The current lockdown has seen a flurry of movie launches on OTT platforms. In the regional space, the first few included two films which had similar storylines – one in Tamil and the other in Kannada.
ASHOK’s FIVE reviews a regional double bill - #PonmagalVandhal in Tamil and #Law in Kannada. Both are legal courtroom dramas around the subject of crime against women; #PonmagalVandhal stars #Jyotika and is produced by Suriya while #Law features newcomer #RaginiPrajwal under the banner of #PRKproductions. Both the films are available on #AmazonPrimeVideo.
#PonmagalVandhal tells the story of the opening up of the case of ‘PsychoJyothi’ a woman convicted of murdering children back in 2004. Her daughter comes back to argue her case and reveal how she was framed by the villain. In the case of #Law, a young lawyer argues her case; she has been gang-raped and choses to fight back. Both the films have an interesting deception that is revealed at the end.
1. I have been tracking the films put out under #PuneethRajkumarProductions with great interest and #Law does not quite measure up to their previous work. Director #RaghuSamarth is clear that he wants to tell a story of women emancipation. #RaginiPrajwal acquits herself well as she tides over the legal hiccups on the way. However, her character becomes staid and boring as the film progresses. Similar is the issue with a strong supporting cast that includes #SudhaRani, #RajeshNataranga and the now PRK staple, #AchyutKumar. All three put out strong performances but the writing and characterisation lets it down. In summary, the premise looks interesting on paper but falters on execution. #MukhyamantriChandru stages a comeback in the film and #HebbaleKrishna as the CBI officer Brahma stands out with his electronic cigarette, which must be something of a novelty on screen.
2. #PonmagalVandhal starts off as an interesting enough story that merits an investigative story but turns into a typical #Jyothika story around women empowerment. She puts in a stellar performance and the standout feature is the glazed eyes that reflect the trauma of wrong that has been done in the past. Supporting the cast is #Parthiban as the opposing lawyer, #PratapPothen as the judge and #Thyagarajan as the landlord Varadarajan. #Bagyaraj plays Petition Pethuraj, her father in a role that lacks depth. The problem with the film perhaps is that the tonality gets a little messed up moving from intense legal drama to softer emotional scenes that lack consistency.
3. An interesting feature in both films is the debate over ends justifying the means. Both films are based on this premise and this raises interesting questions in the mind. Director #JJFredricks reveals the deception at the end where #Venba the young lawyer turns out to be an imposter. However, the big takeaway is that with subjects like this, you need to decide who you are addressing. As fundamental marketing theory postulates, you cannot appeal to everyone. And that is the failing of the films which were clearly readying for theatrical releases.
4. The films are not absolute write-offs and the technical work in parts is commendable. #VasukiVaibhav’s music in #Law makes the cut while #Ramji’s cinematography in #PonmagalVandhal is brilliant. What doesn’t work in both the films is that the courtroom dialogues are sub-par.
5. The American Film Institute (AFI) defines a courtroom drama as “A genre of film in which a system of justice plays a critical role in the film’s narrative.” The courtroom drama almost always proposes a moral dilemma to the audience. Just as an attorney presents their case to the jury, a courtroom drama presents ethically debatable concepts to the viewer. This draws the audience into the story by allowing for an emotional connection to take place. If you were to draw up a list of top ten court room dramas, three things would stand out: 1. Unexpected twists and turns 2. The eruption or high point where someone loses it completely and 3. Persuasion for the audience – whose side are they on? And I think these three points are where both the films could have done more!
#Law and #PonmagalVandhal cannot be summarily dismissed as bad films. Both have women protagonists and deal with societal issues of import. I think the intent and premise are significant but what is lacking is the debate around ends justifying the means. That, along with the points above could have elevated these court room dramas and heightened the engagement with the audience.
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