Ponmagal Vandhal review: "Court room drama fixated on narratives rather than evidence!!!"

After having binge watched various web series during the lockdown period, the news of a movie finally hitting the screens certainly put a smile on the lips of movie buffs like me. However, it wasn't on the 70mm screen but rather on Amazon Prime which was a unique experience for the industry and the audience. It happened to be Fredrick's "Ponmagal Vandhal" which had Jyothika as protagonist & bankrolled by her husband, Suriya. Im pretty sure that the title would have reminded most of us of the song from Vijay's "Azhagiya Tamilmagan", though it is actually inspired from Sivaji Ganeshan's "Sorgam".  Anywaz it's been almost three weeks since I watched this flick, but didnt quite have time then to pen down my opinion about it. 

Close to two decades back, Ooty was rocked by the spine chilling deeds of Psycho Jyothi who apart from killing two men was also believed to be responsible for the kidnap and murder of numerous small children. However, before she could be tried in a court of law she was killed in a police encounter. In the present day, 'Petition' Pethuraj (Bhagyaraj) reopens the case as he believed that Jyothi was framed while the actual culprit roamed free. His daughter, Venba (Jyothika) takes it up as the first case of her career & as expected she faces a lot of flak from the public for trying to relieve the murderer of the charges that was proved rather convincingly according to them. But when Venba proved that the main eye witness in itself was unreliable & fabricated, it became evident that there was more to the case that what met the eye.

The topic of child abuse, rape & the ordeal that the survivor has to go through to get justice is what Frederick narrated in his debut venture. Along with Lakshmi Saravanakumar, he has penned this impactful and relevant subject,but there is evident lack of tautness in their script. The biggest flaw is the lack of legal validity in the arguments presented since for some reason the whole case is fought on the basis of statements rather than compelling evidence. However, the manner in which the core subject is picturised makes it worth watching as it didn't make it gross & also gives us a lump in our throat in some of the sequences. As far as the technical aspects were concerned, it was aptly done.

Ever since Jyothika has made her comeback, her choice of movies has been well thought making sure that she was either the protagonist or had a substantial role. As Venba, she has given an earnest performance with some stand out sequences inside the court room. She was adequately supported by Bhagyaraj while Parthiban also makes his presence felt though Thiagarajan's role could have been far more impactful if it had been etched well.

Verdict: Frankly speaking, it was a movie that could have been far better if more attention was invested in the details. Instead Frederick seemed content to convince the audience through Venba's emotional discourses rather than systematic investigation and proof to substantiate her claims. It is an ideal situation that all of us want to see played out in the courts as many a time justice is denied and the survivor's character is tarnished & shamed in front of the public eye by the opposing lawyer due to lack of compelling evidence. In short, falls well short of expectations despite having the premise for it!!!

Rating: 2.25/5

Regards...Ben

Gulabo Sitabo review: "Big B rocks in this quirky flick!!!"

One of the earliest forms of entertainment for the general public was puppetry & though over the years, this age old art form might have been relegated to the sidelines; it still retains its charm in the small towns. Just like many others, even I was intrigued with the title of Shoojit Sarcar's latest venture which was "Gulabo Sitabo". For the uninitiated, these are popular characters in puppetry whereby we have Gulabo & Sitabo both of whom fought over the same guy with the former being his paramour while the latter his wife. So will the actual movie be as interesting as its name & will it be able to inject a new lease of life into this dying art???

Lucknow, the land of nawabs and tehzeeb attracts scores of tourists every year as it still provides ample glimpses of its splendor of the bygone era. Located in the older section of this city is a dilapidated mansion which belonged to Fathima Begum (Farrukh Jaffar), whose health made her confined to her quarters. The responsibility of taking care of the property was left to her husband, Mirza (Amitabh Bachchan) who was fifteen years younger to her. They had leased out many of the rooms as the rental amount took care of their livelihood. However, the grouchy and avaricious septuagenarian Mirza harboured hopes that his wife would leave her mortal form sooner rather than later & would leave him as the sole custodian of the mansion. He was in loggerheads with most of the tenants especially Baankey (Ayushmann Khurana), who responded to Mirza's tricks in a tit for tat manner despite staying over there without having paid his measly rent for months. With both of them hell bent on making the other's life as arduous as possible, Mirza seeks the help of a lawyer while Baankey befriends a govt archaeologist who tries to convert it into a heritage site. So who will eventually have the last laugh???

