Just the presence of a particular actress in the credits is enough to make you await certain movies. It’s not physical beauty but the sensitivity they invest in characters far removed from their basic personality. You know when they agree to do a film there must be something special not just in their character but the film as a whole. Even if for some reason the film falls short in the sincerity of the performance, it will definitely be worth the ticket money. I will watch any film with Parvathy in the cast, irrespective of the male lead or even the reputation of the director. This has nothing to do with her ability to rise above a mundane script which happens mostly outside Malayalam cinema. You can be rest assured she will not play a doormat or be part of a misogynistic enterprise. The onus is also not on screen time. She can leave an indelible impression amidst a remarkably talented ensemble in ‘Bangalore Days’, sail through ‘Qarib Qarib Single’ opposite the irrepressible Irrfan Khan and hold her own in the emotional scenes with the redoubtable Kamal Haasan in ‘Uttama Villain’ in a cameo. Of course as Kanchanamala in the achingly tragic love story ‘Ennu Ninte Moideen’ she was riveting. I believe if Sridevi had been alive, Parvathy would have won the National Award for ‘Takeoff’ hands down. She had to settle for a special mention because of the untimely and premature demise of the inimitable performer. Awards and honours are heaped here mostly posthumously, to appease more than appreciate.
Parvathy has had an affinity towards Kannada cinema right from the beginning. Her first leading role was in ‘Milana’ with Puneet. She has acceded to roles here often winning hearts with her sincere performances as well as her involvement and level of commitment on the sets. In 2009, her only release was the Kannada film ‘Male Barali Manju Irali’. A voracious reader she buries herself in books on the sets when not rehearsing her lines thoroughly and asking questions about the context of the shot. She learnt Kannada and insisted on dubbing with her accent surprisingly devoid of the Malayalam twang most performers just cannot shrug off. She’s totally devoid of starry airs and at the SIIMA awards in Dubai you could see her slipping in inconspicuously, seeking a row in the middle, but loudly cheering colleagues and the indefatigable, Usha Uthup.
Hell hath no fury like a superstar scorned! When Parvathy termed some lines Mammooty mouthed in ‘Kasaba’ misogynistic, and unbecoming of a superstar, his fans spewed venom trolling her online and threatening her with rape. The sad fact was that the senior actor’s silence was deafening making him an accomplice to the vile verbal threats. A few select Malayalam actresses are made of sterner stuff, and Parvathy did not back down. They supported the actress who was allegedly raped at the behest of a superstar despite threats of being professionally ostracised. Her role as Pallavi in her latest screen outing ‘Uyare’ is probably cathartic, scarred, yet determined and undaunted. Sharply etched characters can determine the direction of a screenplay. It can also strengthen the most oft told of tales.
Pallavi enjoys the simple pleasures while harbouring ambitions of becoming a pilot but is also in love with a possessive insecure man. She has a valid reason for tolerating him but only till her dreams crash land. Life takes a cruel turn but adversity makes her more determined. The graph the plot traverses is not unpredictable but the interesting situations make it worthwhile. The best written character is the heroine’s father, a silent pillar of support. Watch the scene where he visits his daughter’s lover and gently warns him against dashing her dreams. The writing of crucial scenes in Malayalam cinema is unique, devoid of hysterics but chilling. When the perpetrators father visits to request the criminal case be withdrawn because his son’s future is in jeopardy, you expect a verbose showdown, but Parvathy just sits close to him and makes him look at the ghastly scar. ‘Takeoff’ was about a group of nurses fleeing a desperate, strife ridden situation and here we have the heroine forced to take the cockpit and steering an aircraft to a safe landing.
We’ve reached times where basic human niceties which were taken for granted now move us. There are a couple of scenes that are manipulative but that’s purely by Malayalam standards. A simple scene where a passenger asks the physically scarred air-hostess for a hug to appreciating her doggedness makes you misty eyed.
Asif Ali is terrific as the obsessed lover constantly monitoring her attire and demeanour while determined to reduce her to a doormat by emotionally blackmailing her. Parvathy is an actress who reacts effortlessly to situations internalising her emotions making them more palpable and thus more effective.
‘Uyare’ shows how intelligent writing can elevate the most predictable plots to a palatable emotional experience. Malayalam cinema soars into the skies, again effortlessly.
