Vaanam Kottattum (2020) - Frustratingly Close To Greatness | Intricate Films

There is a searing intensity to the characters in Vaanam Kottatum. It comes as a sort of relief that the driving forces of all these characters are established from the get-go. They run in pursuit of them, dashing forward single minded. The characters in the movie are defined and shaped by their goals, molded by what their family has failed to achieve. Each character smolders. With such finely crafted characters, Vaanam Kottatum could have easily been a great drama, yet it chooses to close with a weak revenge narrative. The sky always looks like its holing back a storm, just like these characters.

They appear to be on the edge  of screaming, breaking down, collapsing into tears or exploding with anger, yet they hold it all back.

The film opens with a young boy, Selva (who grows up to be the protagonist played by Vikram Prabhu) on a field where he witnesses his uncle running towards him with a sickle buried in his back. Selva pulls it out and runs to his father, blade in hand. The bloodied sickle, the dark sky and the horrified faces make for a beautiful shot. It tells us of the violence to come. Selva's  father Bose (played by a redeemed Sarathkumar) picks it up and kills his brother's assailants and goes to jail. The film,thus, begins with an act of rightful rage. The rest of the film is a consequence of this act. Bose's penance for his sins, and the rest of his family's growing distance from him. His wife, Chandra (in a terrific performance by Radhika Sarathkumar) takes her two children away from the village and into the city, where she hopes to leave the bloodshed behind. The apple, however, does not fall far from the tree. Selva and his sister Mangai (Aishwarya Rajesh) prove to be just as cantankerous as their father.

Personally, I love films which are built on consequences. The ones where words have a weight and importance in plot. Tamil Cinema has been plagued by too many films with angry protagonist who never suffer. The men in this movie have mountain high egos, and are unwilling to compromise. Each character is made flawed and hurt. Even a larger than life character, like Bose. Bose, serves as a perfect antidote to the countless angry men that Sarathkumar has played in his long career. His anger is his downfall, even if it is sometimes justified. He is a fascinating mix of emotions. Bose is a man frozen in time. We see him as an angry man, angry at a world that he cannot fully understand. A world that that moved so fast when he was in jail and left him in the dust. He watches helplessly, as all the values and morals he grew up with, are thrown to dust by his own family. An old man lost in time, he creates a beating heart for the movie, an earnest man whose every attempt to do good turns against him. But his children fail to understand him. They are the clouds of the title. Always changing, impossible to grasp and hold. Torn besides the monumental egos of the children and her husband is the greatest performer, Chandra. Her eyes of anger, quiet pain and sorrow gives an extra push to the already incredible dialogue given to her. Almost every line by the older couple carry an incredible weight. Their tender moments together are a lot better than the louder ones the film later descends to. With such incredible dynamics within the family, its certainly sad to see the route it takes, where its a lets down.

The performances of Prabhu and Rajesh are only satisfactory and are unable to bring the gravitas to the role. An unnecessary love track between Selva and Preetha (Madonna Sebastian) only shows how Sebastian is unable to handle dramatic roles and never develops character further. Vaanam Kottatum feels like it is frustratingly close to greatness.

The sheer emotional spectrum delivered by the Bose-Chandra pair are alone to warrant this film a watch. And, writer cum director Dhana Sekaran is one to keep an eye out for. Man, can he do character writing!

Bottomline - A good film that dances close to greatness, yet never achieves it due to some frustrating narrative choices.

                                                               - Arvind Narayanan

The Important Characters and their Casts :

* Sarathkumar as Bose Kaalai, the angry father, who went to jail after two murders.

* Raadhika Sarathkumar as Chandra, the wounded mother, who has to endure her broken family.

* Vikram Prabhu as Selva, the ambitious son, out to make money and save his family.

* Aishwarya Rajesh as Mangai, the smart daughter, who helps Selva.

* Madonna Sebastian as Preetha George, the unnecessary love interest of Selva.

Intricate Meter - 7/10

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                                                           - Abhyjith and Arvind