Virata Parvam Movie Review: It's a Sai Pallavi show, Rana Daggubati lends support
India Today
Director Venu Udugula’s Virata Parvam is a chilling tale of unconditional love. Featuring Rana Daggubati and Sai Pallavi, the film draws your attention from the very first frame.
Right from its announcement to the posters and teasers, Virata Parvam spelt intrigue. And it drove people to invest in the film despite the long wait. Did the wait, albeit a Covid-induced one, finally pay off? We say yes.
A pregnant woman on her way to the hospital gets stuck in a crossfire between the police and the Naxalites. A Naxalite (Nivetha Pethuraj), who is also a doctor, oversees the delivery. A baby girl is born and she names her Vennela after the moon. In seconds, she screams 'Laal Salaam', gets shot and dies. That baby grows up to be Sai Pallavi. In a poignant dialogue, Vennela later says 'war kills many people, but it gave birth to her'. So true.
During her formative years, she stumbles upon Aranya AKA Ravanna’s (Rana Daggubati) poetry. She gets inspired and falls in love - a Meerabai kind of love. But for Ravanna, love is a disease.
Only some films have the potential to linger in your mind even after it is over. And Virata Parvam is one such film. Director Venu Udugula’s Virata Parvam begins on a slow note. We don’t really understand why Vennela falls in love with Ravanna. Sure, his poetry is magical. But, is that enough? It is only as the film progresses that we understand why Vennela does what she does.
Here's the trailer of Virata Parvam:
Vennela is both an innocent soul and fiercely adamant. In short, Virata Parvam is Sai Pallavi’s film. Rana Daggubati’s Ravanna ably supports her and lets her take the limelight. As far as Sai Pallavi is concerned, she could sell any character, and it only makes you wonder what else she has up her sleeve.
Some carefully crafted scenes will make you tear up as well. Take, for example, the emotional scene between Vennela and her father Ramulu (Sai Chand) in the second half. All you need in life is a parent who understands you. And Sai Pallavi’s expressions in that will stay with you long after. Similarly, the last 20 minutes of the film will leave you at the edge of your seats.
