
Arjun Ashokan
Sethu Nair

A small town couple, Sethu and Megha, plan to elope, but complications arise when Sethu's sister also decides to elope. Sethu and his quarrelling uncles must bring her back while trying to elope with Megha without getting caught.
I’ve always had a soft spot for the elopement story. There’s something irresistibly human about two people deciding, in a single, reckless moment, that the rules don’t apply to them. Thrishanku, the 2023 Malayalam rom-com from debut director Achyuth Vinayak, starts with that familiar spark—then fumbles it into something far more interesting than it probably intended to be. It’s not the riotous comedy it could have been, nor is it the sharp social satire it occasionally reaches for.
Instead, it lingers in a state of pleasant confusion, much like its title suggests: a film caught between ambition and caution, between laughter and something quieter.

The premise is ripe for chaos. Sethu (Arjun Ashokan) and Megha (Anna Ben) plan to elope from their small Kerala town, only to discover that Sethu’s sister Sumi has the same idea—with her own boyfriend, on the same day. What follows is a road trip from hell, with Sethu and his feuding uncles (played by Nandhu and Suresh Krishna) racing to intercept Sumi before their parents find out both children have vanished.
It’s a setup that could have been It Happened One Night meets Little Miss Sunshine, a farce where every character is a ticking time bomb of repressed emotions and bad decisions.
And yet. Thrishanku never quite detonates. The film’s biggest sin isn’t that it fails to be funny—it’s that it almost is, in ways that make the misfires sting more. Take the uncles, for instance.
Nandhu and Suresh Krishna are the film’s secret weapons, two veterans who know exactly how to turn a throwaway line into a gut punch. There’s a scene where they bicker over a misplaced phone charger, their voices rising in pitch like an old married couple, and for a moment, you think: This is it. This is the movie we were promised. But then the script pulls back, opting for a quick resolution instead of letting the absurdity spiral.
Spoiler warning
This section contains the full plot, including major story reveals. Overview above stays spoiler-free.
Malayalam cinema’s knack for blending humor with heartland drama gets a fresh twist in Thrishanku (2023), the romantic comedy from writer-director Achyuth Vinayak. Starring Arjun Ashokan and Anna Ben, the film promises a madcap ride through small-town Kerala as a couple’s elopement plan spirals into a family fiasco. latestnetflix.com's read is that but what’s the real story behind this quirky project?Here’s what we know—and what’s still under wraps.
Thrishanku centers on Sethu (Arjun Ashokan) and Megha (Anna Ben), a couple determined to elope. Their plan hits a snag when Sethu’s sister also decides to run away with her lover, forcing Sethu and his feuding uncles to track her down—all while trying to pull off their own escape without getting caught. The premise reads like a recipe for slapstick chaos, with the film leaning into the absurdity of family meddling in matters of the heart.
The title itself is a playful nod to Hindu mythology’s Trishanku, a figure suspended between heaven and earth—a fitting metaphor for characters caught between tradition and rebellion. Vinayak’s script reportedly balances humor with emotional stakes, though early buzz suggests the comedy might overshadow the drama.
Arjun Ashokan, known for his roles in June (2019) and Super Sharanya (2022), takes on the lead as Sethu, a character described as both lovable and exasperating. Anna Ben, fresh off her critically acclaimed performance in Helen (2019), plays Megha, bringing her signature blend of warmth and wit to the role.
The supporting cast is a mix of seasoned actors and rising stars:
Notably absent from the cast list in the snippets is V.K. Prakash, who appears in IMDb’s initial credit roll. Whether this is a cameo or a misattribution isn’t clear, but it’s a detail worth watching as more reviews surface.
Achyuth Vinayak, making his directorial debut with Thrishanku, has kept details about the production tight-lipped. The film was shot in Kerala, with locations likely chosen to amplify the small-town vibe central to the story. While no official word on the budget or shooting challenges has emerged, the cast’s chemistry—particularly between Ashokan and Ben—has been a talking point in promotional material.
One unconfirmed rumor suggests the film’s script underwent last-minute tweaks to heighten the comedy, particularly in the uncles’ subplot. However, without direct quotes from the cast or crew, this remains speculative. What is clear is Vinayak’s intent to subvert expectations of the typical Malayalam romance, opting for a faster, more farcical pace.
For all its potential, Thrishanku’s coverage is frustratingly thin on key details:
Until more reviews or interviews drop, Thrishanku remains a tantalizing "what if" for fans of Malayalam cinema.
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.
More titles in the same genres and with the same cast.