Harish Kalyan’s Tamil thriller ‘Parking’ makes it to the library of Academy Awards

The fim’s producer, KS Sinish, took to X (formerly Twitter) to share a screengrab of the mail he received from the Academy. It reads, “We here in the Library of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences are interested in acquiring a copy of the screenplay PARKING for the Permanent Core Collection.” The mail states that the screenplay can now be accessed by students, filmmakers and writers around the globe for research.

The film had garnered critical acclaim and commercial success when it was released in November last year. The 2023 blockbuster recently sold the remake rights for a whopping price. Parking is set to be remade in Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi, and a foreign language, allowing the Tamil film to reach audiences across various locations.

The film revolves around Eshwar (Harish Kalyan), a young IT professional, and his newly married wife Aadhika (Indhuja Ravichandran) who are expecting their first child. They move into a new apartment building, excited to begin their life together. However, their joy is short-lived when they discover a single parking space designated for both their flat and the one next door.

A Descent into Chaos

Enter Ilamparuthi (M.S. Bhaskar), Eshwar's grumpy neighbour, a retired government employee with a rigid personality. Both men refuse to budge, insisting on the right to park their car. What starts as a seemingly harmless disagreement over a parking space quickly escalates into a full-blown ego war.

The film portrays how a minor inconvenience can spiral into destructive behaviour. Eshwar and Ilamparuthi resort to childish pranks and passive-aggressive tactics to sabotage each other. They damage each other’s vehicles, spread rumours, and even involve their families in the conflict. The initial annoyance transforms into a bitter rivalry, fuelled by pride and a refusal to back down.

Parking transcends the physical space it references. It becomes a metaphor for the human tendency to hold onto our egos and the devastating consequences of prioritizing pride over understanding. The film explores the emotional toll the conflict takes on Eshwar and Ilamparuthi, impacting their personal and professional lives.

Stellar performances

The film boasts of powerful performances delivered by the lead actors. Harish Kalyan portrays Eshwar’s growing frustration and desperation with a nuanced performance. M.S. Bhaskar perfectly embodies Ilamparuthi’s stubbornness and simmering anger. The supporting cast adds depth and believability to the story. The director keeps the audience on the edge of their seats as the conflict escalates. The film takes unexpected turns, raising the stakes and blurring the lines between victim and perpetrator. Balakrishnan’s direction keeps the story engaging, and the screenplay by Balakrishnan and Pradeep Kumar is both believable and suspenseful.

Parking will stay with you long after the credits roll, prompting reflection on the importance of understanding and compromise in our everyday lives. Its inclusion in the Academy’s script library is a remarkable achievement for the director and the Tamil film industry as a whole.