Review : Vaanam Vassappadum

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Director : P.C.Sriram
Music : Mahesh
Cast : Karthik, Poonkothai Chandrahassan, Nassar, Revathy

It’s time to rejoice. P.C.Sriram the ace cameraman has turned director with Vaanam Vassappadum and has shown that Tamil film-making has finally come of age.

Vaanam Vassappadum is a vital, sardonic and disturbing brave attempt by the director at good cinema. P.C.Sriram has taken a bold and daring subject which normal film makers shy away from - the trauma of a rape victim especially the humiliation heaped upon her by the society and judiciary.

PC has gone for smart packaging by embellishing this harrowing tale with seven melodious songs tuned by late Mahesh and written by Sujatha.

Karthik (Karthik Kumar) is an upcoming lawyer and the only son of Nassar (has speech impairment) and Revathy who runs a school for handicapped. Poonkothai (Poonkothai Chandrahassan) is the daughter of a business tycoon (Vijayakumar) and is a nice person with a pleasing smile. Karthik bumps into Poo and soon they fall in love and get married.

One dark night their marriage bliss is shattered as their car breaks down and due to some mix-up Poo finds herself wandering in the lonely streets of Chennai. Meanwhile there is a group of under-aged boys used by a lecherous mechanic (Cochin Haneefa) who runs his own nefarious activities with a lot of autorickshaw drivers. Two auto boys - Avinash and Ranjit come from broken homes in the slums and have all vices like drinking, smoking and womanising. These boys kidnap Poo and brutally rape and leave her in the garbage bin.

The happy-go-lucky Poo turns into a mental wreak as the society and finally the judiciary led by a crooked lawyer (Thalaivasal Vijay) defending the accused humiliate her in the court and the accused are let free! Finally it leads to a climax outside the courtroom, where poetic justice takes place. Poonkothai Chandrahassan as Poo has given an excellent performance in spite of being a debutant. Karthik Kumar is also impressive while others in the cast like Ranjit and Avinash are riveting. Veterans like Nassar, Revathy, Thalaivasal Vijay and Delhi Ganesh are first rate.

The film has been stylishly shot by PC and Kasi Viswanath’s editing makes this two hour 10 minutes film racy. On the whole a watchable film.

Verdict: Very Good