<p>‘<em>13 Part-1</em>’ primarily focuses on an inter-religious couple — Mohan Kumar (Raghavendra Rajkumar) and Sahira Banu (Shurthi) — leading a simple yet blissful life. Things turn murky when a crime operation goes wrong and the couple comes into possession of a fortune of Rs 13 crore — hence the striking title.</p>.<p>An initially reluctant Mohan finally decides to protect the fortune at his wife’s insistence. However, he has to deal with a notorious criminal and a dirty cop Sawant Kumar (Pramod Shetty), who use all their might to seek the money. A rivalry between Mohan and Sawant, dating back to the former’s days as a cop, only makes things spicier.</p>.<p>The presence of an all-powerful hero, who outsmarts bad cops with ingenious tricks, strikes an unmistakable resemblance to the ‘<em>Drishyam</em>’ series. However, the similarities end there as the plot suffers from numerous loopholes. What makes Sawant suspect the lead couple remains a mystery till the end. What makes the righteous hero desperately fight for an illegitimate fortune is also unclear.</p>.<p>While the film seeks to further communal harmony by depicting a couple whose faith does not come in the way of their love, the exaggerated use of derogatory stereotypes of the Kannada dialect of Muslims only deters the cause.</p>.<p>Raghavendra Rajkumar plays the loving husband well but fails to<br>deliver as a cool-headed strategist. Shruthi is expressive but her dialect, a conscious choice by the director, scales down her act a bit. With his eerie laughter and threatening looks, Pramod Shetty delivers a complete performance.</p>
<p>‘<em>13 Part-1</em>’ primarily focuses on an inter-religious couple — Mohan Kumar (Raghavendra Rajkumar) and Sahira Banu (Shurthi) — leading a simple yet blissful life. Things turn murky when a crime operation goes wrong and the couple comes into possession of a fortune of Rs 13 crore — hence the striking title.</p>.<p>An initially reluctant Mohan finally decides to protect the fortune at his wife’s insistence. However, he has to deal with a notorious criminal and a dirty cop Sawant Kumar (Pramod Shetty), who use all their might to seek the money. A rivalry between Mohan and Sawant, dating back to the former’s days as a cop, only makes things spicier.</p>.<p>The presence of an all-powerful hero, who outsmarts bad cops with ingenious tricks, strikes an unmistakable resemblance to the ‘<em>Drishyam</em>’ series. However, the similarities end there as the plot suffers from numerous loopholes. What makes Sawant suspect the lead couple remains a mystery till the end. What makes the righteous hero desperately fight for an illegitimate fortune is also unclear.</p>.<p>While the film seeks to further communal harmony by depicting a couple whose faith does not come in the way of their love, the exaggerated use of derogatory stereotypes of the Kannada dialect of Muslims only deters the cause.</p>.<p>Raghavendra Rajkumar plays the loving husband well but fails to<br>deliver as a cool-headed strategist. Shruthi is expressive but her dialect, a conscious choice by the director, scales down her act a bit. With his eerie laughter and threatening looks, Pramod Shetty delivers a complete performance.</p>