Paradesi Preview - SWOT Analysis

by Raven

Bala is always known for handling strikingly different themes and capturing human emotions brilliantly in his films. Although his films are not for the weak-hearted, many of his movies have attained cult status. His latest film ‘Paradesi’ is all set to hit the screens. The movie is set in the pre-independence era and it revolves around the travails of tea plantation workers. Atharvaa, Vedhika and Dhansika play the lead roles. G. V. Prakash is teaming up with Bala for the first time and the songs are mostly situational and should aid the flow.

Strengths

• All his films except ‘Avan Ivan’ have been critically acclaimed. Paradesi could be another hard-hitting film. Ace Bollywood director Anurag Kashyap has called ‘Paradesi’ as Bala’s best film so far. This has further increased the expectations. 

• The trailers promise an authentic Bala film and the performances by the actors look raw and realistic. The reality trailer has definitely spiked the interest with all media covering the uproar.

• Paradesi was censored with "U" certificate on 13/12/2012 with no cuts. It means it is eligible for National awards for 2012. Given the theme of the movie, let us hope Bala will bring home some awards and make Tamil cinema proud again. 

Opportunities

• Tamil films that released over the last two weeks have sunk without a trace. This is a good time for ‘Paradesi’ to release since there are no big movies lined up for upcoming weeks.

• In the past, Bala is known for changing the fortunes of top actors like Vikram and Suriya. Industry is expecting talented Atharvaa to get a big break after Paradesi.

Threats

• The latest ‘reality’ teaser which was released two days ago has backfired with many openly claiming to boycott the movie. Net-net, it is not clear how much the teaser controversy will help after accounting for lost audience due to negative publicity. Unfortunately, Bala's brand is badly dented due to the negative imagery of brutality (read In defense of Bala)

• Vathikuchi, produced by A R Murugadoss is also hitting the screens this week. The movie has newcomer Dhileepan (Murugadoss brother) and Anjali in the lead roles. If the movie manages to carry good reports for its entertainment value, general audience might prefer Vathikuchi over Paradesi.

Final Words

Wishes for Paradesi to be a landmark film for director Bala and Tamil cinema. Stay tuned for our FDFS review... Until then, watch the detailed making video of Paradesi to know why Bala is called a perfectionist.