A decade of 'Paramathma': Matters of heart

Even a decade after its release, one important question remains unanswered in my head. How did Yogaraj Bhat convince Puneeth Rajkumar and the producers to make a film on the matters of heart? How did he believe in a film that shows one of the biggest stars of the industry following his heart and not doing anything extraordinary?

Romantic dramas are perennially undervalued. The OTT boom has worsened the situation as we seem to be in the age of murder mysteries and thrillers. Bhat is the romance genre’s flag-bearer. Yet, you would have expected him to adapt to the ‘Power Star’ image of Puneeth.

Thankfully, Bhat did the opposite. He brought the actor in Puneeth into his world. We love his heroes because despite being jobless motor-mouths, they are emotional, flawed and honest at their core.

In ‘Paramathma’, at the outset, Bhat’s hero is a rich, aimless young man, plying his trade in an array of fields, from share market to martial arts to carpentry. Again, at his core, he is someone who goes where his heart takes him.

It appeared as if Puneeth Rajkumar as Param was too abstract and simple, for our ‘mass’ audience to embrace him as a hero. In an interview with the ‘The Hindu’ newspaper, Bhat had confidently said that he had written a never-before-seen character for Puneeth in ‘Paramathma’.

It indeed remains one of the actor’s rare roles. Bhat gave us the Puneeth we love yet we lost him. I wonder in which direction their careers would have gone had this film worked big at the box office.

It’s harsh but true that a film has to cold-shouldered in theatres and then loved by people years after to become a classic. ‘Play this film if the doctor says I have two hours left in my life,’ this and many such interesting comments on YouTube add to the film’s never-ending folklore.

On surface, ‘Paramathma’ is a love-triangle, a beaten-to-death idea. We don’t watch a Yogaraj Bhat film for its subject. He is a filmmaker who sets out to the field with unconventional scripts and sees where the mood of the film takes him. He has the ability to take make us sink into the warmth of his unique love stories.

Characterisation

The three central characters – Param, Deepa (Deepa Sannidhi) and Saanvi (Aindrita Ray) – are childlike adults, doing whatever they love. Saanvi is head over heels in love (or rather obsessed) with Param.

The more than friendship, less than love relationship is well written with an earnest performance from Aindrita Ray being a plus. It’s also admirable that Bhat never changes Saanvi’s character trait, that of a tomboyish woman, to a more feminine and conventional person.

Strangely, Param, who is as spontaneous, bold and cheerful as Saanvi, falls in love with Deepa, an introvert who initially gives nothing away about her character. Opposites attract, they say. So much so that Param is full of life while Deepa talks about dying at the drop of a hat (‘sathogbidtini ashte’!).

Predictably, the relationship blossoms out of Deepa’s rejection. Param appears tad too relentless in his pursuit of Deepa but you also sense a strange attraction between them as she keeps going to him, every single time.

Scenes

It’s in the second-half that Bhat begins to play with our hearts. In the heart-head conflict, it’s the former who always wins in his films. When love takes over, logic is damned.

He elevates the film to an intense romantic drama by giving one great scene after the other. ‘Paramathma’ makes love seem the most precious thing in the world in the big quarrel and silent kisses on the raft and the enjoyable wife-carrying competition (with the gem ‘hesaru poorthi helade’ in the background). Bhat shows why he is so adept at depicting heartbreaks with the fantastically-filmed break up scene.

Music

V Harikrishna’s music is the backbone to the film’s emotional tone. Bhat is a master at using the female version of his best song. With the ever-dependable Jayanth Kaikini, he reaches straight to our heart with moments of separation on-screen and we tear up. He did this with ‘Araluthiru jeevada gelaya’ (Mungaru Male) and does it again with ‘Tanmayalaadenu’ in this film. It is one of the best song-screenplay of the decade in Kannada.

Performances

We are also moved to tears with Puneeth’s performance. He brilliantly internalises Param and it’s evident when he says ‘nange loveu hosdu, novu hosdu’ (I am new to love and heartbreaks) after the ‘karadi’ scene, which is again a terrific concept weaved into the film’s universe. At our unbearable pain, we feel like getting hit by something hard.

It’s a character that demands Puneeth to strike it right at every single scene. His unceasing exuberance overwhelms you and Bhat, throughout the film, has made the most out of the actor’s affable smile.

Deepa Sannidhi is brilliant as well. The transition from a vulnerable and hot-headed person brought up by a strict father to a bubbly, ever-laughing and talkative woman around her lover is convincingly portrayed by her. She is graceful in her range of expression and even in her silence.

Words

Bhat’s quirky dialogues overshadow his deep understanding of life and love. The best dialogues in the films don’t bring a smile on our faces but leaves us with a tinge of sadness. The final dialogue is a crowd favourite and an English translation is an insult to its quality. However, my favourite is the one from a dejected Rangayana Raghu, who says, ‘Love has no eyes, mouth or ears. It has strong legs. That’s why it doesn’t last’.

Flaws

Why doesn’t Param confront Saanvi despite getting several warning signals? Why does the film lose steam post the Param-Deepa wedding? Why is Param given the ultimate good man’s status when he is incomplete without Deepa? You wish the film had answered these questions.

The immortal status

Ten years on, we continue to be swept by the ‘Paramathma’ magic because we love our young and mad self. Yogaraj Bhat knows a thing or two to add life to lifeless objects. The CGI-generated squirrel, the baby slipper, the antique pillars, and Param’s car, they are all studs of a grand crown. Happy tenth to this feel-great film!