Kanavu Meipada Vendum

Kanavu Meipada Vendum: "After her award-winning 'Kutti' showing the plight of a little girl used as a domestic help, director Janaki Viswanathan returns with her second film. And this time it's about a youth who manages to rise above his parentage and community, educates himself, and becomes a crusader for his people.

Unlike 'Kutti's depressing ending, the director has ended this film with hope. The message is that parentage and upbringing can never stand in the way of one's achievements and goal. There is adequate support from Lakshmi Gopalaswamy (from Malyalam films), Hans Kaushik, Ganesh Babu as Saravanan and danseuse Sudharani Raghupathy as Ranganayaki, the ageing Devadasi and mother of Varalakshmi. C J Rajkumar's camera creates the right mood, and the late Mahesh's songs blend well with the narration.

There is no cinematic heroism to make the protagonist larger than life, no melodrama and no attempt to sensationalise. It's a matter-of-fact narration and the style is documentary. The opening scenes are a bit jerky and the dialogues stilted here, and a couple of scenes cliched (the post-marital scenes). But it's a commendable effort from the director who's persistence in making meaningful films on social issues should be appreciated."