August 28, 2015

Vanna Jigina is a misguided effort. It wants to be a message movie, one that talks about the dark side of social networking (read Facebook), and how it lets people create an identity that is far removed from their true self. A similar theme was explored in last year's Nee Naan Nizhal, but while that film used this premise to narrate a crime story, here, Ravi Nanda Periyasaami uses it to talk about romance. This also gives him the chance to layer … read the rest.

Vanna Jigina is a misguided effort. It wants to be a message movie, one that talks about the dark side of social networking (read Facebook), and how it lets people create an identity that is far removed from their true self. A similar theme was explored in last year's Nee Naan Nizhal, but while that film used this premise to narrate a crime story, here, Ravi Nanda Periyasaami uses it to talk about romance. This also gives him the chance to layer his story with one more message — the obsession for fair skin in our country and the lack of confidence among dark-skinned persons.

The film begins with Paavadaisamy about to commit suicide. The narrator (voiced by actor Sathyaraj) tells us that he has arrived at this decision because of four things — his name, his skin colour, his employed-in-the-IT-industry friends, and one-sided love. Paavadai (Vijay Vasanth is perfectly cast here, though this is a comedown for him from Yennamo Nadakkudhu) is embarrassed by his name (very much like the hero in Ethir Neechal), and his dark-coloured skin only worsens his confidence. He is a call taxi driver and hangsout with a bunch of IT professionals, who tell him that he could talk to girls through Facebook by creating a profile as a different person. He starts chatting with Angel Priya (Saniathara), a pretty chorus singer under the name of Kishor Kumar. What he doesn't realize is that Angel is actually another girl, Karugamani (Sri Devi), who works as a maid in the house of Angel.

The problem with Vanna Jigina is that Periyasaami hasn't really thought through the idea of people assuming different identities online and forging relationships. He has woven a script based on a wisp of an idea and so, the writing comes across as half-baked, and misinformed. Going by the film, Facebook is the place where you nab 'figures' and IT professionals mainly do two things — get sloshed and date many girls. The scenes, too, are a bunch of cliches. The entire first half — of the hero secretly pining for the heroine — would not seem out-of-place in a 1990s film, and so is the villain who lusts after Angel sub-plot. There are also too many implausible coincidences. Like the real Kishor Kumar and Angel actually being lovers, Paavadai and Karugamani choosing the same spot to commit suicide... And the comedy and drama in the climax doesn't really gel together and not only ruins the emotional tension that Periyasaami wants to create, but also turns it funny for all the wrong reasons.

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