Shoojit is an individual who needs no introduction with an array of praise worthy movies like "Piku", "Madras Cafe", "Vicky Donor" etc., to his credit. His latest flick as the name indicates is the constant bickering between two characters though this time around, the reason for the conflict is the mansion. As in many of his previous ventures, the script was penned by Juhi Chaturvedi & she has doone a wonderful job in ensuring that the supporting cast arent just for the numbers. Most of them get to mouth some delightful lines be it Fathima, Guddo, Christopher or Gyanesh. Actually, the mansion itself is presented as a character that has stood the test of time & seen better days. Kudos to the art department for having done a praise worth job & Avik for his impressive visuals. The climax was pretty good & well thought out, as we cant help smiling and feel sorry at the same time. 

Was it just me but I kinda felt Big B's physical makeover & character development reminded me of Ebenezer Scrooge from Charles Dickens's 'A Christmas Carol'. The legend has been smart in his choice of movies as it enabled him to showcase his superior skills that he is bestowed with through years of experience. I personally rate Mirza as one of his finest characters to date & would be surprised if he is not in contention when the award season begins. Ayushmaan has created a niche for himself in the industry by opting for movies that focuses on problems and incidents that the commoners face in small towns. He doesnt get overawed in front of Big B & has done a fine job. I would also rate Srishti Srivastva's portrayal of the fiesty Guddo as one of the highlights while others like Farrukh Jaffar, Brijendra Kala & Vijay Raaz also gave earnest performances.

Verdict: It was as interesting & hatke as its title as the perennial fight between Mirza and the tenants to secure control of the mansion keeps the audience entertained. There might be quite a few who wouldnt warm up to the story but Im pretty sure that there will be none who would refute that Big B rocked along with his co stars. In short, dont miss it!!!

Rating: 3.5/5

Regards...Ben

Penguin review: "Does justice to the title, as the movie fails to take flight!!!"

With COVID 19 having unleashed havoc across the globe, the economy had nose dived in most countries & our nation has been no different. As the lock-down restrictions are still not completely taken off, the film industry has been one of the worst hit with the theatres not given the permission yet to function. This has led to quite a film makers opting for release of their celluloid creations in OTT platforms like Amazon. One such movie that released this weekend is Eashvar Karthic's "Penguin" that has Keerthy Suresh in the lead. Personally, I found the trailer pretty interesting & hence the expectations for an engaging thriller was rather high.

The film unfolds in Kodaikanal, where Rhythm (Keerthy Suresh) was a few months away from the birth of her child. However, her pregnancy upto that point wasn't peaceful as she was constantly traumatized by the nightmares of her lost son who was kidnapped by a mysterious character dressed up as Charlie Chaplin. The loss of her child also led to the separation from her partner, Raghu (Lingaa). Things take a turn when her son, Ajay (Advaith) reappears out of the blue though at the same time, another girl goes missing. So where was Ajay all these years & was the same kidnapper responsible for the latest abduction???

With all due respect to the director, the primary reason why this movie made heads turn was coz Karthik Subbaraj was involved in this project. Later on it dawned on the audience, that he was in the capacity of a producer but however it would be fair to say that it provided a springboard for the debutant Eashvar Karthic to showcase his talent as a story teller. Unfortunately, he failed to utilize the opportunity as the script was far too underwhelming & just didnt have anything worthwhile that would keep us engaged except for the opening sequence which was impressive. However, two individuals deserves special mention & those are Kharthik Phalani for his stirring cinematography & Santhosh Narayanan for the apt BGM.

None of the characters were well etched & it might have contributed to the fact that I felt the casting ought to have been a lot better. Hence none of the artists manages to awe the audience which includes Keerthy as well who I would have to admit without mincing words, over acts in many parts. Actually Cyrus, the dog has done a fine job & seems the most sensible among all the characters. 

Verdict: After all the expectations that were created coz of the well crafted trailer, the movie as such was a huge letdown. They tried to create a westernized feel with some stunning visuals & impressive BGM, but without a solid script to back it up; it didnt serve any purpose. In short, dont bother!!!

Rating: 1.5/5

Regards...Ben