A road-trip, which was meant to be a breezy adventurous journey that would draw a couple closer to each other turns out to be a insipid affair sans any excitement or adventure. The screenplay is weak and the narration is lackluster. The film drags on even after it seems to have ended. A sub-plot linked towards the end seems like the a life from another story, which could have formed a plot by itself!
Vikram plays a trainer in a driving school. His driving skills draws the attention of Pasupathi, a dealer of stolen vehicles. Vikram’s earlier scenes has him performing some gravity-defying stunts with his car.
Samantha works in a beauty parlour and has accidental encounters with Vikram. Probably to contrast the character with her later angst-driven avatar, Samantha is shown as this scatter brained girl, an object of amusement to Vikram. But later in the story, she would spring a surprise, and you’d be hardpressed to not be impressed with her performance.
There is Abhimanyu in Uttarakhand, an extortionist, and Pasupathi is his agent for all illegal activities. And finally, there is Rahul Dev in Mussouri, the place where an earlier massacre took place. The film picks up pace when Pasupathi hires Vikram to deliver a car to Abhimanyu. Vikram, oblivious to the content of the package in it, starts on his road journey. Some of the elements of the film seems to be a direct lift, but badly scripted, from Gone in 60 seconds (2000) and Transporter (2008).
How Samantha becomes part of this journey and their adventures together forms rest of the story. Their most exciting moments in the earlier part consist of the usual altercation with some rowdies and watching Charmi’s sizzling dance number, Gaana gaana Telengana...
There is not much variation in the activities of the leading characters. Throughout the film, Pasupathi keeps wondering about Vikram’s location and also of the car and the girl. Abhimanyu continues raving and ranting over the car and driver he lost sight of as his psychopath henchman keeps repeating his blade-slicing act, and Dev, on his phone, keeps berating Abhimanyu for his inefficiency. And when matters are nearly solved and the film about to end, it moves on for another half hour or so before the climax is played out.
Here, the film attempts to transport the audience onto to different setting. The costumes of the lead female character and her mannerisms gives the vague impression of some Japanese warrior-princess film. It’s a long dreary follow up to the climax here.
The events related to the caste-conscious matriarchal clan and its ruthless woman leader only evoke a feel of detachment. It seems like the director had juxtaposed an unrelated sub-plot on an already existing plot. The screenplay has innumerable loopholes and raises many unanswered questions. There is an attempt to force the emotional quotient through Vikram’s bonding with his sister, but the attempt falls flat.
Vikram seems to alternate between serious and the light-hearted films and roles. While the intense roles is fodder for his talent, the lighter ones seem to have let him down. After his delightful Goli soda (2014), expectations were high on Vijay Milton, But he disappoints with his mediocre fare, which is 10 Endrathukkulla.