Witness Tamil Movie

Feature Film | 2022 | Drama
Critics:
The movie wins with its political statements, despite getting hampered with weak writing and flimsy characterization.
Dec 11, 2022 By Baranidharan

Where To Watch:
Streaming:
   Sony LIV

Movies that voice their strong opinions on caste and social justice are slowly carving a genre of their own. They have come a long way from being merely labeled as 'message movies' or artsy fairs to being accepted as mainstream fairs. Thanks to directors like Bharathiraja, Pa. Ranjith, and Mari Selvaraj among others, the marginalized have found a voice in the mainstream media. Their issues have become a subject of debate among the classes and masses alike. Especially in the past decade or so with the rampant spread of social media platforms, these issues have found a more nuanced discourse among the youth!


'Witness' is a movie that has been cut from the same fabric as 'Jai Bhim'. It is about the employment of human scavenging and the consequences that it brings forth among the people who do it for a living. Parthiban (Tamilarasan), a youngster lives with his mother, Indrani (Rohini), in Semmancheri, a suburb away from Chennai that is designated for slum dwellers. Indrani wants Parthiban to study well and lead a progressive life. In a shocking incident, Parthiban dies while cleaning a septic tank in a nearby apartment. When the authorities try to sweep the issue under the carpet, with the help of communists and other social activists, Indrani takes the matter to the court. Was justice delivered to Indrani?


As a film, director Deepak has put in a lot of effort to usher in the rawness. The usage of music was very minimal. Often we can hear only the dialogues, and music was just added so subtly that our trained subconscious yearns for a few more strings to play in the background. On the contrary, there were a couple of songs that felt forced into the narrative.


Sharadha Srinath as the rebellious female with a golden heart had a decent role. I felt her connection with Parthiban was purely coincidental and had to beg for further justification. Also, her backstory was another weak effort to add more texture to the already solid fabric of caste-based discrimination. At one point, her role becomes a mundane affair as she had nothing much to do other than hanging around with the victim.


The court arguments were artificial and were on expected lines. The weakness in the writing was felt during the climax. It's a climax that can be guessed by anyone, and it is based on hard facts that still none have been convicted for employing manual scavenging. So, as a political statement, the film triumphs, but as a movie, it just manages to pass the engagement factor. A watchable fair!

Baranidharan

   

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