Vanna Jigina, its promos claimed, is a movie about the Perils of Social Networking. Big, bad Facebook. Wrong. The movie is really about the Perils of Being Dark Skinned. In case you forget about the point of the movie when watching it, it reminds you often enough. There are generous helpings of the demeaning Blackie and Karuppi, and there is even a song that starts off thus: Naan yen Karuppa Porandhen (Why was i born ‘dark’?).
Nandha Periyasami, the director, had claimed to have extensively researched the subject of social networking before he wrote the movie. Sadly, there is nothing new about the premise. Kadhalar Dhinam introduced the concept of online dating back in 1999, a time when most households did not even have a computer. After the boom of social networking, there have been several short films and documentaries about the dark side of social networking.
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Vanna Jigina is the story of Pavadaisamy (Vijay Vasanth) an orphan taxi driver who envies his friends who get to date many figures. Good friends that they are, they create a Facebook account for him with a fake picture, name and credentials so he can get his own share of figures. and Voila! Friend requests from various figures pile up! (I was waiting for the actors to use ANY term other than figure to refer to women. Nope.) So Pavadai befriends Angel Priya (played by Sayanathara, whose only job is to flick her hair and laugh when the camera is on her. In slow motion. Every single time. She also tries to justify the title – Vanna Jigina – through her use of several very glittery and colourful outfits. You go girl!
Does Pavadai succeed in wooing this particular figure getting together with her? Do they live happily ever after?
*****
There happens to be an evil villain in the movie. He looks good. Strike one. And he befriends adult women on Facebook and has consensual sex with them. How evil! And when Angel Priya does not accept his friend request, he turns into a clown cartoonish psychopath who yells at his laptop – volume steadily increasing – “Enna accept pannu Angel, Enna accept pannu Angel” Don’t ask.
*****
The writing is atrociously, unabashedly melodramatic. Pavadai’s friends use metaphors to remind him of how dark his skin is.
“Nee karugina thiri madhiri iruka, Ava Mezhuguvathi madhiri iruka, epdi set aagum?” (You are like a burnt wick, and she is like a (white) candle, how will you get together?)
“Un munjiya eppayachu kannadila paathurkiya, paathurundha unaku indha aasa vandhurukaadhu” (Have you ever seen yourself in a mirror, If you did, you wouldn’t desire her.)
Recommended
And then this:
“Ippolaam ponnunga vellaiya irukura pasangalaye deal-la vitudraanga, nee karupatti madhiri iruka, unna ‘ufff’ nu oodhiduva” (Nowadays girls ditch ever fair skinned guys, you look like dark candy, she will blow you off.)
*****
The film might be called Vanna Jigina (Colourful Glitter), but really, it is all black and white. And that’s never a good thing.
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The Vanna Jigina Review is a Silverscreen original article. It was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the movie. Silverscreen.in and its writers do not have an advertising relationship with movies that are reviewed on the site.