A journey of change

Debutant directors Jexson Antony and Reji Antony have landed a surprise hit with their film Oru Second Class Yathra. One of the few films this year to make a respectable box-office collection, the film?s biggest strength lies in its ensemble cast of actors who have endeared themselves to audiences through sheer talent.
While it is a given that Vineeth Sreenivasan is a much loved actor, (in a more recent interview, director Thampi Kannanthanam was singing praises about how modest and well-behaved Vineeth is), Oru Second Class Yathra has several more of the new bunch of actors who have not fallen into image traps and have the ability to rise above even mediocre scripts.
They include Chemban Vinod, who inadvertently made an entry into movies and realised that it was his true calling; Joju George, who now shines through in comedy and supporting actor roles; Sreejith Ravi, a bankable actor who can pull off tough acts and humour with equal ease; and Sunil Sukhada, an established character actor. Lending support are Nikki Galrani and Nedumudi Venu, who play crucial roles in the film.
What has worked to the film?s favour is the relatively low expectations that came with it. Apart from teasers suggesting that it is a train journey where two warring police men (Sreejith and Joju) are to accompany two convicts (Vineeth and Chemban) to jail, little was given away. Gopi Sundar?s songs, which gained instant recognition, helped as well.
While the film is by no means path-breaking and has a sagging tempo when it hits flashback mode, Oru Second Class Yathra benefits from some quirky humour and breezy proceedings in the first half as the characters are introduced.
Chemban, not surprisingly, plays a breezy role that demands him to be loud and jovial; Vineeth plays a rather reticent character with a secret and a sad back-story. The two police men, through their ego clashes, turn out to be the ?bumbling cops,? a formula that never goes out of fashion.
With one of two convicts escaping, the film takes a turn. It tries to get into thriller mode, makes some emotional detours involving Vineeth and his family, and finally ends rather timidly but without leaving the audiences exasperated. That, if you have watched the Malayalam films of late, comes across as a big blessing.
If you are up for a two-hour plus ride that will also share some nostalgic moments of train journeys in Kerala, and if you like to watch new actors take centrestage purely for their talent, Oru Second Class Yathra might interest you.
The film gets its life from its actors. Take a joyride with them this weekend as the film is now playing at theatres in the UAE.