Ponmagal Vandhal Review: A Superb Jyotika Fails To Lift An Unoriginal Plot

Forged: Jyotika, Parthieban, Bhagyaraj, Thiagarajan, Pratap Pothen

This is a welcome word that Tamil cinema has tailored to occasions and owing to the not possible pandemic, first-time director JJ Fredrick’s Ponmagal Vandhal (The Golden Woman Has Arrived) was once driven immediately onto a streaming platform, Amazon, with out looking forward to the cinemas to reopen.

In an interview, Fredrick stated that small motion pictures like his must wait a very long time for a theatrical unlock even after halls had begun functioning, as a result of huge, big-budget films would get the primary choice.

With Jyotika enjoying debutant legal professional, Venba, in Ooty (the place the movie is ready), Ponmagal Vandhal is a criminal offense mystery and prison drama rolled into one. In 2004, a chain of kid rapes and murders within the Nilgiris (the place Ooty is positioned) lead the police to arrest whom they describe as a North Indian girl and shoot her, declaring that she was once a “psycho Killer”. Oldsters in Ooty and round are made to imagine that she was once the perpetrator, and a mass hysteria is generated.

Fifteen years later, Petition Pethuraj (Bhagyaraj) reopens the case and asks his daughter, Venba, to battle it out in courtroom. Recognized for in search of prison redress for probably the most trivial of reasons (together with a fly in his glass of tea), Pethuraj isn’t taken severely via the townsfolk. However they’re indignant that Venba must have taken up cudgels for a ruthless serial killer.

Fredrick, who additionally wrote the screenplay, divulges many main points halfway in the course of the film, leaving one twist to the very finish. Even supposing Jyotika is spectacular because the legal professional combating to set proper a gross fallacious and nab the in charge and is ably supported via Bhagyaraj and Pratap Pothen (who essays the pass judgement on), Ponmagal Vandhal (produced via Surya and Jyotika) has been impressed such a lot via Jolly LLB and Jolly LLB 2 (each in Hindi) that the Tamil movie can have neatly been a remake.

The defence suggest, Rajarathinam (Partheiban), jogged my memory of Boman Irani in Jolly LLB and Annu Kapoor in Jolly LLB 2 – each protecting the culprits. Jyotika gave the impression extra like Warsi in Jolly LLB, who reopens a case via submitting a public passion litigation. Most of the court scenes within the Tamil paintings seem to have been lifted from the 2 Hindi titles, particularly probably the most arguments of the defence and pass judgement on’s mannerisms. Even the pretend stumble upon within the Jyotika-starrer comes, in some way, from Jolly LLB 2.

Sadly, there may be little or no novelty in Ponmagal Vandhal, with the exception of for the truth that Jyotika’s Venba makes use of tears and feelings to persuade the pass judgement on with little or no arduous proof to turn out her level! How would this stand in a courtroom of legislation? It beats me.

A lot of Tamil cinema is shoddily penned, and scriptwriters show off lethargy and take the straightforward manner out via lifting scenes or concepts from different motion pictures – and now not simply Hindi however even international. Ponmagal Vandhal in spite of its daring try to bypass the theatre, fails to provide any plot originality.

Ponmagal Vandhal is streaming on Amazon Top.

Score: 1.five/five

(Gautaman Bhaskaran is creator, commentator and picture critic)