Ponnar Shankar Review

Director: Thiagarajan
Producer & Screenplay: Thiagarajan
Based on Ponnar Shankar by M. Karunanidhi
Starring: Prashanth, Pooja Chopra, Divya Parameshwaran, Sneha
Music:Ilaiyaraaja
Cinematography: Shaji Kumar
Editing: Don Max
Studio: Lakshmi Shanthi Movies

It looks like Thyagarajan basically wanted to make a flick like ‘Ben-Hur’, ‘Troy’, ‘Brave Heart’ and many more movies of this genre. Alas! One would really feel like coming out of theatres with pain in their necks for they might have been confused terribly with never-ending league of star-casts. In the recent times, almost all the films done by Kalainyar M. Karunanidhi have been boasting of ensemble star-casts, though they don’t have much role to perform. In all likelihood, ‘Ponnar Shankar’ belongs to this league.

The basic storyline of ‘Ponnar Shankar’ is so hackneyed and we have seen it in several movies that involve brother-sister conflict and later their sons-daughters falling in love with marriage as the climax point.

Bringing you the complete story of ‘Ponnar Shankar’ over here has two big disadvantages - It would run into pages and then you’re likely to wriggle your heads in discombobulations.

To keep it short and simple, the story goes this way…

Twin brothers Ponnar & Shankar (both roles played by Prashanth) are mentored by Rakki (Raj Kiran) and Mayavar (Nasser). They are depicted as the savior of poor people and they fight for justice. Just as the story proceeds, we find them saving two sisters Muthayi (Pooja Chopra) and Pavalayi (Divya Parameshwaran) and as predicted, they fall in love with each other. Eventually, their father Chinna Malaikozhundhu gives green signal to their marriage…

But the twist in tale strikes a connection involving between two families with more than a dozen of actors appearing second half.

Most of the sequences in the film looks like a stage play hosted by school children. It’s too amateurish in many places and director Thyagarajan fails to evoke our interests. The screenplay is too flimsy and it gradually irks us out to the extremum. Even the graphic sequences are exaggerated during many portions. But! What’s appreciable with Thyagarajan is that he has produced the film without risking some other producers’ investments. Special kudos for this gesture...

Although we have such a large number of star-casts, none of them have done a perfect job. Perhaps, this is the first time a period movie has been made sans a substantial content.

But the songs by Ilayaraja turn out to be a major disappointment.

On the whole, ‘Ponnar Shankar’ doesn’t stand out as a very best flick. But it can be watched if audiences have no other options.

But Prashanth we would love to see you back in films like ‘Jeans’, ‘Chembaruthi’, ‘Thiruda Thiruda’ and ‘Kanehtire Thondrinal’.