Film: Tirupathi Express
Cast: Sumanth Shailendra and Kriti Kharbanda
Director: P Kumar
Probably one of the best known of the spate of ‘remakes’ from recent time in Kannada, Tirupathi Express provides 125 minutes of mildly amusing entertainment, if you are in the right mood. The film helmed by P Kumar is ingeniously funny with a sweet romance at its center.
Trouble brews for Sumanth (Sumanth Shailendra) because of his father, a retired teacher, (played by Ashok) who is also a very disciplined person. He brings in a new mandate at home that any person (including Sumanth’s mother Sumithra who is an asthma patient; Sumanth’s elder brother; sister and his brother-in-law and their kids )who commits 100 mistakes will be disowned by the family.
Sumanth who must have committed 99 mistakes in his life tries to avoid doing the 100th mistake only because he wants to remain with the family as he loves them a lot.
Sumanth’s elder brother’s marriage is fixed at Tirupathi and the entire family boards Tirupathi Express. At Tirupathi, Sumanth meets his soon to be wedded brother and brother-in-law. On noticing a blood stain on Sumanth’s vest, the two ask him whether he has committed his 100th mistake and is ready to be kicked out of the house.
Sumanth in a flashback narrates the series of incidents that take place during his journey to Tirupathi, where he meets Prarthana (Kriti Kharbanda), a techie who was traveling to Tirupathi to meet her elder sister. Unfortunately, the wedding gets cancelled because the bride has eloped with her lover. As fate would have it, Sumanth has helped the two to get married.
Will his father accept Sumanth after the 100th mistake, is the story of Tirupathi Express, that blends action and tongue-in-cheek humour, mounted on a minimalist set and with the barest of essentials. Except for the two songs, there is nothing pretentious or intrusive in this light hearted and energetic flick. While the plot is a straight, simple romance, the true charm of the film comes from its quirky characters. The director in control of storyline, hurls jokes, visual gags and dialogues with puns, at the audience at a rapid fire pace. This romantic comedy has the right blend of satire and slapstick, coming mostly from the clever lot of comedians like Sadhu Kokila, Prathap and Chikkanna.
The direction being flawless, the entire cast of stars perform beautifully. P Kumar has had some of his characters move at twice the normal speed so the whole thing looks frantic from scene to scene thus conveying the urgency of the journey, he was depicting in Tirupathi Express.
Sumanth adds to the free-spirited energy of his character and carries out action as well as romance with panache. Kriti Kharbanda does have a certain placid charm and the lead pair complement one another. The performances from Sumanth and Kriti are as endearing as the characters.
Cinematographer Jagadish Wali with his innovative camera moves and angles during the scenes in the train journey, never allows the tone to become too heavy. Music scored by Arjun Janya has put just the right zing in Tirupathi Express. The introduction song Naanu Right... sees some good dance moves by Sumanth. The picturisation of the second song Usire Usire... is lavishly mounted.
Verdict: A sprightly entertainer if you keep expectations modest.
