Ee Parakkum Thalika


Ee Parakkum Thalika is a 2001 Indian Malayalam-language slapstick comedy drama film directed by Thaha and starring Dileep, Harisree Ashokan, Nithya Das, and Cochin Haneefa. It was written by V. R. Gopalakrishnan. The film also marked the debut of Nithya Das. The story follows bus owner Unnikrishnan and his assistant, Sundareshan, who live and sleep in their bus. It is considered one of the best slapstick comedy movies in Malayalam cinema and was one of the highest-grossing Malayalam movie of the year 2001. The bus known as Thamarakshan Pilla, which is a central figure in the movie, eventually developed into a cult figure in Kerala.

Plot

Unnikrishnan owns and drives an old bus, received as compensation for his father Thamarakshan Pillai's road accident, which killed Pillai, who was a chenda master. Unni faces consequences due to the pathetic condition of the bus, named after his father. He sold several valuable things to maintain the bus. His friend and distant relative, Sundareshan, is his only companion and the bus's cleaner. A mouse had eaten Sundareshan's passport and spoiled his chances of going abroad. Some part of the film's comedy involves Sundareshan running behind the mouse for revenge. A live TV show in which Unni badmouths Circle Inspector Veerappan Kurup lands him in more trouble when the former commands Unni to leave the city with the bus. Sreedhara Kaimal, a lawyer and well-wisher, tries to help Unni with a bank loan to run a mobile kitchen from his bus.
The plot takes a turn when a girl named Basanthi enters the bus as a nomad. She is actually Gayathri, the daughter of an influential and politically powerful minister R. K. Santhanam in Puducherry. Santhanam forced Gayathri to join politics, which made her leave home. Initially, Gayathri refuses to leave the bus, despite Unni's and Sundareshan's constant efforts. The police trace her and take her back to Santhanam's custody. Santhanam is making arrangements for her marriage to someone else. Meanwhile, Unni realizes that he cannot live without Gayathri. He and Sundareshan secretly enter her house. When Unni and his friends plan to take Gayathri, Santhanam finds them inside the almirah. Santhanam's men start beating up Unni despite Gayathri's pleas to stop. A terribly wounded Unni fights back and refuses to let go of Gayathri and Santhanam realises their true love, letting his daughter go with Unni on his bus.

Reception

Ee Parakkum Thalika was a major commercial success. The film was one of the few films of the year that could retrieve its cost of investment and make a profit. It is considered one of Dileep's first solo hits. The success of the film further enhanced Dileep's stardom and established him as a bankable star. In a year-end trade analysis by Rashtra Deepika, they called Ee Parakkum Thalika the biggest financial success of the year and termed it a "surprise hit" It was the second-longest running Malayalam film of 2001, after the Mohanlal starrer Ravanaprabhu.

Remakes

The film was remade as Aaduthu Paaduthu in Telugu, as Dakota Express in Kannada and as Sundara Travels in Tamil. Many scenes from the movie inspired parts of the Hindi movie Chal Chala Chal.