Trikona Movie Review: This thriller fails to drive home the point

An hour into Trikona, written by producer Rajashekar, one can't help but think of Steven Speilberg’s 1971 film, Duel -- a plot about a road rage where a salesman travelling on a highway is chased by a truck with an invisible driver. However, the difference in Trikona is that the truck driver is not stalking one person but three men of different generations and age groups. Does it manage to maintain the intensity like Spielberg’s film and deliver the intended message aptly? The answer is a sad no.

Cast: Suresh Heblikar, Lakshmi, Achyuth Kumar, Sudharani, Sadhu Kokila, Marutesh, Mandeep Roy

Director: Chandrakantha

The reason behind the film’s title is that the film is about three different men - Trivikrama (Rajveer) a 25-year-old rich businessman who always looks down upon people, Kondandarama (Achyuth Kumar), a 45-year-old family man who likes to control his wife (Sudharani), Nataraja (Suresh Heblikar) a 65-year-old hotelier. All the three men are heading to a star hotel for different purposes. What begins as a smooth journey turns out to be frightful when they get chased by a truck driver. We don’t understand the driver's motive. But how the three men handle the situation is what Trikona is all about. The underlying theme of this man vs machine story emphasises human emotions like patience, strength, and ego. All seems good on paper but the execution tests the audience’s patience right through the film. Director Chandrakantha, who made his debut with an experimental film like 143, seems to have struggled to pull off this one.

Except for some breathtaking chase scenes and scenic shots of places, the film is uninteresting. Also, the villain, played by Marutesh, who screams stuff like ‘Chal Chal Jula’ is both annoying and impactful in an otherwise bland affair. However, a scene where the villain urinates on the car’s windscreen is sickening.

The film brings together well-known actors - Suresh Heblikar, Lakshmi, Achyuth Kumar, and Sudharani among others - who have played their parts well. A few comedy scenes by Sadhu Kokila leave you in splits. With average music by Surendranath BR and a decent effort by cinematographer Srinivas Vinnakota, Trikona, unfortunately, doesn’t drive home the intended message.