ఏపీ రాజకీయాలను షేక్ చేస్తున్న షేక్ హ్యాండ్! | Pawan Kalyan | Kodali Nani

After creating a nationwide sensation with Soorarai Pottru (2020), director Sudha Kongara joined hands with Sivakarthikeyan for Parasakthi, a period political drama set against the backdrop of the anti-Hindi imposition movement in 1960s Tamil Nadu. The project went through multiple casting changes—initially announced with Suriya and Dulquer Salmaan in 2023, later reshaped with Sivakarthikeyan and Ravi Mohan in 2024.
Following his career-best blockbuster Amaran (2024), Sivakarthikeyan suffered a setback with Madharaasi (2025). With the highly anticipated Sudha Kongara collaboration, expectations were sky-high for Parasakthi to mark his comeback. After delays due to censor issues, the film finally hit theatres today. Does it live up to the hype? Let’s find out.

Story
Set during the turbulent 1960s, Parasakthi revolves around two brothers—Chezhiyan, a fiery student leader, and Chinnadurai—whose lives are deeply affected by the student-led protests against Hindi imposition by the Central Government.
The narrative explores:

• Why Chezhiyan abandons the movement to lead a peaceful life
• How circumstances force him back into the struggle
• Why Thirunaadan, a sharp and ruthless half-Tamil intelligence bureau officer, is determined to crush the movement
• How Chezhiyan ultimately ensures his people’s voice reaches the corridors of power in Delhi

Performances

• Sivakarthikeyan as Chezhiyan delivers a solid and restrained performance. He particularly shines in emotional moments, reaffirming his strength as a performer.
• Ravi Mohan impresses as Thirunaadan. Playing a full-fledged antagonist for the first time, he makes effective use of the opportunity with a controlled and menacing portrayal.
• Atharvaa as Chinnadurai is decent and sincere.
• Sreeleela, in her Tamil debut as Ratnamala, is pleasant in lighter scenes but falters in emotionally demanding moments.
• Kulappulli Leela is excellent as the grandmother, adding warmth and authenticity.
• Sandhya Mridul as Indira Gandhi looks convincing, though her performance remains just adequate.
• Cameos by Rana Daggubati, Basil Joseph, and Daali Dhananjaya during the pre-climax inject some much-needed energy into an otherwise dull narrative.

Technical Aspects

• G. V. Prakash Kumar’s background score elevates a few scenes, but the songs are a major letdown. The romantic track in the first half is poorly placed and severely tests patience.
• Ravi K. Chandran’s cinematography is top-notch, beautifully capturing the period and lending authenticity to the 1960s setting.
• Production design effectively recreates the era.
• Editing by Sathish Suriya is one of the film’s biggest drawbacks. The first half drags painfully, and nearly 20 minutes could have been trimmed to make the film engaging.
• Production values by Dawn Pictures are first-rate, reflecting the producers’ faith in the director–hero combination.
• The climax VFX disappoint and feel substandard.

Positives

1. Decent pre-climax
2. A few engaging moments
3. Excellent cinematography

Negatives

1. Painfully slow narration
2. Lack of emotional connect
3. Excessive runtime
4. Inconsistent writing
5. Boring romantic track
6. Forgettable songs
7. Poor VFX in the climax action sequence

Analysis
Tamil cinema has a rich legacy of delivering hard-hitting social dramas through emotionally rooted storytelling. Parasakthi clearly states its core message:
“We are not against Hindi or Hindi-speaking people; we are against Hindi imposition.”
With such a powerful theme and a director like Sudha Kongara at the helm, the minimum expectation was a deeply emotional and engaging film. Unfortunately, Parasakthi fails where it matters the most—writing.

Several sequences have immense emotional potential:

• Elderly women unable to send money orders because forms are printed only in Hindi
• The protagonist losing two close companions
• A tragic suicide following the CM’s rejection of a plea to conduct UPSC exams in Tamil or English

Yet, none of these moments leave a lasting impact. The audience never truly connects with the characters’ pain because the writing feels hesitant and half-hearted.
The film starts on an engaging note and ends the first half with a predictable but effective interval block. However, the drama in between is flat and emotionally hollow. The second half continues at the same sluggish pace until the pre-climax, where surprise cameos attempt to revive interest—but by then, the damage is irreversible.
It feels as though the director was torn between freedom of expression and playing it safe to clear censor hurdles, resulting in diluted storytelling. Shockingly, this stands as one of Sudha Kongara’s weakest scripts to date.

Final Verdict:
Parasakthi had all the ingredients to become a powerful political drama—an important subject, a strong cast, and an accomplished director. Sadly, weak writing and boring execution turn it into a tedious experience. Except for a handful of moments, the film struggles to engage and tests the audience’s patience throughout.