Musings

        With all the time in the world and no intention of spending it in academic pursuits, I decided to give the latest Tamil offerings on Amazon a try. As I have a lot to say about both of them but not enough to write two separate articles, here's a 2-in-1 review!         Ponmagal Vandhal is the story of a young lawyer, Venba (Jyothika) and her father Petition Pethuraj (Bhagyaraj) who are trying to prove the innocence of 'Psycho-Killer' Jothi. Despite the fact that I guessed the huge intermission 'twist' when I watched the trailer, the first half of the movie was engaging enough. There was the mandatory song to show the father-daughter bond and how woke Venba is but the film managed to stay focused so I let it slide. It did help that the film was packed with veteran actors who were effortless in every scene. Well, except for  the effort that Jyothika put in when she speaks in Tamil. Then came the slightly underwhelming second half....