Parking review: A gripping and relatable tale of two egoistic men

Director Ramkumar Balakrishnan delivers a gripping entertainer in Parking — a simple but realistic story involving two men and their egos.

The story is so relatable that it makes you recall similar instances you have encountered.

Eshwar (Harish Kalyan) and Athika (Indhuja), a young and adorable couple, are expecting a baby.

The couple moves into a new two-storied house where the ground floor is occupied by government officer Ilamparuthi (MS Bhaskar), his wife, and their young college-going daughter.

Ilamparuthi is a straightforward, honest officer and is frugal. He continues to use his old two-wheeler as he believes in repairing gadgets and putting them back to use rather than throwing them away.

On the other hand, Eshwar is a young IT professional who prioritises the comfort of his partner and himself over saving money.

Initially, when Eshwar and Athika, who is pregnant, move in, both families get along well.

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Turn of events

Trouble starts when Eshwar decides to buy a car as he feels taking his wife to the doctor in an auto could have a telling effect on her health and the health of their yet-to-be-born child.

The dispute arises over parking the vehicles. Initially, Ilamparuthi moves his bike to the side of the porch in the front of the house to make way for Eshwar’s car.

However, this arrangement makes it difficult for him to take his bike out as the car occupies a vast portion of the entrance.

Things get out of hand when one day, Ilamparuthi, while squeezing his bike in through the limited space at the entrance, inadvertently scratches the side of Eshwar’s car.

Soon, harsh and unforgiving words touch raw nerves, and one thing leads to another. This results in a heated battle between both tenants. What happens next is what Parking is all about.

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Reflects society

Parking works big time because it is a classic reflection of the times we are living in.

The film makes no effort to hide the bitterness people exhibit when their egos are bruised. The story seems to have been written based on careful observation. Therefore, it impresses.

Full marks to Ramkumar for highlighting another very significant problem that has been growing at an alarming rate but something which Tamil films have seldom showcased.

Making women in the family file false harassment and molestation cases to exact revenge on a rival is a worrying trend in the country. The film showcases how biased and women-centric laws get exploited by manipulative individuals to ruin others.

An ego clash

Ramkumar does not look to preach. He showcases the developments in a conflict between two egotistical, adamant men unwilling to back down an inch.

The director’s success lies in the fact that he does not have two extraordinary individuals as his protagonist and antagonist. His lead characters are ordinary individuals and represent the vast majority in this country.

The film is bound to strike a chord with every person who has struggled to find parking space for his vehicle.

Ramkumar also portrays developments as they are, making no extra effort to show one character as a tyrant and the other as a hero. He lets you, as the audience, be the judge of that.

At one point, if one character acts arrogantly, at another point, the other character does the same. So, for most of the film, you wonder whose fault it is.

It is only in the second half, when reputations get ruined, that you arrive at a decision.

Parking is a fine film as it speaks of issues that are pretty much there in society, but nobody thinks it to be big enough for it to be discussed on screen.

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Performances

The film has outstanding performances from all its lead characters, including Harish Kalyan, Indhuja, and MS Bhaskar.

Harish Kalyan seems to be proving his mettle with each new film.

Indhuja, a gifted actor, delivers a convincing and impressive performance in this film.

MS Bhaskar, like in most other movies, delivers yet another outstanding performance.

Thanks to their performances, Parking makes you park yourselves in front of the screen for the entire runtime.

Final take

Parking is a gripping entertainer that drives home the point that reigning in your anger and letting go of your ego on any occasion can save you and your loved ones a lot of pain and shame.

(Views expressed here are personal.)