Cast: Anna Ben, Arjun Ashokan, Nandhu, Suresh Krishna, Zarin Shihab, Fahim Safar, Shiva Hariharan, Krishna Kumar, Balaji

Director: Achyuth Vinayak

Language: Malayalam

“This must be the first time in history that a guy ran off with his uncles in tow,” says a man named Chandrahasan Nair in director Achyuth Vinayak’s film.Thrishanku (The perplexed state). Leaving home with his Chandran Maaman (Nandhu) and Biju Maaman (Suresh Krishna) was not, as often happens, the plan hatched by Sethu (Arjun Ashokan) when he and his longtime love Megha (Anna Ben) decided to run away and get married. . However, what’s a guy to do if her sister Sumi (Zarin Shihab) leaves with her boyfriend on the very morning he’s chosen and he’s forced to join her search party to find her?

Thrishanku is a saga of these dual escapes, the compulsions that drove both couples to flee, the true colors revealed, and the self-realization that dawns as Team Maamans goes in search of Sumi while Megha’s father, Robin (Krishna Kumar), a cop withdrawn, he pursues her. . The film is based on a story by the director, with a script and dialogue co-credited by him and Ajith Nair. Your writing molds Thrishanku in an understated comedy that comments so understatedly on the socio-political realities of Kerala that it could be mistaken for frothy fun.

light tone helps Thrishanku they cover a lot of ground without seeming to, starting from families that get in the way of marriages between people of different religious communities. Sethu and Sumi are Hindus, Megha and Sumi’s boyfriend Alex (Shiva Hariharan) are Christians. We didn’t get to know Alex very well, but it’s obvious that the others expected his parents to oppose the religious identity of their chosen partner. His fears were justified.

As the narrative progresses, Sethu is criticized for double standards in his reactions to Sumi’s actions and his own, parental tyranny is condemned, superstition is mocked, the emptiness of caste pride is emphasized, and a woman is supported, not patronized, when she makes a mistake while another sticks to his guns. All this is done with such finesse, even jokingly, that Thrishanku it feels like a parade of everyday conversations despite the high drama of the plot. Even the Hindu and Christian character of the characters is not emphasized beyond what is necessary.

This careful calibration ensures that nothing in Thrishanku it feels like a problem that the filmmaker set out to address as much as a problem that arose organically. There’s even an unexpected scene that normalizes homosexuality in a tone that Indian cinema rarely takes when LGBT+ people are situated in comedies. Without giving away details, let’s just say that what makes the scene work is that when two people are mistaken for a gay couple, the person making the mistake accepts them, not gawks at them (which happens more often in the real world than in the real world). in India). recognizes the cinema), the confusion is not caused by dostana-effeminacy style or caricatured behavior, and the individuals in question are unaware of the confusion because they have no idea of ​​the new realm they have just entered.

This degree of script awareness is what makes it so disappointing that Thrishanku features a rape joke uttered by a character who is not otherwise portrayed as a misogynist. Why do some writers think that a man who seems concerned about his safety is funny and deserves some kind of “Don’t worry, no one will rape you” joke? It’s a passing comment, but that’s not an excuse.

The film pays attention to the characterization of Megha, Sethu and the Maamans. Some smaller players, including Megha’s Uncle Laxmanan (Balaji), are also given a quality or line to remember them by. Robin, however, remains a one-note character despite her screen time, Megha’s annoying suitor (Fahim Safar) is superfluous, and Sethu’s parents aren’t even properly described. The most important, Thrishanku it’s only a fraction of what it could have been because Sumi and Alex’s relationship is poorly developed and he’s lazily written. The script doesn’t judge Sumi nor does she take an “I told you so” stance, but it could have done so much more.

Much more thought has gone into the use of language in Thrishanku. As the plot travels from Kerala to Karnataka, the characters shuttle back and forth between the smorgasbord of languages ​​you would naturally hear in both states. the movie is not enough Thank you/ariippu-Great brilliance in this department, but he is intelligent and ends up adding to the sense of humor shown.

Over the years, I have complained in review after review about mainstream Malayalam cinema using Hindi and English lyrics at times without giving enough thought to the relevance of either language to a setting, story or characters in particular. Pachuvum Athbutha Vilakkum being the last example. Thrishanku it’s a lesson in how to do it right. Manu Manjith, Achyuth Vinayak and Ajith Nair are to be celebrated for the appropriate and endearing mix of languages ​​in this lively soundtrack composed by Jay Unnithan and unassumingly accented by each singer.

The song bhoomiyumilla addresses the meaning of the film’s title. Thrishanku in mythology was deemed unfit to enter heaven by Lord Indra, which resulted in him being suspended between swargam and bhoomi, where the sage Vishwamitra built a whole new heaven for him. This movie may have gone the comedy route to highlight regressive attitudes towards relationships, but the title underscores its bleak intent. On a mundane level, Thrishanku is about Megha and Sethu’s relationship in a state of suspended animation as he searches for Sumi and she is unable to return to her overbearing father. More seriously, albeit quietly, the film questions those who rule over traditional homes and decide who is worthy of admission into the family.

In her brief but impressive career thus far, Anna Ben (Kumbalangi Nights, from sara) has become the ultimate sassy girl on the cusp of femininity who is not a pushover despite her diminutive appearance. She gives Megha a palpable bottom layer of sand. Arjun Ashokan is effective as ever as Everyman. Together they portray Megha and Sethu as sweet young men whose mild-mannered demeanor masks a firm commitment to their decisions.

ThrishankuHowever, the best-written characters are Chandran, who is a religious conservative and castist, and “Naasthika Biju,” who is her own brand of progressive despite her limited exposure. Nandhu and Suresh Krishna are the rock stars of this romantic gibberish. The two veterans in top form are the compelling reason to see them. Thrishanku.

Despite a couple of loosely written and edited portions, and a climax that needed more urgency, Thrishanku it’s a nice walk. He doesn’t discuss her politics, but he simply endorses a woman’s right to choose even if it ruins her choices, exposes male hypocrisy in a patriarchal society, and defines a male ally as someone who may be concerned about the safety of his children. a girl or woman in her family, but does not use that concern as a pretext to infantilize and restrict her. He steers clear of the sometimes violent consequences for couples in India who cross prescribed boundaries, a topic handled perhaps most beautifully with the sting. Kismath and Eeda in the last decade, but your point is well made all the same.

Rating: 2.75 (out of 5 stars)

Thrishanku is in theaters in Kerala