#parava starts off with a steep learning curve in the form of a fish heist using mouths and bikes

[amongxylophonesandglockenspiels]

Bollywood Movies Part CLXXXIV: The Mollywood Takeover Part XXVI

Jomon (Dulquer Salmaan) is the disappointment of his family because he constantly dodges responsibility. His father Vincent tries various ways to make Jomon responsible, including making him run a store, but none of them really work. When Vincent faces financial catastrophe, the rest of his children abandon him, but Jomon takes him in and learns how to adult. 

Jomonte Suviseshangal is a great movie about a father-son relationship that is also about growing up. I really enjoyed the family dynamics involving Jomon’s older siblings and their spouses, especially because Jomon is the baby of the family and is treated like it. Mukesh and Dulquer really make this movie work. Favorite songs are Poonkattey (no subtitles) and Neelakasham (English subtitles).

Aji Mathew (Dulquer Salmaan), is an ardent communist who falls in love with college student Sarah (Karthika Muralidharan). When she goes back to America, she learns her family has arranged her marriage. When Aji finds out, he decides to go to America to stop the wedding. As he can’t get a visa in time, he decides to illegally enter America from the Mexican border.

CIA: Comrade in America has some glaring plot holes and is a bit slow. However, it does have some good acting and amazing cinematography. The cinematography for the duration of the illegal border crossing is spectacular! There are some great comic bits, mostly involving Aji’s friends and family in Kerala. Favorite songs are Kannil Kannil and Vaanam Thilathilakkanu. Neither song has subtitles.

Irshad “Ichappi” (Amal Shah) and Haseeb (Govind P. Pai) train pigeons and compete with them in Mattancherry. Ichappi is held back in 9th grade, but develops more confidence for it. Meanwhile, the two discover that one of their prize pigeons was stolen by their rival Rauf (Shine Tom Chacko) and plot to get her back. When a group of drug addict return to Mattancherry, Ichappi remembers what happened when they first came that cause his brother Shane (Shane Nigam) and father (Siddique) to have a falling out.

Parava is a wonderful movie about two kids and their tenacity,as well as loss and family conflict. It also really highlights the ambience of Mattancherry. I especially enjoyed how all the characters felt fully fledged, even though we only got to see little snippets of the background characters. Dulquer Salmaan is wonderful in his extended cameo that actually underpins the whole movie. Amal Shah and Govind P. Pai are amazing in their debut roles. Favorite songs are Pakalin Vaathil and Ormakal. Neither song has subtitles.