The triad of an interfaith couple’s plan to elope and marry, an unhappy coincidence and two overbearing uncles on a road trip with their nephew make for a fantastic laugh riot in the Malayalam film Trishanku, starring Anna Ben and Arjun Ashokan, and trending on Netflix India.
Debutant director Achyuth Vinayak, who has previously worked with filmmaker Priyadarshan as assistant director, blends situational comedy with romance and a dash of social realism to set up this quirky world. Here’s what we loved about the film co-starring Nandhu, Suresh Krishna, Zarin Shihab and Shiva Hariharan.
A runaway gone wrong and the promise of great comedy
Megha (Anna Ben), who is Christian, is under pressure from her overbearing father to get married, while her upper-caste Hindu boyfriend Sethu (Arjun Ashokan) is hatching a plan for them to run away and get married in Mangaluru.
However, the plan goes awry on the appointed day when Sethu’s family discovers that his sister Sumi (Zarin Shihab) has eloped with her Christian boyfriend (Shiva Hariharan). Sethu is now forced to accompany his two feuding uncles on a mission to find his sister. On the other hand, Megha, who has already left home, has no option but to go forward with the plan without getting caught.
Anna Ben’s Megha and Arjun Ashokan’s Sethu — a couple at odds
Megha leaves home well before dawn to avoid running into her ex-policeman father. She takes her pet dog along for safety until she gets a commute to the bus station. For Megha, the eloping is also an act of freeing herself from her controlling single-parent father. She leaves her phone at home so that she can’t be traced. And though Sethu asks Megha to go back home, she boards the bus.
Of the two, Megha comes off as the stronger, more decisive one. Sethu, who is unemployed and struggling to crack job exams, is fickle under pressure and is also hypocritical when it comes to his sister. At the same time, he is loyal to his commitments.
One of the most talented young actresses of Malayalam cinema, Anna Ben is a complete natural as Megha, adding depth to her complex situation and lighting up in the lighter moments. Arjun Ashokan once again excels in comedy after his brilliant turn in Soubin Shahir’s Romancham, and his and Anna Ben’s pitch-perfect comic timing only enhances their chemistry.
The two uncles are the real protagonists
Initially, the film appears to be revolving only around the couple but it is Sethu’s two annoying, eccentric uncles who take centre stage as the narrative progresses. While the older one (played by veteran actor Nandhu) oozes upper-caste pride and is obsessively superstitious, the younger uncle (Suresh Krishna), though comparatively more rational, is old-fashioned nonetheless. Being on the road with them becomes a daunting task for the nephew who has a lot to hide while worrying about his sister’s safety.
The two uncle characters are very relatable, a reflection of the many domineering father figures we see in real life. The scenes of the duo experiencing a culture shock in a pub where they have to masquerade as a homosexual couple to gain access are hilarious. They are both unintentionally funny as are their interactions with each other and with their nephew. Despite their orthodox exterior, in the end, both of them turn out to be quite sensitive in understanding both Sumi and Sethu’s situations.
