'Padikkathavan' - a run-of-the-mill love story (Tamil film review)

Film: 'Padikkathavan'; Cast: Dhanush, Tamannah, Suman, Sayaji Shine, Atul Kulkarni, Pratap Pothen and Vivek; Direction: Suraj; Music Director: Mani Sharm; Cinematographer: A. Venkatesh; Rating: *

The title 'Padikkathavan' (illiterate) sort of fits the movie especially when it is meant to show the difference between an intellectual father, played by Pratap Pothen, and a nincompoop offspring, portrayed by Dhanush.

That is where the justification of the title and the film itself ends. From then on it is routine stuff.

Verbally bludgeoned by his dad, the hero decides to climb up the social and financial ladder by wooing a rich aeronautical student Gayathri (Tamannah).

Her rich Andhra Pradesh-based landlord father, caricatured by Suman, already in the bad books of local goons sets them against Gayathri.

The hero comes to the rescue. The lass falls for the hero like a ton of bricks.

After a number of tongue-in-cheek one-liners, romancing, wielding guns, sickles and a lot of other weapons all the way to the climax, the hero gets his girl.

On the bright side, despite a virtually absent script, Dhanush and Tammannah have put heart and soul in their performances to keep the audience moderately interested.

Arumugham, Vivek and his gang of cronies entertain with their ribald jokes that are quite funny. The rest of it, including director Suraj and the cast deserve no mention.

Mani Sharma has recycled tunes from his earlier Telugu movies and added more noise to what already was pure cacophony.

Venkatesh's cinematography just about passes muster.