Film- Vindhai
Director- Lawra
Cast- Mahendran, Manishajith, MS.Bhaskar, Mahanadi Shankar, Adhesh, Manobala.
The film tracks a day’s happenings at a police station, where myriad characters make their entry and exit. Each of them has their own idiosyncrasies and problems. The concept had the potential to turn into an engaging comic entertainer, reflecting a slice of life.
But the listless screenplay and amateurish treatment ensure that the genuine fun moments are few and far between. Vindhai opens when the cops haul in a pair of lovers to the police station. Their respective families are informed, and the couple have to bide their time at the police station till the cops hand them over to their families.
Various characters find their way in — a ganja peddler, a woman distraught about her missing ‘son’ which turns out to be her pet dog, a squabbling couple, a film director and his crew in search of a story, a music troupe, some sex workers, a group of transgenders, a revolutionary, etc. Fewer characters and better fleshed out situations could have made it interesting. And in such a scenario, the lead pair sitting on a bench most of the time, is reduced to being mere spectators. The first half is boring and monotonous, more like a school skit gone awry. The director has managed to picturise a song too with all the characters, the robbers and the cops, the transgenders and sex workers — all doing a jig. The second half, after a while, peps up, bringing in some amusing moments. M S Bhaskar’s entry as the eccentric poet and school master, livens up the narrative. Bhaskar revels in his role, generating quite a few laughs. Mahanadi Shankar as the cop also makes an impression. The verbal spat between the two families of the lovers, is amusing. The twist here is appreciable, though the climax is dragged.
The plot enacted within the police station, had the potential to turn into an interesting comic caper, if only the screenplay had been better planned.