VAAZHAI Review

Mari Selvaraj’s latest film is based on an unforgettable incident from his childhood that went on to shape his world views as an adult. The film stars child actors Ponvel as Sivanaindan and Rahul R as Sekar. The supporting cast includes Kalaiyarasan as Kani, Dhivya Duraisamy, Nikhila Vimal, Karnan Janaki, J Sathishkumar and Niveditha Rajappan.

Vaazhai is a film of many contrasts, beginning with the film’s protagonists and extending to the adults in the children’s lives. The story deals with Sivanaindhan – played by Ponvel, who is a boy of above average intelligence. He has a close friend in Sekar – played by Rahul R. They share a close but turbulent relationship. Sivanaindhan has a crush on one of his teachers, played by Nikhila Vemal. Sivanaindhan has to work on weekends, carrying huge bunches of bananas for a measly salary of just one rupee per bunch. He hates the task and does his best to avoid it, but he cannot leave it to his ailing mother, so he often teams with his sister, Vembu (Dhivya Duraisamy), as the family has been burdened by debt since the death of Sivanaindhan’s father.

The contrasts in the film raise interesting issues. On the one hand, Sivanaindhan is a typical child, with all the innocence and mischief one associates with a child, but he is forced to take on adult responsibilities because of the family circumstances. Abject poverty and exploitation among the poor people forced to carry bananas give rise to communistic ideals. The expanse of fields and the wide open skies contrast sharply with the oppression facing the villagers. Despite the negativity, love blossoms, friendships thrive and empathy grows but external forces have a way of overpowering everyone and everything.

This is undoubtedly Mari Selvaraj’s best directorial to date. The two boys heading the cast, Ponvel M and Rahul R are in flawless performances, worthy of the highest awards. Their performances eclipse those of the adults, even the spirited performances by Kalaiyarasan, Vembu and Poonkodi.

One of the jarring elements of the film is the consistent references to communism and to class and caste issues, but these elements are inescapable for a Mari Selvaraj film. Despite the heaviness of the theme and outstanding acting performances, the emotive link to the movie remains elusive, unable to pervade the world of the viewer that most films should.

Despite these flaws, Vaazhai is a laudable attempt with outstanding acting performances and a darkly haunting theme whose relevance remains to this day.

Vaazhai scores 8 points out of 10.