From the production stable of Michael Rayappan, who has produced Nadodigal, Goripalayam and Themerku Paruvakatru, comes Aadu Puli. Director Vijai Prakash has managed to bring together a huge star cast comprising of Aadhi, Poorna, Prabhu, Suresh, Ravichandran, K.R.Vijaya, ‘Nizhalgal’ Ravi and Yuvarani. The title refers to the very popular rural sport which is known for its fierce nature and so you understand what to expect. The movie is of the kind that has occurred and recurred in Tamil Cinema- a complete masala film. But does it manage to keep you engaged?

Idhayakanni (Aadhi) is a carefree youth with a huge and happy family consisting of his Father (Prabhu), Grandfather (Ravichandran), Mother, Grandmother (K.R.Vijaya) and a sister. He falls in love with Anjali (Poorna) and yes, you guessed it right, her father is the villain (Suresh). After that, it is the fight between the protagonist and the antagonist and needless to say who emerges victorious.

The film manages to mildly engage due to the difference in the way the plot unravels. Aadhi looks good, acts, fights and dances with considerable ease. He gets the usual superhero introduction and a man with brain and brawn with loads of love for his family but he definitely requires good scripts to get noticed. Poorna is adequate and she is lucky to have got a little more importance and footage for her character when compared to other masala flicks where heroines have nothing to do but dance and look pretty. Prabhu, Ravichandran and K.R.Vijaya do the needful but it is yesteryear lover boy Suresh who takes the cake. As an ambitious politician and a hypocrite who changes according to the situation, Suresh underplays the villain role. It is his characterization and acting that stands as the only unique factor in this film.

The director lifts the mood by showcasing the happy family having uninhibited fun and we get to see fully grown men and women playing and riding on the wooden toy horse (yes, everyone does) and an entire song where they all keep twitching their shoulders to the rhythm of the song.

Cinematography is usual and nothing to write home about. Songs by Sundar C Babu is surprisingly plain and loud. The back ground music does its job and it passes muster. The director has made a bad move by characterizing one of the villain’s thugs as an unpleasant transgender and it seriously undermines and degrades the community who are already trying to win the mercy of the society.

On the whole, this film that is salvaged by Suresh and Aadhi’s performance, might work for extremely patient people who like clichéd masala flicks.

Verdict: Clichéd Masala.