Thrishanku review: Anna Ben, Arjun Ashokan's comedy has an interesting premise but few laughs

2.5/5

Story: Sethu and Megha decide to elope and get married. But on the very day, they set their plan in motion, Sethu finds out that his younger sister has eloped with her collegemate. Sethu and Megha have to cancel their plans, while going to Mangalore with his quarrelling uncles to search for his sister.

Review: The first 15 minutes of debutant filmmaker Achyuth Vinayak's Thrishanku promises an interesting premise; it's about two youngsters – Sethu (Arjun Ashokan) and Megha (Sethu) - who decide to elope. But throwing a spanner into the works is another similar plan by that former's sister that sets about a series of incidents that has Sethu teaming up reluctantly with his uncles to go in search for his sister, with Megha joining them with no other alternative. Giving the several hilarious directions that the story could have taken, Thrishanku, however, falls short.

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For a movie that is seemingly structured as a comedy of errors, Thrishanku never gets going. The comedy is flat and it hardly comes from the perplexing situation that its characters find themselves in. The script by Ajith Nair and Achyuth doesn't mine these scenarios for more hilarity and rather just skips from one predictable, bland scene to another, relying on the characters to make it funny.

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Ironically, it's not the lead characters that bring in the laughs but the uncles essayed by Nandu and Suresh Krishna, who accompany them in their mis-adventure. Though the two veterans are said to always be constantly squabbling, there is an inconsistency in their characters as there are only few dialogues between them to show that. The duo, however, act as the comic relief in the movie that could have used more zest from all of its characters. This is usually what has worked in elevating similar movies of the genre and it’s a trick that’s missed by the makers of Thrishanku.

Anna Ben and Arjun Ashokan do justice to their roles within the restricted scope of the script. The track where Megha's father (Krishnakumar) goes in search of her, fails to engage as it doesn't have the suspense or any entertaining element. This is also partly because his character hasn't been fleshed out. All you feel is that he is a grumpy old man set in his ways, which is probably why Megha decided to leave him. Both Anna and Krishnakumar, however, have succeeded in showcasing the bitter father-daughter chemistry.

Though the movie is kept to less than 2 hours, it does feel stretched because the several subplots attached to the core journey of its protagonists don't get the desired effect. The film also has a dull visual treatment that doesn't do the comedy elements any favour, especially in the portions at the lodge in Mangalore. The club sequences, however, are well captured in the film. Thrishanku, however, has good music by Jay Unnithan.

Verdict: Thrishanku doesn't capitalise on its quirky premise and ends up being a flat comedy.