nemec as the American student, Raj Zutshi as the
Muslim tea-vendor and Arif Basra as booze provider excel in their respective roles. Sheeba Chadda as the Muslim neighbour is damn good. Naseeruddin Shah is fabulous in a role that is fit for him. But the
film belongs to Sarika......she is wonderful in an author backed role.....be it the role of a loving wife, a doting mother or that of a woman troubled by the circumstances around her.Her testifier in front
of the Human Rights Commision is really hair-raising.
Good dialogues, good editing accompanied by a teriffic screenplay are the biggest plus points of Parzania apart from Sarika.
Scenes worth watching:
1)Naseeer going to report his lost son at the police station
2)Sarika’s testifier in front of the Commission.
3)Sheeba Chadda getting spared by a Hindu activist.
4)Corwin Nemec’s outburst after he gets beaten up and his beliefs about non-violence are shattered.
My verdict: If you like REAL cinema there is no way you want to miss this masterpiece by Rahul Dholakia.