After three weeks of reviewing mediocre films, it felt good to watch a film that was engaging, creative and well made. Vassantha Mullai is the first film of director Ramanan Purushottaman and stars Bobby Simha opposite Kashmira Paradeshi and the late Malayalee actor Kochi Preman who passed away in December 2022. There are also special guest appearances by Arya and 80s actor Sarath Babu.
Like most good movies, it is best to know nothing of the plot for maximum enjoyment. In this case, it is good to not know even the genre of the film.
Bobby Simha plays software engineer Rudhran, a workaholic who pushes himself well beyond human limitations, much to the annoyance and frustration of his wife, Nila – played by Kashmira Paradeshi. When the effects of his lifestyle begins to take its toll on Rudhran, the couple have a tough choice to make. The choice and the resultant events form the rest of the story.
Newcomer Ramanan Purushottaman, a Sri Lankan Tamilian, has developed his central characters to a credible level and this is what makes the film engaging throughout the tight screenplay. He has also not underestimated his audience and so, this film would appeal more to the discerning audiences than to lovers of the masala formula.
Bobby Simha is in one of his best portrayals as a lead actor, combining powerful emoting with matching body language to make Rudhran one of the most memorable characters of 2023. Kashmira Paradeshi, who had a mannequin-like performance in Varalaru Mukkiyam, shows in this film that she is an actress of immense talent. Sarath Babu makes a late but important contribution to the film while the special guest appearance by Arya is a treat.
While music composer Rajesh Murugesan does nothing out of the ordinary in the film’s two songs, his background score is brilliant and plays a major role in the overall impact of the film.
Cinematographer Gopi Amarnath of Pizza-fame provides some stunning visual displays with very creative use of light and some interesting framing. His tracking techniques in the second half of the film deserve a special mention.
Vassantha Mullai is a fresh offering to Tamil film fans and makes for riveting viewing. The stunts could have been better and the script a little tighter but Vassantha Mullai remains a must-watch movie
Vassantha Mullai scores 8 points out of 10.