Director Lenin Bharathi calls out Bala's 'male chauvinism' in Vanangaan

The film opened to mixed to negative reviews upon release. It was majorly criticised for some scenes that enabled voyeurism and the time it took to unveil the plot
Director Lenin Bharathi calls out Bala's 'male chauvinism' in Vanangaan
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Days after director Bala's Vanangaan, starring Arun Vijay, opened to mixed response, Merku Thodarchi Malai director Lenin Bharathi has come out strongly against the film's theme, which he alleges to be misogynistic and male chauvinistic.

On his X handle, the director wrote, "Bala, in the guise of empathy towards physically challenged people, has peddled ideas of male chauvinism and deep-seated perversions." He charged the director with dumbing down society's drive to fight against sexual crimes against women and minors.

The film opened to mixed to negative reviews upon release. It was majorly criticised for some scenes that enabled voyeurism and the time it took to unveil the plot. The CE review of the film reads, "With a plethora of problematic takes and half-baked ideas, Vanangaan’s biggest issue remains its complete disinterest in giving us a cohesive story. Scenes to introduce the protagonist and his ill-temper are followed by scenes introducing his love interest, which is again followed by the director’s isolated rants about society, religion, and more, packaged as conversations between characters, none of the above contribute anything substantial to the central conflict that arrives just before the interval mark. Arguably, sexual assault as a crucial plot point, has become an easy writing choice in recent times."

The film has Roshni Prakash as the female lead, with Samuthirakani and Mysskin in pivotal roles. The rest of the cast include Ridha, Chaya Devi, Bala Sivaji, Shanmugarajan, Dr Yohan Chacko, Kavitha Gopi, Brindha Sarathy, Mai Pa Narayanan, Aruldass, and Munish Sivagurunath, among others.

The film has cinematography by RB Gurudev and editing by Sathish Suriya. Silva has choreographed the stunts in the film. GV Prakash handles the music, with Sam CS working on the background score. Vanangaan is produced by Suresh Kamatchi's V House Productions along with Bala's home banner, B Studios.

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