Vinodhaya Sitham - Thought provoking and entertaining at the same time
Samuthirakani the director is often overshadowed by the talented actor he is. 'Vinodhaya Sitham' marks his return to the filmmaker's chair that also reunites him with his 'Saattai' costar Thambi Ramaiah. Do the duo repeat their magic in this moral tale of time personified remains to be seen.
Parasuram (Thambi Ramaiah) is a self centered company manager who has everything planned for him and his family comprising of his wife (Sriranjani) daughters (Sanchita Shetty) and son (Deepak). On the eve of his 25th wedding anniversary function, Parasuram is traveling from Coimbatore to Chennai when he meets with a fatal accident. Time appears in the form of Samuthirakani and offers him ninety days to live to complete his pending duties on earth. Whether the protagonist learns his life lessons within that frame or not is what 'Vinodhaya Sitham' is all about.
Thambi Ramaiah brings all his experience to the fore to effortlessly portray the not so likeable control freak Parasuram. Its a joy to watch him beam with pride one moment and then slump down when defeated or when his eyes well up when he learns his lessons one by one. Clearly one of the best performances of the year. Samuthirakani who impressed with his intense dialogue delivery of the preachy kind in his films has turned subtle as a heavenly being. However every time he speaks out the truth rings making his words highly impactful. His screen presence is majestic and ominous at the same time making for a very convincing time personification. Muniskanth once again impresses as an innocent colleague and friend of Thambi Ramaiah while Sanchitha Shetty, Harikrishnan, Sriranjani, Deepak and the actresses who play the daughter and daughter in law have all put in natural performances.
What works best in 'Vinodhaya Sitham' is its breezy screenplay that simplifies the unfathomable designs of time though the approach is fatalistic. There is no deviation from the subject and the focus is on underlining the theme effectively. The humour in most scenes works well and so does the touching moments when the human flaws are exposed wide open through Thambi Ramaiah's character. Among the many point it tries to din in the one that drives home is that no one makes things happen but only witness them are contribute to them.
On the downside some of the occurrences are all too convenient none more so than the unsavory twist in Muniskanth's character at the end. There is lack of logic when Thambi Ramaiah lets his wife alone in the hospital and does not even know that his daughter's lover's family took care of her.
Viji's hard hitting and thought provoking dialogues is the real hero of 'Vinodhaya Sitham'. His humour is infused in the normal dialogues that helps in a big way to up the entertainment value of the film. Egambaram's cinematography is telling in its angles that make time tower over its victims throughout the film. C. Sathya's background score influenced by 'Dark' adds spice to the proceedings while A.L. Ramesh's editing is crisp and well paced. Abhirami Ramanathan has produced the film exclusively for ZEE 5 OTT the new medium for small films. Samuthirakani has comeback strongly from his recent debacles as a director and has presented a neat little film that works in pretty much all departments.
Verdict : Dont miss this thought provoking family entertainer
