Ponmagal Vandhal Review: An Intense Emotional Drama!

Debutant director J. J. Fredrick’s Ponmagal Vandhal, starring Jyothika in the lead role, is Tamil Cinema Industry’s first movie to fall prey to the COVID-19 pandemic, which is rampaging human beings all across the globe. What seems to be the new normal, Ponmagal Vandhal made its worldwide debut on Amazon Prime Video, skipping the theatrical run, despite the Theatre Owner Associations threatening to boycott Producer Suriya’s upcoming films. The film has an ensemble list of supporting casts from veteran actors like K. Bhagyaraj, R. Parthiban, Thiagarajan, to Pratap Pothen, and Pandiarajan. Ponmagal Vandhal Review 

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The storyline of Ponmagal Vandhal kicks off with Venba Pethuraj (Jyothika), taking up a 15-year old controversial case of a killer named ‘Pyscho’ Jothi, who was encountered on the charge of kidnapping and murdering multiple innocent, adolescent girls. Facing the wrath of the society, and media personnel for supporting a serial killer, how Venba fights against prosperous and influential people and manages to obtain justice forms the remainder of the plot.

Sharing the likes of other courtroom dramas like Udhayanidhi Stalin’s Manithan and 2019’s Nerkonda Paarvai starring Ajith Kumar, Ponmagal Vandhal also follows a comparable template and transforms into a unique film, as it is compelling to watch from the beginning to the end. There are quite a few positives, which worked out well for the film and let’s discuss them one by one.

First and foremost, one of the primary positive aspects of the film is the screenplay. J.J. Fredrick has managed to improvise the template with his writing and storytelling skills and also executed them well on-screen in an appreciable manner. The dialogues also played a vital role in this movie and accommodated in evoking the strong emotions which serve as the narrative’s significant backbone. The powerful and the sensational one-liners expressed towards the climax, with the haunting and disturbing visuals of child sexual abuse, made Ponmagal Vandhal even more impactful.

With the compelling content that had all the ability to complement the additional primary aspects, some robust performances also play a vital role, therefore the film had one of the most powerful players in the game in Jyothika. And to be honest, this was one of the hard-hitting and intense performances by Jyothika, cause she made it work with her incredible screen presence, commanding demeanor, and commendable dialogue delivery.

R. Parthiban as her counterpart did his part exceptionally well. He possesses a unique mannerism when it comes to his dialogue delivery, and most of his dialogues in his other films are quick-witted and highly enjoyable. This distinctiveness is missing owing to the serious nature of the movie, yet his performance was largely enjoyable. The remainder of the supporting cast – Pratap Pothen, K. Bhagyaraj, and Thiagarajan were given a few moments to shine focused on Jyothika and the overall story.

Govind Vasantha’s background score fits into the narrative, and it elevated the scenes to the required level. Also, the production design, Ramji’s camera work in capturing the locale of Ooty, and editor Ruben helped intensify the film in all aspects.

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To conclude, Ponmagal Vandhal is an emotionally overwhelming drama as J. J. Fredrick’s writing, and the visuals will leave a perennial impact on all of us. Showcasing child sexual abuse as the central premise, the movie is constructed on the strength of the emotional values it carries powerfully demonstrated through Jyothika’s astounding performance. It might seem to have less convincing courtroom scenes, but everything else rounded up beautifully in the climax.

If the movie had a normal theatrical release, it would have gone on to become a super-hit in terms of box office collections. This striking drama will undoubtedly be one of the Best Tamil Movies of 2020 and is the best movie in Jyothika’s entire filmography. Watch ‘Ponmagal Vandhal’ on Amazon Prime here.

Rating – 3.5/5 | Grade – B+

Images via Amazon Prime Video