Oru Nadigaiyin Vaakkumoolam Movie Review

Movies based on events behind the camera in Kollywood will obviously arouse all curiosity. There were many films in the past like 'Server Sundaram', 'Oru Veedu Iru Vaasal' which garnered all attention.

Close on the heels of a biopic on southern siren Silk Smitha in Bollywood, comes 'Oru Nadigayin Vaakumoolam'. Helmed by debutant Rajkrishna, the films speaks about the sacrifices a girl has to make in her life to climb the stairs of success and establish herself as a popular actress.

'ONV' is about how women are being exploited in the film industry. The casting couch, the greed to make money and how women are seen as objects of lure and lust. Unfortunately the movie is a collage of events that we have read before. The lacunae lie in narration. At places, 'ONV' falls flat with clichéd narration and lengthy dialogues.

Scribe-turned-journalist Rajkrishna deserves appreciation for touching a sensitive issue. But he has restricted himself in his attempt. The movie has loose ends and disjointed scenes.

Lengthy conversations towards the climax sound preachy. Sonia Agarwal plays the lead role, that of an actress. Veteran actress Girija plays her mother. The cast includes Raj Kapoor, Yogi Devaraj, Ganja Karuppu, Manobala, Kovai Sarala and Nicole.

The movie begins with the search for an actress Anjali (Sonia Agarwal) by a scribe ('Punnagai Poo' Geetha). Once a sought-after heroine, Anjali vanishes one fine day and efforts to trace her ends in vain. The journalist manages to locate her after several hardships. Cut to flashback, the travails of Anjali is revealed.

Anjali is the daughter of a poor folk artiste Devarajulu ('Yogi' Devaraj) in Andhra Pradesh. One day, her mother resolves to make her an actress and comes to Kodambakkam. The mother and daughter climb every stairs and go around every studio in Kodambakkam and Vadapalani. They meet with failures everywhere until they are forced to agree for casting couch. One compromise on the part of Anjali bags her heroine's role. She fortunately makes it big.

The nature of her mother changes... She becomes greedy and runs madly behind money. Anjali is exploited by few in the industry. Unable to tolerate all humiliation, Anjali decides to take extreme decision in her life. What she does and what happens eventually forms the climax.

Sonia Agarwal is an apt choice for the role. She emotes well. The disappointment and dejection are brought out well through her eyes. Girija as wicked mother deserves appreciation. 'Yogi' Devaraj does well a dotting but helpless father well. The likes of Raj Kapoor, Manobala, Kovai Sarala, and Ganja Karuppu come and go onscreen. Nicole is wasted in a small and a brief role.

The movie has couple of hummable tunes by Aadesh. Rajkrishna manages to begin it with a brisk pace. However the plot gets diluted as it progresses. It becomes a clichéd melodrama towards the end.

Produced by 'Punnagai Poo' Geetha, 'ONV' is a pathless travelled but the journey is bumpy.