R ARIVANANTHAM
Debutant Director Dwarakh Raja also picks this familiar setting in North Madras to present a tale of two brothers set amidst bloodshed and gruesome murders in line with the favourite backdrop of Tollywood film makers.
The two lead characters in this film are named after historical figures — Karikalan (Linga) and Kovalan (RS Karthik). Rivalry between these two brothers with the mother sentiment forms the film’s crux.
- It is probably the first time in Tamil cinema that the legal procedures that are followed in a parole hearing are shown in such great detail, and it is such novel moments make the film somewhat unique.
North Madras (Vada Chennai) has been a favourite backdrop for Tamil filmmakers when it comes to narrating gritty, raw crime stories.
Sibling rivalry because of a parent being over-affectionate towards one of the children is a tried-and-tested template in our cinema for years and that was followed by ‘Parole,’ but it’s also a crime thriller and briefly, an interesting courtroom drama.
The film begins with the death of Aarayi (Janaki Suresh), who was living with her younger son Kovalan while the elder one, Karikalan, is serving a double life imprisonment. Kovalan, who hates his brother, plans to cremate his mother without informing Karikalan. However, circumstances force him to apply for his brother’s parole. But wait… the parole is just a sham as both of them have bigger plans to execute.
‘Parole’ follows a non-linear narrative, which might seem disjointed in the beginning, but that’s how flashes of memories are supposed to be.
‘Parole’ gets to its best during the compelling courtroom scenes. Vinodhini Vaidyanathan’s realistic performance and TSR as the no-nonsensical judge make these scenes effective. It is probably the first time in Tamil cinema that the legal procedures that are followed in a parole hearing are shown in such great detail, and it is such novel moments make the film somewhat unique.
Despite the complex screenplay in Parole, the proceedings are largely comprehensible courtesy of some smart editing, which occasionally borders on spoon-feeding too. Raj Kumar Amal’s music is also apt, particularly the rousing score during the build-up scenes for Karikalan.
The two lead actors, Linga and RS Karthik, hold the film together with their solid performances. Though both Karikalan and Kovalan are equally important characters, it is the former who gets a more well-defined arc. During his early days in the juvenile home, he becomes a victim of sexual abuse, which has a harrowing effect throughout his life. It is appreciable that the makers chose to address such uncommon topics, but wish they handled it with more sensitivity.
The posters of ‘Parole’ were called out for copying the Stranger Things font. Incidentally, the film also has plenty of strange things in it. Both Karikalan and Kovalan have romantic interests in the film and there is absolutely no reason why the girls would be interested in these unruly men. It also has one of the strangest proposal scenes of all time — a bunch of goons is about to stab Karikalan when a girl, out of nowhere, screams ‘I Love You’. It distracts the goons and helps Karikalan escape from them. He then confronts the girl, who he is seeing for the first time. What’s even more strange is that the scene ends with them falling in love and kissing each other.
Cast: Linga, RS Karthik, Vinodhini Vaidyanathan, Monisha Murali, Janaki Suresh.
