Nerkonda Paarvai

H. Vinoth's 2019 Tamil film is a remake of the 2016 Hindi film Pink. Three young women who find themselves accused after being assaulted at a nightclub must argue, alongside the experienced lawyer who takes their case, over what consent means in court. The sentence at the centre is simple and the film says it again and again: no means no. The courtroom scenes draw their force from that. Unlike the figure in the original, Ajith Kumar's lawyer also carries the identity of a physical hero, and the fight sequences added at times damage the seriousness of the text. Shraddha Srinath is strong. Who it's for: viewers who like Tamil courtroom drama and films carrying a social argument. Who it's not for: anyone who has seen the original, or avoiding the subject of sexual assault.