Inspite of the rather inspirational title, Vaanam Vasappadum is a heavy, depressing movie not intended for those looking for light entertainment. Apart from the light romance(which is also the weakest part of the movie), the rest of the movie is filled with with topics like financial swindling, social exploitation of minors and rape. The movie seems to have more unsavoury characters than good ones and good doesn't always triumph over evil. So though the underlying message is one of courage and hope, the movie itself is rather bleak.

Karthik(Karthik Kumar), a young lawyer, and Poongothai(Poongothai) fall in love. When Poongothai's family is arrested after a bad investment decision made by her father and her brother, Karthik takes her home with him. They are soon married with the blessings of Karthik's parents(Nasser and Revathi). But their first night turns into tragedy when Poongothai is brutally raped by two young men. The family struggles to cope with it while at the same time, trying to bring the two men to book.

P.C.Sriram seems more comfortable working with heavy issues. His previous endeavor Kuruthippunal was violent and bloody and light on romance and comedy and the same is the case here. The romance between Karthik and Poongothai is quite uninteresting and flat. Though the set up points toward some interesting and comic situations, Sriram does not build on it successfully. It is only with Vijayakumar's financial woes that Sriram seems more confident and in control.

Rape is unfortunately usually used as a means of cheap titillation in Tamil cinema. While the hero usually makes an appearance to save the victim, the options for a woman who has been raped have been limited. She either commits suicide or marries the rapist! But Vaanam Vasappadum takes the opposite path by focusing on the trauma undergone by a victim of rape. The rape scene and Poongothai's physical and mental agony as she recovers are not easy to watch and make us sympathise with her state. At the same time, her positive attitude and the support of Karthik and his family are a refreshing change from the way the aftermath of a rape is usually dealt with.

With P.C.Sriram behind the camera, there was no doubt that the movie would look gorgeous and we are not disappointed on that front. Whether the shots of Chennai at night or the glorious outdoors during the song sequences, the cinematography is simply breathtaking. And in keeping with the trend set by Kamal(Virumaandi) and Manirathnam(Aaydha Ezhuthu), Sriram too eschews a traditional, chronological timeline as he starts with a key scene and then moves back to show us what led to it. Though not as ambitious as the earlier two movies, this does make us more involved in the proceedings since we know a crisis is coming.

Both Karthik Kumar and Poongothai fit their roles well. Though Poongothai gets the meatier role with a greater chance to emote, he provides good support as he is stuck between supporting her and making sure she doesn't get hurt even more after the rape. Nasser is excellent as the speech-impaired father and Revathi plays the affectionate mother with ease. 'Thalaivaasal' Vijay, who plays the rapists' lawyer, makes us hate him with his questions in court while Hanifa gets to play another heartless character who has no qualms using child labor.