A film that only Bala can make. The story is simple and nothing great. It is the treatment and how the director brings to life his characters is what makes this film a worthy watch. Sasikumar is a folk artist and head of a folk music troupe. Varalakshmi is his main dancer and is madly in love with him. They struggle to make ends meet. When a government employee falls in love with the heroine, her mother requests Sasi to convince Varu to marry him. Sasi too realises that this is the best option for her and convinces her to marry him. What happens later is narrated in Bala’s trademark style. The biggest strength of the film is the performances of all the actors. Especially Varalakshmi has come up with a truly award deserving performance. She brings in front of our eyes the finest nuances of a folk dancer. Her dances, hip movements, mannerisms and emotions are remarkable. Hope she wins a National Award. Sasikumar has also played his once in a lifetime role to perfection. This is Illayaraja’s 1000th film! A great achievement by God of music and I don’t think anyone else could have scored such music. The BGM is pure genius. Cinematography by Chezhian is good too. As always there is excessive violence that can put off some people and the film is definitely not for such people. A few unwanted scenes in the second half and a faster pace immediately after interval could have made this film even better. With every Bala movie having such violent scenes, the shock factor is no longer there and this is an area that the ace director needs to work on.
