Pulivaal Review

Everyone has a mobile phone today and the caution warnings on the hazards it may cause are also dime a dozen. And director Marimuthu of 'Kannum Kannum' fame has come out with a gripping entertainer on one of the most feared outcomes of owning a cell phone - scam. There's a posh office environment with Prasanna, Oviya and Iniya on one hand and there's the mediocre existence of a couple - Vemal and Ananya on the other. Sounds cliched? But absolutely not. Love, lust, betrayal, greed and fit of rage is all that makes up 'Pulivaal'.

To begin with, why such a unique title? When you step on a tiger's tail, there's no way you can escape his anger. Precisely, it means a death trap. And that is more or less what the protagonists are running from. Karthi (Prasanna) is the big boss in a leading company and is leader in all respects. But along with the money, he also has a habit he'd rather shy away from. Unaware of his womanizer tricks, Monica (Oviya) falls for Karthi and ends up taking her feelings to further stages. Out of sheer lust, Karthi records it all in his cell phone. Kasi (Vemal) on the other hand works as a store assistant in a supermarket and is very devout and sincere about his colleague Selvi (Ananya). On a fateful day Monica finally gets to know the truth that Karthi is engaged to Pavithra (Iniya) and calls it quits with him. It is at this point that Karthi loses his phone which lands in Kasi's hands - or, feet.

Totally alien to using a smart phone, all that Kasi does is attend the incoming calls. With temptation getting the better of him, Kasi hesitates to return the phone getting himself into further trouble as he has no clue of the videos in it. Karthi on the other side wants to save his face, family, company, marriage and also Monica and hence decides not to go to the police with the complaint. But despite extensive planning they all get into grave trouble. How things sort out makes up the rest of the story.

Vemal plays the boy next-door yet again and this time with a twist of a heavy heart over possessing what is not rightfully his. His acting is matter-of-fact and mostly realistic. But the portions where he takes revenge are a little hard to believe. Ananya appears in the role of an innocent girl, sincerely in love, and shows the right concern as and when it demands. Iniya hardly has any screen presence; the only scenes she's seen in, involves her on the phone. Oviya's presence at the office setup is not as prominent as her personal, distraught life. However detailing on her sorrow lacks completion. Prasanna is a charm throughout the movie, perfect at every emotion he plays - be it angry about missing a part of his life, concern for Monica or revenge. Soori is a cracker whenever he features. His one liners are quite catchy for a person of any interest. But it is likely to bore at point when his presence is analogous to quirky one liners of an SMS freak.

While it gets cliched most often, Sameer Thahir's initiative in 'Pulivaal' highly innovative. Kudos to Marimuthu for a taut screenplay and direction in the story. Raghunanthan's music is an enchanting experience with the songs having been used wisely. Background score is also captivating and unique. The story follows a racy pace, but gets fairly predictable going further. Twists in the story, especially in the second half, render the film all the more interesting. However, the film also has it's downside - the climax chase sequence could have been cut short, considering that Prasanna and Vemal are shown running almost the whole of Chennai. Also, the film seems to have been wrapped up quickly in haste. But for a few minor glitches as mentioned, 'Pulivaal' is a highly entertaining movie.

Rating: 3/5