Movie: Ponmagal Vandhal
Direction: J J Fredrick
Cast: Jyothika, K Bhagyaraj, R Parthiban, Thiagarajan, Pratap K Pothen, Pandiarajan
Music: Govind Vasantha
Cinematographer: Ramji
Editor: Ruben
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Rating: ∗∗½
Ponmagal Vandhal, a 2D Entertainment production by Surya is a thriller drama directed by JJ Frederick, with Jyothika as the lead, many veteran actors like Bhagyaraj, Parthiban, Thyagarajan, Prathap Pothen, Pandiarajan, Vinodhini Vaidyanathan and few others in the supporting roles. The music by Govind Vasantha is pleasing and cinematography by Ramji is a visual delight.
The story begins at Ooty with the mesmerizing serene beauty of the place and suddenly as two gun shots are fired, our heart starts thumping. The entire movie revolves around the case of the accused Psycho Killer Jothi that took place 15 years ago where a series of girl children were kidnapped, raped and brutally murdered by her. Two men who tried to save one of the girl child also die in the hands of Jothi. Venba (Jyothika), an advocate reopens the case with the help of her father Pethuraj(Bhagyaraj). Parthiban as the public prosecutor gives a tuff fight to Jyothika with his interrogative and mocking replies. Every now and then there is a new twist in the story, which was very much predictable. The dialogues missed to create a huge impact in the court room scenes. As the story unfolds, Jyothika’s actual reason behind reopening the case and justice for Jothi forms the crux of the story showcasing the cruel side of humanity and the heart wrenching reality of the society. Jyothika has justified both the characters of Jothi and Venba alias Angel with her differentiating looks and powerful performances. Vinothini definitely added sparks and humour at various places throughout the story. The versatile actor Bhagyaraj role was subtle and convincing. Actor Parthiban was remarkable onscreen. Thiagarajan added more depth to his character with his twitching muscles when he got angry. Overall, all the characters performed their role very well.
The movie scores high in few areas
- where Parthiban and the police flashback scene with still and motion cinematography was refreshing to watch
- where Jyothika expresses the lifelong emotional & physical trauma experienced by a rape victim
- where every other parent can relate themselves to the character in the film
- where the various struggles faced by a single mother is shown
- where innocent people are framed for a crime they have not committed is beautifully conveyed
- where the mother daughter bond is captured well
The movie looses its emotional feel
- when all the fiery argumentative dialogues are replaced with emotional dialogues in the court room
- as the storyline is too slow paced and dragging
- when a rape victim waits for 15 long years to fight her case with only one main witness in hand
- How can she fight for the case when she is the daughter of the accused?
- As the truth unveils in the end, it shows that she is also not honest and uses the loopholes in the Law
- No clarity as to why the judge received the bribe that too in a common place
- There were too many unwanted characters in the story
- Why a senior actor like Pandiarajan was taken for a normal role which did not carry any importance in the movie
- The least possibility of having a CCTV amongst the wild forest that too in 2004
- Final scene would have been more appealing if Thyagarajan had explained the incident rather than Jyothika.
The movie covers a very sensitive subject about the increasing rate of child rape cases and sexual assaults in the current scenario and also conveys a thought provoking message to treat every girl or woman with respect but also leaves us with a heavy heart with the real statistics of child rape cases and sexual abuse at the end of the movie. The movie also highlights the various loopholes in Law and how the privileged ones get away easily using their money or power by tampering or bribing the evidence.
Watch the trailer here:
