Tamil Movie Review

Director Lingusamy tells us a simple love story with a road theme, leading us on a slick journey of romance, action, suspense and thrills, with some peppy music thrown in.

Karthi turns full-fledged commercial hero in this film, where he plays Shiva, a jobless engineering graduate and a carefree guy who hangs out with employed friends and stays with his sister Priya in Bengaluru. Shiva encounters Charu (Tamannah) at a bus stop and is smitten by her charms. It’s love at first sight for him.

He happens to meet her on a couple of other occasions and even misses an interview appointment, thanks to a sudden glimpse of Charu. One day,

when Shiva’s waiting at the railway station to pick up the owner of the car he uses, he’s surprised to see Charu approach him, accompanied by a man, to ask if he can take them to Chennai. She’s mistaken him for a driver! When the man leaves the car to pay the bill at the gas station, Charu urges Shiva to drive away quickly, leaving the man behind she requests him to take her to Mumbai.

The story picks up momentum at this point and races along till the interval.

An elated Shiva loves the idea of spending time with her, oblivious that there’s trouble brewing from a group of thugs who are after Charu and from another pack of hooligans who have their own agenda with Shiva. The rest of the story is as full of twists and turns as the couple’s journey.

After all those uncouth roles he played earlier, it comes as a whiff of fresh air to watch Karthi’s performance in Paiyaa. Clearly, he relishes his role. His versatile expressions, skilful dancing (he’s improved a lot in that department) and his convincing action sequences enhance his portrayal. But there is still a tinge of village accent in Karthi’s diction, which doesn’t match the character.

As usual Tamannah is vivacious and looks her glamorous best. Milind Soman has been wasted in an insignificant role. Jagan in a cameo provides

comic relief. Yuvan Shankar Raja is the real ‘Raja’ of the movie. His thumping music exudes the right mood, with Thuli Thuli and Adada Adai Mazhai being the pick of the lot.

Madhie’s camera work warrants mention, especially in the song sequences with Rajeevan’s artwork complementing it all.

While the first half is racy, after interval it moves at a more leisurely pace. Some of the stunt sequences, like for instance the one before interval and the one in the climax, are cliched and repetitive.

And why does the director depict Karthi as someone who does not even speak a word of English despite being an engineering graduate? The filmmaker, who adheres to his single-plot style of narration for most of the film, should be applauded for coming out with a clean, light hearted family entertainer. On the

whole it’s a smooth ride, with a few bumpy spots in between. Paiyaa, produced by the Thiruppathy Brothers and presented by Dayanidhi Alagiri, fits the holiday release slot snugly.