Marudhu(Shaam), an orphan and sailor, lands in Andaman and decides to give up his sailing life and settle down there. He develops a liking for Nancy(Radhika), who sells fruits and other items to sailors on ships that have arrived at the port. But Nancy still holds a candle for the captain of a ship that docked there three years ago. The captain(Arunkumar) had promised her that he would return in a year but three years later, Nancy has still not given up hope.

There is little going on in the movie but the freshness of the location and the characters populating it keeps us from noticing it. The day-to-day lives of the people living in a port town are brought before our eyes and the frequent trips inside the ships docking there are very interesting. Several details point to a lot of research going into the movie and the desire to be realistic is very evident. The effort has paid off since we feel like we are part of the happenings and feel close to the characters.

Characters have been developed well and their behaviors and reactions are practical and sensible. This is especially true of the three main characters. Shaam's matter-of-fact way of revealing his love and his subsequent actions earn our respect and sympathy. Radhika's character of a girl not sure of her feelings is crafted well and manages to be indecisive without earning our irritation. Arunkumar's scenes with Radhika are also cute and his advice to her(and the way it is delivered) before leaving is sensible. Small characters like the father at the church and the teastall owner don't do much to the story but make a mark nevertheless since they seem so real.

The climax and the build up to it reveal a director who knows his craft quite well. The sequences he creates(like the scene where they write names on pieces of paper and pick one and the subsequent scene) and the elements he puts in place(like the Santa Claus masks) are creative and help lead up to a climax in which we aren't sure about how things are going to be resolved. The ending itself is crisp but has a strong impact. It actually leaves us wondering if it is a happy ending or a sad ending (probably a bit of both).

Shaam is impressive in the role of the sailor who wishes to have a place to call home. Radhika shares equal credit for the success of her role. Arunkumar is dignified as the ship captain. Seema Biswas(the original Bandit Queen) looks the part but is wasted in the rather undemanding role. Kaadhal Vandhaal... is a slow but melodious song among Vidyasagar's tunes.