Old and young quarrel - Paralko Ago. This is the whole message of the famous work of storyteller Guru Prasad Mainali. The relationship between husband and wife is compared to a fire of straw in this story. The faster the straw ignites, the faster the fire goes out. That is, even if the quarrels flare up for a moment, the fire of straw lasts only for a short while. This means that no matter how much quarrels and fights there are between husband and wife, in the end this fire is only for a short while. After the anger and resentment that go away in a moment, they finally live together! The film 'Paralko Ago' also captures the commentary.

This work of the Guru was chanted like a Guru mantra for a long time to make married life balanced. This essence of the story also seems appropriate to explain the ups and downs of married life. This tactic may seem useful to reconcile temporary and momentary disputes between couples. But, the question is - what kind of narrative are you trying to establish through the film? Think about it, your husband grabs your waist and drags you around. He kicks the bag he is carrying and attacks you. And then he drags you away, insulting you and beating you. You go to your parents' house angrily. And then your husband comes to seduce you, that too after his anger has subsided. Calling the matter of humiliating and violently attacking you as love, Balindra apologizes with tears. And to save your married life, you should forgive your violent husband with toxic masculinity. Why? The quarrel of old and young - the fire of straw. This is what this film directed by Laxman Sunar is trying to say. How can the audience identify with a film with such an archaic message?

Films have not been made on a novel or book before. Many films have been made on books before. The list of films made on famous stories is also long. In Nepal too, many have made films on classic stories imagining the time of years ago. But, the question arises, what kind of story are you telling? Of course, the director can tell the story of any time, period. He can show the situation at that time by showing the old time. But, do the audience find or not in a film with traditional ideas? Because there is no idea that suits the society, the audience does not find themselves in this film. On top of that, the way this film tries to normalize domestic violence, that commentary is scary.

Director Sunar has promoted the idea of ​​normalizing domestic violence in this film by showing a fight between a husband and wife. The film carries the message that wives should forgive husbands who commit domestic violence and call their wives names. The film portrays Chame (Prakash Saput) and Gaunthali (Suhana Thapa), the famous characters created by Guru at that time, as the main characters. In one scene, Juthe's (Sougat Malla) wife Suntali (Sirjana Adhikari) thinks that husbands and wives should finally live together. 'Joipoi, that's how it is, sister, sometimes there is a fight, sometimes there is love.' Juthe says this looking at Chame and Gaunthali. Suntali adds, 'That's why they say, the quarrel of old and old is like the fire of straw.'

But, do the Gauthalis of today just tolerate violence like the Gauthalis shown in the film? Do they easily forgive the perpetrators of violence? Today's women resist the violence against them. They can raise their voices for themselves. They knock on the door of the court, sit on a dharna at the family home. In today's society, the dimensions of the relationship between husband and wife have changed. This relationship has been built on the foundation of gender equality. In such a situation, establishing the same old idea through a film is the weak point of the film 'Paralko Ago'.

But, this is not the only weakness in this film. Sankalp Bhujel's cinematography has made an effort to take the audience to the time of the story. The film includes beautiful scenes from the village to the mountains. To show the passing of time, 'timelapses' of the mountains have been shot. Cinematography that takes us to the old era has been an attempt to capture the attention of the audience for a long time. However, it is not only the cinematography that captivates the audience, but also the storytelling and the commentary it contains. If the love between Chame and Gauthali had been shown more interestingly in the film, the ups and downs in their relationship would have made sense. However, even though the entire time is spent showing their love in a few scenes, the 'fire of stubble' does not capture the attention of the audience.