Ponmagal
Vandhal,
the
first-ever
Tamil
film
to
have
a
direct
OTT
release,
recently
premiered
on
Amazon
Prime.
The
legal
drama,
which
features
Jyotika
in
the
lead
role,
is
written
and
directed
by
JJ
Frederick.
Ponmagal
Vandhal
is
bankrolled
by
the
popular
actor-producer
Suriya,
under
his
home
banner
2D
Entertainment.
Did
the
Jyotika-starrer
meet
the
expectations
of
the
audiences?
Read
Ponmagal
Vandhal
movie
review
here
to
know...
Plot
Jyothi,
an
Ooty-based
woman
was
accused
of
abducting
and
killing
children,
and
the
investigation
team
killed
her
in
an
encounter,
when
she
tried
to
escape.
The
case
is
reopened
after
15
years
by
'Petitioner'
Pethuraj
(K
Bhagyaraj)
and
his
daughter
Adv.
Venba
(Jyotika),
who
claim
that
Jyothi
was
falsely
accused.
Prosecutor
Rajarathinam
(R
Parthiban)
creates
challenges
for
Venba
in
bringing
justice
to
Jyothi.
The
rest
of
the
plot
depicts
how
the
young
advocate
proves
Jyothi's
innocence.
Script
&
Direction
JJ
Frederick,
the
writer-director
makes
a
decent
debut
with
Ponmagal
Vandhal.
The
movie
deals
with
a
sensitive
topic
and
hits
hard
during
a
few
parts.
The
movie
stands
out
with
its
honest
attempt
to
showcase
the
harsh
realities
behind
the
fight
for
justice
in
the
cases
of
sexual
crimes.
It
also
throws
light
on
the
sexism
that
women
deal
with
in
everyday
life,
which
is
a
very
rare
sight
in
Tamil
cinema.
But,
Ponmagal
Vandhal
doesn't
succeed
in
keeping
the
audiences
hooked
to
the
screen,
apart
from
certain
portions.
The
screenplay
lacks
the
much-needed
crispness
and
leaves
way
too
much
of
loose
ends
(like
the
protagonist's
family
background
and
sudden
transformation
of
certain
characters)
with
no
logical
explanations.
Also,
the
old-school,
highly
predictable
narrative,
which
majorly
depends
on
the
lengthy
courtroom
scenes
and
monologues,
play
the
major
spoilsport.
The
occasional
comedy
sequences
struggle
to
make
a
mark
and
look
forced.
The
violence
sequences
that
involve
children
might
not
go
well
with
a
certain
group
of
audiences,
as
they
are
clearly
over
the
top.
However,
the
neatly
placed
climax
twist,
does
leave
an
impact.
Performances
Jyotika,
who
plays
Adv.
Venba,
amazes
with
her
controlled,
mature
performance
(her
dubbing
voice
deserves
a
special
mention).
The
actress
has
totally
come
out
of
her
bubbly
on-screen
persona
to
portray
the
calm
yet
fierce
Venba,
and
carried
the
film
on
her
shoulders
with
absolute
ease.
It
was
a
delight
to
watch
K
Bhagyaraj,
the
veteran
actor-filmmaker
as
Venba's
father
Pethuraj.
He
has
simply
excelled
in
both,
the
lighter
and
emotional
sequences.
R
Parthiban
once
again
proves
that
he
is
the
most
underrated
acting
talents
of
the
Tamil
film
industry,
with
his
brilliant
performance
as
the
corrupt
prosecutor
(even
though
his
character
is
weekly
written).
Thiyagarajan,
who
appears
as
the
main
antagonist,
is
wasted
in
his
minimal
role.
The
rest
of
the
star
cast,
including
Prathap
Pothen,
Pandiarajan,
Vinodhini
Vaidyanathan,
Vidya
Pradeep,
Subbu
Panchu,
baby
Akshara
Kishore,
and
so
on
are
good
in
their
respective
roles.
Technical
Aspects
Ramji,
the
director
of
photography
has
done
an
excellent
job
with
the
amazing
visualisation
of
the
movie.
The
editing
by
Ruben
could
have
been
better,
as
the
movie
falls
into
slow
pace
during
most
of
its
courtroom
scenes.
Govind
Vasantha,
the
music
director
has
done
a
great
job
with
the
beautiful
soundtrack
and
brilliant
background
score,
which
totally
goes
hand-in-hand
with
the
narrative
without
going
overboard.
Positives:
Performances
by
Jyotika
and
the
rest
of
the
star
cast
Highly
relevant
subject
Music
and
cinematography
Negatives:
Lengthy
courtroom
scenes
and
monologues
Too
many
loose
ends
and
logical
loopholes
Violent
scenes
involving
children
Verdict
Ponmagal
Vandhal
is
an
ambitious
film,
that
deals
with
a
valid
subject
and
hits
hard
during
a
few
parts.
However,
the
Jyotika-starrer
fails
to
create
a
deeper
impact.