Ee Parakkum Thalika 2001

Unnikrishnan owns and drives an aging bus that he received as compensation for his father Thamarakshan Pillai’s accident, a tragedy that left Pillai a renowned chenda master. Now, Unnikrishnan struggles to keep the bus running in its deteriorating condition, even selling several valuable things to keep head above water. His only constant support is his friend and distant relative, Sundareshan, who also acts as the bus’s cleaner. A small comic setback occurs when a mouse eats Sundareshan’s passport, ruining his chances to seek opportunities abroad and turning his pursuit of the rodent into a lighthearted running gag.

A live TV show becomes a turning point when Unnikrishnan, during the broadcast, publicly criticizes Circle Inspector Veerappan Kurup. The fallout is swift: the inspector orders him to leave the city with the stubbornly cherished bus, pulling him deeper into trouble while testing his loyalties and resolve.

To help him get back on his feet, a lawyer and well-wisher named Sreedhara Kaimal tries to secure a bank loan so Unnikrishnan can launch a mobile kitchen, a Thattukada, from the bus and turn it into a source of income.

The story pivots when a nomadic woman named Basanthi enters the bus, who is in fact Gayathri, the daughter of a powerful minister, R. K. Santhanam, in Puducherry. Santhanam has pushed Gayathri into politics, driving her to flee home. At first she resists staying on the bus despite Unnikrishnan’s and Sundareshan’s persistent efforts, and the trio’s budding bond hints at a life beyond the bus’s worn exterior.

The police eventually track Gayathri down and return her to Santhanam, who arranges a marriage for her with someone else. Yet Unnikrishnan realizes he cannot live without Gayathri, and he and Sundareshan hatch a plan to bring her along. They quietly slip into her home, but Santhanam discovers them hidden inside an almirah. His men beat Unnikrishnan, despite Gayathri’s pleas to stop. In a tense moment, the injured Unnikrishnan fights back and clings to the belief that his love for Gayathri is real. Seeing their genuine affection, Santhanam chooses to let his daughter go with Unnikrishnan aboard the bus, allowing the couple to embark on a new, uncertain chapter together.