Whether it was the Tamil film OK Kanmani or the Malayalam movie Ustad Hotel, Dulquer Salman has never failed to awe his audience. As someone who loves this man for not just his looks but how versatile he is in every movie, I couldn’t wait to see his ‘special not-just-a cameo’ appearance in Parava.
Popcorn ready, I sat to watch.
A pair of eager eyes stare at a fish tank in front of a house. A shabby looking boy climbs the compound wall, looks around to see if anyone is watching, signals his friend and rushes to the tap to fill his mouth with water. As the friend looks on curiously, he walks towards the fish tank, picks up the most peculiar looking fish, puts it in his mouth and speeds off on a cycle. The duo cycle through crooked lanes, a flight of stairs and upon reaching home, push away their cycle and race to the terrace.
There, he spits the water into a water tank and watches the fish swim in glee. The two then lift the mats revealing whats inside the cages – pigeons.
Well, this is what Irshad (fondly called as Ichapi) and Haseeb call home.
Played by Amal Shah and Govind V Pai, Parava, set in Mattanchery in Kerala, is a beautiful story about the boys’ love for rearing pigeons, ornamental fish, kite flying, teenage crushes, and friendship – all raw and real.
The film introduces the audience to pigeon racing, almost a subculture with its own set of rules, referees, rivalries, star fliers, and breeders portrayed through interesting imageries like how the boys feed the birds water with their mouths, the way they lovingly admire their star pigeon, fall in love with their new find, and the despair of seeing their pigeon cage stolen.
A rival group, just a few terraces away from where the boys live, is practicing hard to beat them at the competition. They are nothing like the tender boys who take care of the birds like family – they are brash, imposing, and unnecessarily angry all the time.
Ichapi’s brother Shaine (Shane Nigam) leads a quiet life, distancing himself from friends and family, reminding the audience there is a flashback to look out for.
From his gloomy silence in the beginning to outbursts of rage and a mixed bag of emotions in the climax – the curly-haired guy wins a few hearts.
While time flies by, the audience is left to wonder when Dulquer is going to make his entry. And he comes in style. Clad in a veshti, he is the town’s favourite and the leader of the friends group. He is the darling of every household; fathers of friends seek his help to correct their boys, has a say in everyone’s lives, and since is brilliant in everything he does. We don’t really mind watching him play clichéd roles.
Veteran actors Siddique, Indrans, Harisree Asokan and Jaffer Idukki, who are fathers to the now grown-up boys, are fabulous to watch.
And then there are drugs and fight sequences that spoil the smooth flow of Parava.
Female characters seemed to have been absolutely forgotten in the script, except to portray some societal issues like the sexual advance Srindaa’s faces and the child marriage of Ichappa’s crush.
Whether a broken window against a blue wall, a clap which triggers several pigeons to fly, the rapid fluttering of wings, or Ichappi’s crooked smile, cinematographer Littil Swayamp transports you to the narrow lanes of Mattancherry. The breezy background score and songs by Rex Vijayan also deserve an applause.
Director Soubin Shahir’s narrative is compelling and unpredictable, except for some parts which drag it out a little too long.
As the credits roll, and Dulquer reappears in the most clichéd manner to mark the film’s happy ending, you know it is the boys and the pigeons who take the cake.
Also Read: Malayalam Stars (Re)Turn to Tamil Cinema
Parava is a sweet flight into the world of two lovely boys and dozens of cooing pigeons which is interrupted every now and then by thug life and vices which could have been done away with.
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