“A girl’s honor and respect lies in the respect she gets at home’
– This is the line where Avar Amma talks to the hero at an important place in the movie Viruman, released on Amazon Prime OTT today. After saying that, the woman who was cheated and abandoned by her husband commits suicide. No law justifies that suicide. Instead the son wants to take revenge. He is also brought up towards that. Even after studying and progressing in life, he will not avenge his father. “Put it, stab it and tear it” he wanders around with a knife and takes revenge by giving advice!
Saranya Ponvannan has played the role of the mother. Karthi as Son (Hero). The Saranya Ponvannan scene takes place about 15-20 years ago. That is the period around 2000. Well, we went into the next scene, thinking that the director has depicted the situation of that period like that (!).
An event that will happen in 2022. Villain Prakashraj plans to separate his son and daughter-in-law because they did not pay according to the order given in a village panchayat. Our hero Karthi comes there. Then he says, “Okay for mother, okay for today… Why did they say to leave the puppets behind and go ahead? “The girl who believed in me, how did I stay with the beacon of the eye?” Then, “He who lives in anticipation of anything is not blessed, but he who resists is blessed”, he speaks from side to side saying that if a man is a man, he is a man.
Well, let’s get to the point. Even after the hero talks side by side, his brother who is there, does not seem to accept the speech. After looking at it, he said to him as a last resort, “If you listen to what they say (if you don’t listen to what he says), I will stab them too; He threatens to stab you too. After this, the brother changes his mind. He lives with his sister-in-law. Like this In ‘Virumaan’, women find relief only when men think. For example, Karthi will speak for this sister-in-law character. Brother-in-law changes his mind – after that sister-in-law gets relief. Saranya Ponvannan doesn’t have that environment either. He commits suicide without speaking and why bother us. `protects the woman’ I don’t know when Tamil cinema will get rid of savior characters! As for Viruman, it is the hero who gives voice to whatever is done. None of the women involved would even speak. It would have been comforting if one or two of the female characters had spoken a little about self-respect! Only Aditi speaks here and there in the film. But he also does not speak where he should. (Ends Panchaya with kiss)
Sir, women also get some speech. Please don’t forget that. Why do we have to say this, if women have a problem, shouldn’t they ask the question themselves? So what is your law sir?
Saranya’s character committing suicide is an even worse example. He might have lived alone and pretended to conquer Prakashraj. I don’t know if the director put such a scene to be emotional. If you keep it like that, sir… “Live alone, than my life – your word and interpretation Is the character you created emotional rather than ‘I don’t care’? If you say yes, then sorry. Not so. Even today in this same Tamil Nadu, there are many women who have lived alone and won with self-respect. Don’t forget that you have shown such women yourself in your earlier films.
Prakashraj chases Saranya away for having an extramarital affair with a domestic worker (and that too by force). The woman also says that she will not say anything. “What can I do if I lose my dignity?” He innocently asks Saranya. Something… like no woman in the film speaks up for her rights even where she is forced. I don’t know what they are going to do after losing so much self-respect. Our point of view is that anything that sanctifies a life without self-respect, as “feminine”, is absolutely unacceptable.
After about 100 years, this Tamil cinema has been avoiding the domineering dialogues like “This is a man, this is a man, this is Ambalathanam”. Society, too, is now slowly breaking down such gender restrictions. In a situation where such a change is taking place, how can it be right to talk through the leading character, including the hero, that “masculinity” is the act of subjugating women? The director has to answer.
If the hero character is like this, the film’s main villain (Prakashraj) goes one step further and buys a saree for his fellow villain (RK Suresh). After giving it, he says, “Buy a good saree and tie it” with heroic fervor(?). RK Suresh replied, “What am I a puppet?” He says. Will Prakashraj be idle? No, no! That’s why he is equal to his share, “Then what are you? He (says the hero) went behind, now come and talk to Pombaliya, Ambalayan and you (listens to RK Suresh)…! If you are Ambala, don’t beat him.’ Hearing this, RK Sureshu could not bear the anger. Being told that he is not a man and told to wear a woman’s dress, he quickly turns to Prakashraj and says, “I will show you Ambala”. Can’t stand your villainous expression scene!
Related News: Is This Viruman Viperous? – Review
Here we would like to recall a line spoken by a mother in director Sasi’s “Sivappu Kumka Paach”. He used to say to his son – “If we put your pants on, we will find it comfortable. Even when putting on the shirt, “We are also happy to wear the same shirt.” Even washing your underwear, we have never been ugly. But don’t you have a doll dress and shame on you? Have we also become such ugly creatures? Is that a nightgown, your mother – Anlilam’s dress?” This is how Tamil cinema is growing somewhere, Muthiya sir. It doesn’t matter if you put such progressive comments in your pictures, you are helping the society by not putting such comments like “women’s clothing is a symbol of shame”. Why the perverse verses on women’s clothing to show villainy?
When the husband cheats on his wife, then the wife commits suicide – the husband who instigated the suicide does not get any punishment, and “correcting” him and telling him the “relationship” is the solution to everything, is it wrong, sir?
These are the main points of the film. Apart from these, there are still some small and small nerudals. For example, throughout the film, Karthi keeps saying “I’ll stab you and tear you”. I don’t understand if the hero is saying that he doesn’t want violence, or if the situation arises, he is saying that he will resort to violence. In the scene before Karthi starts falling in love (!) with the heroine, “Ponnuna should look like Bhumadevi.” He says, ‘She looks like Bhulandevi.’
I don’t know if Bhulandevi wrote this verse knowing the history. There are many twists and turns in the film. It remains to be seen whether the director will do something to avoid such things or be more careful while writing in the subsequent films. Even if there is a small change, happiness!
– J. Niveda