After watching Parking, I'm left wondering why they don't make movies like this more. No hero fighting off a 100 baddies, no heroine for arm candy, no bloody violence, no item song, and no substance-less comedy. Just a clean, crisp storyline about humans and our very basic emotions.
We all focus too much on the "Pombala pombalaya irkanum," (A woman should be like a woman.) dialogue in Padayappa. The underrated dialogue: "Anger is the cause of all miseries. One should learn to control it. Otherwise, life will become miserable," is often ignored and that message is Parking's gist.
I like how the characters are memorable, setting their characteristics from the outset. Ilamparuthi (MS. Baskar) is a stingy, outdated, and, dominating man who wouldn't even buy a grinder for his wife and even decides what chutney must be made for the day. Eshwar (Harish Kalyan) on the other hand, does everything for Aathika (Indhuja), his pregnant wife. While Ilamparuthi is miserly with the excuse of saving for his daughter's marriage, Eshwar seeks to develop in life and pampers his wife.
I love how the movie flows - from a small row for parking to an open brawl. It is very realistic, showing how contempt piles gradually ending up in intent to wrongly defame and even attempted murder.
Although the movie doesn't explicitly say it, male ego is the core. It's the norm to brand women as emotional, angry, and even unhinged, especially during periods. But in truth, men are the ones who have uncontrollable anger and tendency for ill-judgment that's driven by anger and vengeance.
Patriarchy made men synonymous with anger. So, angry men don't get a bad rep - it's considered men's default and Parking demonstrates it in a very simple manner by tackling the subject of wrath being men's undoing. Though subtle, the movie extends a lesson for men to be more controlled of themselves, mature, and forbearing.
A man who wouldn't even buy a grinder for his wife and a new bike under the pretext of saving money, buys a car in cash so he can occupy the parking spot in competition with a young man. His wife's anguish is very relatable - "He won't buy me a grinder so I can make food easier but he buys a car because he wants to win in an ego clash with a fellow tenant."
In the whole movie, the only sane voice is the women's. Aathika keeps telling Eshwar to park the car outside, and when the issue escalates, she tries to convince him to move out. Ilamparuthi's daughter does the same to bring her father to his senses, but to no avail.
How Ilamparuthi and Eshwar compete for the parking spot reminded me of how I and my cousins competed to answer the landline phone when we were children.😂
It's a fact that men leverage the Sexual Assault laws for personal reasons - the women are forced to testify falsely. I like how Aparna listens to her conscience and does the right thing to free Eshwar.
In the entire movie, every voice of reason from women is clouded by the males' irrationality and thirst for revenge. One moment of consideration wouldn't have escalated the petty fight to become murderous, from Ilamparuthi loosening Eshwar's car tire bolts, to Eshwar trying to kill Ilamparuthi by releasing cooking gas and turning on the microwave.
Thankfully, Ilamparuthi's conscience got the better of him and he took Aathika to the hospital. Eshwar learns about this in a nick of time and switches off the main electricity supply. Just imagine both of their lives and their families if that didn't happen. The lesson: anger management is necessary.
Comments
Post a Comment