There are some films that release each year which voice for the voiceless. Ponmagal Vandhal is one such film, currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video, that stands out for it’s bold statements against patriarchy, sexual abuse and the feminist movement. Starring Jyotika, Parthipan, Bhagyaraj in leading roles, the story revolves around a relatively new lawyer demanding justice after 15 years for an open-and-shut case, set in the misty areas of Ooty. Written and directed by JJ Frederick, the film begins on a promising and engaging opening sequence that dries out eventually except for a few twists here and there.
The aftertaste of the film leaves you in a mixed state of mind, because the film could have been so much more if they chose depth, instead of subtlety. In order to appeal to the general strata, the film shows you glimpses of the iceberg, but never in its entirety. Nevertheless, it is an important film to watch for every individual despite the flaws in the screenplay. The repetitive montages, poor character development are elements that can be looked over, only if you try to look at the bigger picture the film aspires to enlighten you with. Ponmagal Vandhal is a courageous take on the Indian justice system, class divide and takes a ambitious stand on the complete disregard, we as a society generally partake, when it comes to a woman’s suffering in a misogynistic world. This “comeback” version of Jyotika, since 36 Vayadhinile, is turning out to be a women-centric family friendly set of films, aiming at message oriented female characters overcoming patriarchy, misogyny and stereotypical norms set by the society. I sincerely hope many established actresses choose films such as this and to tell stories that matter, as they have an acquired audience to magnify the impact. and thus, bring about “the change we wish to see in the world.”
The music and background score by Govind Vasantha is absolutely brilliant and astounding, it blends in perfectly with every emotion. Almost 35 minutes into the film, I did question a few casting choices like Pandiaraj, Prathap K Pothen, since I felt they were a little underused and their character’s sub-plots were half baked to create a profound impact. Whereas on the other hand, Parthiban and Thyagarajan bring a dark tints to the grey shaded character and there is a menacing aura to Parthiban’s witticisms and an insecure misogynist hidden in the mere presence of Thyagayarajan, blending perfectly with their screen presence.
Since it was slated for a theatrical release, the film tries to use some meta references and deliberate expositions to communicate to the audience. But as a overall package, the film is better to be watched on an OTT platform in order to reach its target audience. I think it was wise decision to have given it a direct Amazon release. It takes sheer courage to produce a film like this, thank you Suriya and Jyotika. This film needs to be watched by people across the globe, with their families. It highlights those unheard trauma hidden in every woman’s life, and unearths those issues we rarely want to talk about with our loved ones.
Please do watch it and lemme know your opinion on the comments below. Thanks for reading.
Filmy Kadhai 