With Pachaikili Muthucharam, Gautham Menon seems to be saying that there are more ways of telling a story. If his earlier films are any indication, he seems to know the new way every time. The film by this former ad filmmaker deals with conflicting tastes and has something for every one.
The film is about a good man, Venkatesh (Sarath Kumar), who manages to steal away some time from his lack-luster marriage with Kalyani (Andrea), with the pretty stranger Geetha (Jyothika), who offers her love with no strings attached.
However, a robber, Lawrence (Milind Soman) lands up in the bedroom of a resort and catches the two red handed. This petty thief turns blackmailer and makes life miserable for the middle class medical-rep. What follows is how the protagonist finds his way out of the extremely well knit web. The course of the story is as twisted as the web itself and has the viewer captivated till the end.
Performances from the entire cast is commendable. Debutante Andrea has proven that she is not just a pretty face. Though Jyothika's character has changed, her grace hasn't. Sarath Kumar's restrained performance is a pleasant surprise.
While it's Arvind Krishna who has worked on a major chunk of the film, pan Indian cinematographer Nirav Shah, of Dhoom fame, has cast his spell in the concluding reels. Experts like art director Rajeevan and Editor Anthony have contributed to the compact flow of the script.
Musical score by Harris Jayaraj is excellent.
One must hand it to Gautham Menon for keeping the film from degenerating into a melodrama by giving the right mix of action and drama.
Rediff rating: