112. Vaanam Kottatum; movie review

VAANAM KOTTATUM
Cert 12A
118 mins
BBFC advice: Contains moderate violence, bloody images

Out of adversity always comes opportunity and, surprising as it may seem, cinema closures because of Coronavirus may have worked in the favour of the everyfilm quest.
Put simply, there will be fewer movies released this year and I can spend the next month, sitting at home catching up with movies I have already missed in 2020 or even getting ahead for when picture houses reopen.
This is only possible because Indian movies are now being pushed to streaming sites soon after release.
For example, Vaanam Kottatum which is available on YouTube and Google Play.
Unfortunately, the great catch-up doesn't necessarily guarantee quality and Dhana Sekaran's movie is, in my view, rather patchy.
It stars Sarathkumar as a headstrong family man who is sent to jail after killing two political rivals in revenge for an attack on his brother (Balaji Sakthivel).
Thus, his wife (his real-life spouse, Radikaa) is forced to bring up her two headstrong children (Aishwarya Rajesh and Vikram Prabhu) alone.
The siblings struggle to find their way, consistently sparring over the path they should take until they alight upon a potential business prospect.
However, the film only really comes alive when there is the prospect of their dad's release from prison.
This poses a conundrum of how his grown-up offspring should react to a father who they have never known.
Their mother is keen for them to show him immediate respect but neither his son nor daughter can bring themselves to.
Meanwhile, their business is being threatened by his presence and even their lives could be.
It is a pity that Vaanam Kottatum is yet another Indian movie which only his top gear after the interval.
It is then that the tension ratchets up and tradition and reality collide.
The truth is that it is largely forgettable except for a soundtrack whose songs (except one) and score were composed by singer Sid Sriram. It is some of the most effective music I can recall in any recent movie.

Reasons to watch: Reasonably engaging drama
Reasons to avoid: Drifts off after a bright opening

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 6.5/10

Did you know? Vikram studied in San Diego, completing an MBA programme and briefly returning to Chennai to help out in the production activities of his family's Sivaji Productions venture but became immersed.

The final word. Dhana: "My father has traits similar to Bose's character. He is brave, loud-mouthed and no matter what he does, he justifies it by saying: "I will not be little" New Indian Express

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