Noted cinematographer P C Sreeram, who has directed a Couple of movies - Meera and Kuruthipunal earlier has Shifted to wielding the megaphone again. Though the ace cameraman had proved his abilities in handling the Camera beyond doubt, as a director he seems to have lagged behind this time.
Boasting to be the first Tamil movie to be made digitally, Vanam Vasapadum has wonderful visuals, as one would expect in a PC movie. But the movie, which presents a sorry tale of a raped woman lacks coherence as it progresses at snail's pace.
Based on a story of the trauma of a raped woman written by Sujatha, the movie dwells on the humiliation heaped by the society around her. However, it is made more dramatic in a few scenes while exaggerated visuals especially when the heroine is raped evoke no sympathy.
The highlight however has been smart visuals and excellent tunes by Mahesh, who in his deathbed rendered soul stirring music.
Debutant Karthik Kumar and Poongothai Chandrahaasan fit their roles. But one wonders why the heroine is portrayed almost as a semi-lunatic in the first half. Karthik, a young lawyer falls in love with Poongothai, daughter of a businessman Vijayakumar. Vijayakumar ends up in prison for running a Multi-Level Marketing trade. Karthik brings Poongothai to his house and seeks permission from his father Nasser, a speech impaired person and his mother Revathy. They eventually get married.
One night, after their car breakdowns, Karthik and Poongathai take a bus to reach home. But eventually misses her in the bus and she fall in the hands of a group of teenagers, who take to drinking and womanizing. Poongothai falls in their hands and they leave her in a dustbin with her hands tied after raping her. The rest is about how Poongthai faces trial and does she gets justice for the brutal act inflicted upon her. Thalaivasal Vijay appears as a lawyer defending the teenagers.
Had Sreeram showed little application in the screenplay, the movie could have been more interesting. However, having seen a movie on a similar theme in Priyanka, one gets tired as the movie progresses.
