Balayya(Surya), a tourist guide in Mahabalipuram, is not averse to stealing small items from the visiting tourists. Once when times are particularly tough, he and his friend Satyaraj(Satyan) decide to commit a bigger robbery. But the house they select turns out to be that of Jyothika(Jyothika), the popular film actress. Jyothika catches him the act and naturally, subsequent meetings between them are not particularly civil. Things come to a head When Jyothika(under manipulation by her scheming manager) accuses Balayya of misbehaving with her and this lands him in jail for three months. An enraged Balayya kidnaps Jyothika to teach her a lesson.

When it works, Maayaavi is enjoyable and this mostly happens when the movie, atleast within cinematic boundaries, is lightly grounded in reality. In Surya we get an instantly likeable, fairly unique character. His goodheartedness is showcased in his affection for the girl and he has just the right amount of bad qualities to not make him too boring. Having an actress as the heroine is fairly fresh in that she is a regular actress and not someone who is overtly unhappy with her life(as is usually the case with actress roles in movies). Scenes like Surya's first break-in into Jyothika's house are staged very well. His reactions on realizing whose house he is in are right on the mark and his imitation of her dance steps is hilarious.

The scenes at Jyothika's house are also very funny and several offhand comments by her, her mother and her manager are sharp and give us an inkling of the real life and attitude of a star. But the movie increasingly distances itself from reality as it progresses and that results in distancing the movie from us also. Surya walking into shooting spots and talking to actors(like Vijayakanth) very easily is not too bad since it gives an opportunity for a cameo by him. But when Jyothika accuses Surya of molesting her or Surya poses as the hero in a film shooting and kidnaps her in Tarzan-like fashion, things become a little too unrealistic and fantasy-like.

The comedy loses steam once Surya actually kidnaps Jyothika. Her attempts at escaping are not very funny but having real directors and producers express their opinion on the kidnapping is a nice touch. Things also turn more than a little sentimental as Jyothika goes through the 'Stockholm syndrome'. But the director can be credited for not making things go overboard by overdoing this angle. The climax is short and manages to partially get back the realism that marked the initial portions of the movie.

Maayaavi confirms the fact that Surya has really become a versatile actor. Though this is similar to the character he donned in Pithaamagan , it still is impressive how far the previously introverted actor has come. He has polished his dancing skills too as seen in the Tamizhnaattil... song. Jyothika looks cute but overacts in a few scenes, bringing back scary memories of her pre- 12B . But she does deserve credit for bravely speaking the lines that actually satire her own life. Satyan fails as a comedian and many lines lose their impact because of his low-key delivery. Songs by debutant music director Devi Sriprasad are fast and peppy. Kaathaadi Pola... is enthusiastically sung by Manicka Vinayagam and picturised well also. Seettukattu Rani... is also a fun song with a catchy tune.