Ponmagal Vandhal (2020)
TRIGGER WARNING- MENTIONS OF PAEDOPHILIA, RAPE, HONOUR KILLING AND CHILD RAPE
Ah, how exciting. My first 2020 film! And it is indeed, 20/20. From the lush surroundings, to the always stannable Jyothika, Ponmagal Vandhal ticked off so many boxes for me, that I completely fail to understand why it has such a dismal rating on Letterboxd.
I mean, this was the feminist filmy courtroom drama we deserved back in 2016, and not Pink. I'm sure people have their valid criticisms of Ponmagal Vandhal, but can we at least appreciate that Amitabh Bachhan was not the ultimate saviour here? And rejoice in that fact? It's 2020, and we certainly do not need men to "save" anyone- except for themselves, of course, and heaven knows that they are frankly incapable of doing even that. I'd read a while back that apparently Pink was going to be remade in Tamil, with Ajith reprising Amitabh's role. My only response to that is a fervent prayer that he tones it down several notches, and does justice to the idea of the movie, unlike a certain overblown, overhyped Hindi film actor.
(Okay, I admit that Amitabh has his moments. But I have seen bits of Sooryavansham, and that movie singlehandedly negates each one of the aforementioned moments. He's a good, decent actor, and nothing more. Actually, he is also deeply problematic, but let's just stick to acting for now.)
This movie takes on quite a lot of complex issues- honour killing, child rape, corruption in police administration, to name a few- and for a moment, I was worried that it would fall flat on its face due to the over-ambitious nature of the plot. But, surprisingly, the story remains tight and crisp- even when it totters on the verge of preachiness, it seems natural for the characters to say and do those things. While there is a little idealism towards the end, it is not in excess; it is just enough to give one a little ray of hope to cling on to. Also, the fact that it was just one man's need to protect his "reputation" and his ego that led to all the irreparable damage in the movie... could not stop thinking about that. Especially in light of a Twitter thread that I read recently, detailing the British royal family's long and sordid history of paedophilia and child sexual assault, which left me disoriented for the entire day. Sigh. Really makes you wonder what kind of world we're living in.
Also, I loved the bond between Venba (Jyothika) and 'Petition' Pethuraj (K. Bhagyaraj). It was so heart-warming, and made me honestly wish for the same with my father (LOL). I found the other performances quite engaging as well, especially that of Parthiban, who plays Rajarathinam, and Thiagarajan, who plays Varadharajan.
Glad I "officially" started 2020 with this one. Also, I just realised that all Jo movies that I've seen till now (this one, Snegithiye, and Shock) have all been related with murder and police in one way or another. Damn. And she's known as the girl-next-door in Kollywood? I think I'll watch a Suriya-Jyothika film next, and fangirl over them. Khuda haafiz.
Ah, how exciting. My first 2020 film! And it is indeed, 20/20. From the lush surroundings, to the always stannable Jyothika, Ponmagal Vandhal ticked off so many boxes for me, that I completely fail to understand why it has such a dismal rating on Letterboxd.
I mean, this was the feminist filmy courtroom drama we deserved back in 2016, and not Pink. I'm sure people have their valid criticisms of Ponmagal Vandhal, but can we at least appreciate that Amitabh Bachhan was not the ultimate saviour here? And rejoice in that fact? It's 2020, and we certainly do not need men to "save" anyone- except for themselves, of course, and heaven knows that they are frankly incapable of doing even that. I'd read a while back that apparently Pink was going to be remade in Tamil, with Ajith reprising Amitabh's role. My only response to that is a fervent prayer that he tones it down several notches, and does justice to the idea of the movie, unlike a certain overblown, overhyped Hindi film actor.
(Okay, I admit that Amitabh has his moments. But I have seen bits of Sooryavansham, and that movie singlehandedly negates each one of the aforementioned moments. He's a good, decent actor, and nothing more. Actually, he is also deeply problematic, but let's just stick to acting for now.)
This movie takes on quite a lot of complex issues- honour killing, child rape, corruption in police administration, to name a few- and for a moment, I was worried that it would fall flat on its face due to the over-ambitious nature of the plot. But, surprisingly, the story remains tight and crisp- even when it totters on the verge of preachiness, it seems natural for the characters to say and do those things. While there is a little idealism towards the end, it is not in excess; it is just enough to give one a little ray of hope to cling on to. Also, the fact that it was just one man's need to protect his "reputation" and his ego that led to all the irreparable damage in the movie... could not stop thinking about that. Especially in light of a Twitter thread that I read recently, detailing the British royal family's long and sordid history of paedophilia and child sexual assault, which left me disoriented for the entire day. Sigh. Really makes you wonder what kind of world we're living in.
Also, I loved the bond between Venba (Jyothika) and 'Petition' Pethuraj (K. Bhagyaraj). It was so heart-warming, and made me honestly wish for the same with my father (LOL). I found the other performances quite engaging as well, especially that of Parthiban, who plays Rajarathinam, and Thiagarajan, who plays Varadharajan.
Glad I "officially" started 2020 with this one. Also, I just realised that all Jo movies that I've seen till now (this one, Snegithiye, and Shock) have all been related with murder and police in one way or another. Damn. And she's known as the girl-next-door in Kollywood? I think I'll watch a Suriya-Jyothika film next, and fangirl over them. Khuda haafiz.
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