PONMAGAL VANDHAL MOVIE REVIEW CLICK TO RATE THE MOVIE

Ponmagal Vandhal is a legal drama film written and directed by JJ Frederick, that has Jyothika in the lead role, while Bhagyaraj, Parthiepan, Thiagarajan, Prathap Pothen, Pandiarajan, Vinodhini Vaidyanathan and others play crucial supporting roles. It is produced by Suriya under the banner 2D Entertainment and has music by Govind Vasantha, and cinematography by Ramji. 

A woman named Jyoti is accused of kidnapping and killing a lot of children, and is convicted by the court. The case is reopened by 'Petitioner' Pethuraj (Bhagyaraj), and Venba (Jyothika). She is challenged by the prosecutor Rajarathinam, played by Parthiepan. How she brings justice to Jothi forms the rest of the story. 

One of the major advantages of the film is the OTT release, which means there need not be any commercial compromises. It stays focussed right from the first frame and gets into the scheme of things pretty quickly. Although Jyothika powers the film with her performance, the supporting cast chip in with strong performances, especially the likes of Parthiepan and Bhagyaraj. 

The initial portions of the film are a delight to watch, and they are crafted beautifully. The famous 'Ek gaon mein, Ek Kisaan Raghu Thatha' joke from Bhagyaraj's own Indru Poi Naalai Vaa is recreated, we see Venba amusing kids with magic, and also teaching them safe and unsafe touches through a lot of activities. Till the end of the first half, the court proceedings are brisk, and there is no lag. The foundation for the second half is also set up beautifully, with a big twist right before the interval. However, due to the screenplay issues, the film loses steam in the second half.

Till the midway point of the second half, the film sticks to the courtroom genre, but suddenly we see Venba delivering an emotional monologue highlighting the pain victims of rape undergo. Now, this can be compared to Ajith's monologue in Nerkonda Paarvai, but the difference is that it is the closing argument in the latter, whereas, in this film, it comes before we are legally convinced that Jyoti is innocent. Had the monologue been placed in the climax, the impact would have been larger. 

This film is also set in Jyothika's universe, where she turns into a crusader for the victims of the system and the oppressed women. Here too she follows suit, and the plot subtly points out the instances of sexism we witness in everyday life. It also shows how the lawyers in courts constantly resort to character assassination while arguing against female lawyers, which is quite novel. It is not every day you see a female lawyer fighting for justice in Tamil cinema, which by itself is a welcome change. 

Another reason why the film basically works is the music of Govind Vasantha. His expertise in the violin is well-known and the way he's used it in the emotional scenes adds on to the drama so much. The songs don't disturb the flow because of its pleasing to the ear nature, and also because they're used as montages. Ramji has done a neat cinematography, that works well for the genre.

The film carries a very important message against child sexual abuse, and when a woman speaks about it, it becomes even more hard-hitting. It is necessary to keep making films like these, where the society is educated about the nuances associated with taboo topics like rape and sexual abuse. Overall, a definitely watchable film for Jyothika's performance, and the strong message conveyed. 

PONMAGAL VANDHAL VIDEO REVIEW