Cut 1

Dhanush plays Radhakarishnan (Rocky) who is ridiculed by all in his family for not being able to pass 10th standard. He is, therefore, assigned to do all the errands of his family members.

Cut 2

Kasi Anandhan (Atul Kulkarni), a local kingpin in Thirunelveli prepares to spread his reign of terror network across the state and his brother is eliminated by a mysterious assailant.

Back to groove...

'Padikkadhavan', starts off in a thrilling fashion but immediately changes track to fun filled story. While the major portion of the first half moves with comedy and romance, the second half is filled with gang wars and noisy sequences. Though the director has managed to make an entertainer with action, romance, comedy and emotion, the lack of focus and sub plots mar the impact.

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Dhanush and his friends, led by Mayilsamy, encourage him to join a tutorial, but that ends in a comical disaster as well. Staring down the barrel, they think up a novel idea and suggest it to Dhanush: befriend and fall in love with an educated girl and gain all the respect of friends and family.

Gayathri (Thamana), the fair-skinned girl with hour glass figure, who studies aeronautical science in MIT, falls for Dhanush's witty charm.

Trouble erupts with the entry of Samara Simma Reddy (Suman) and his arch enemy, Rami Reddy (Shayaji Shinde). Assault Arumugam (Vivek) as 'rowdy', comes to the rescue of Rocky and explodes comedy crackers on screen. Though Vivek succeeds in providing some laughs it is the bunch villains who make us laugh more.

The rest of the movie tells you how Dhanush gets back his lover amidst a lot of violence and blood shed. The 'Run' like climax fails to live up to the expectations despite Dhanush's spirited show in the scene.

Director Suraaj has created too many characters and roped in familiar actors like Prathap Pothen, Devadarshini, 'Kadhal' Dhandapani, Santhana Bharathi but he has failed to do justice to their roles and abilities.

While Suraaj has managed to develop the suspense by introducing Kasi Anandan in the first scene, he hasn't done much to sustain the tempo, as the story moves on to tell the story of Dhanush. When the connection between the two is revealed at the end, it fails to make impress, due to various deviations and sub plots in the narrative. The Suman - Sayaji Shinde rivalry confuses and irritates rather than adding to the tempo.

However, there is no denying the fact that the first half and to a large extent second half manage to hold your interest because of the light and comical moments. Dhanush and co in the first half and Vivek - Dhanush in the second half provide the entertainment. The director has provided us with plenty of commercial ingredients without bothering about logic. The over dosage and unrealistic portrayal of the gang war between rival groups armed with sophisticated guns is one illogical ingredient.

Dhanush dances nicely and fights ferociously. Bruce Lee like stunts continues to allure the youngsters. He steals the limelight with his unique expressions in comedy sequences. He is amazingly casual in portraying a commoner with no histrionic abilities.

Thamana, get very little scope to act but adds to the glamour quotient with her perfect figure and fair skin. A. Venkatesh's camera work is competent, while Mani Sharma's music is all noisy.

Verdict : Made for masses