Like director Lingusamy, who made the vastly different Run after a successful debut
with Anandham , director Durai too has opted to craft a film different from his
first film Mugavari for a follow-up. Unfortunately Kaadhal Sadugudu is different
for all the wrong reasons. Where Mugavari was realistic and practical, Kaadhal Sadugudu is artificial and
cinematic. While the former had a clean and decent romance, the latter has a more cinematic romance filled with
kisses and glamorous duets. On the whole, Mugavari served up a slice of real life in a cinematic package while here we get
a blatantly commercial package with the usual clutch of cliches and coincidences.
Suresh(Vikram), an orphan, yearns to be part of a big family. He gets the chance when he accompanies his friend to
his village for their yearly festival. There he meets Kausalya(Priyanka Trivedi) and the two soon fall in love. But
Suresh also runs into Chidambaram(Prakashraj), a respected man in the village, and their encounters always end up
showing Suresh in a bad light in Chidambaram's eyes. Turns out Kausalya is none other than Chidambaram's daughter.
The movie's story is not much different from Thullaadha Manamum Thullum . There it was
the heroine who mistook the hero's good intentions while here its the heroine's father. The incidents which cause him heartburn
are believable and his reactions are not too extreme. But what is unbelievable is the collective support for Vikram from his friend's
family. That the family would insist on supporting him at the expense of alienating someone from their own family is a little hard
to digest. But that apart, the director does well in bringing out the fun in being in the middle of such a large family.
The romance between Vikram and Priyanka Trivedi has its share of cute moments. Their similar but untrue description of their first
meeting to their family and friends and their embarassment when caught are enjoyable. But the fun doesn't last for long. Both of them
turn sober once Prakashraj enters the picture as they decide not to see each other if that will anger him more.
Vivek has a separate comedy track with the usual mixture of comedy and socially relevant advice. His frequent walks with the
song from Dhool playing in the background(and the old woman flanking him) are quite funny. The initial
segments(especially the panchayat meeting with the minor) have a lot of double entendres but its the comments about
social issues(like the poster covering up key information) are the ones which raise the biggest laughs.
Vikram is subdued after the action-packed Dhool and the movie seems more like a breather before he once again focusses
on action in Saami. Priyanka Trivedi seems to be Jyotika's equal in her ever-changing expressions though she does overdo it a
little bit sometimes. Prakashraj looks dignified and earns our respect with his character. Others in the cast do their parts
adequately.
| 
