First of all, let me begin with the fact that I am a Keralite, and that my knowledge of Tamil is not perfect. What Tamil I know was picked up during a six year stint at Vellore. As a result, I may have missed some nuances in the dialogue which may also result in the rating that I have given this movie.
When the phrase Tamil Movie is uttered, what usually comes to mind is a collage of syrupy love, mindless violence, thunderous songs and scanty clothes. A few films such as Nayakan, Roja and Bombay are exceptions to the rule. Therefore, I was very pleasantly surprised by Azhagiya Theeye, where the director has welded a well crafted script to a low-profile cast (the biggest star being Prakash Raj) including a heroine borrowed from Malayalam (Navya Nair) to create a touching story.
Most of the movie is a flashback, where a man who had brought his fiance to a restaurant to meet some of his close friends, tells the story of their life together while waiting for the friends to arrive. Of the four friends involved, the story revolves around two who were forced to get married and live together (despite their wishes) by circumstances. The director follows the trials and tribulations in their lives; how they strain to get away from each other and then reconcile to living in the same house, before falling in love. The climax comes when the heroine finally finds a job in another city, which she had strived for during the phase she was at loggerheads with her husband! Will she take up the job and leave him? Does she have the courage to tell him that she has fallen in love with him? Or will he tell her that he loves her?
As the story proceeds, each of the protagonists join the couple in the restaurant, with a poignant moment coming when it transpires that one of the friends had died in a traffic accident. The movie ends when the story of each of the friends is completely narrated.
While you may find shades of this story in many films in many languages (Yathrakkarude shraddakku in Malayalam comes to mind), the freshness of the theme as far as Tamil movies goes made it a reasonable hit. It is definitely a must-see movie if you are a fan of good Tamil movies or wish to see how a good movie can be made without resorting to sex and violence.