After Kaadhal Konden, Dhanush is undoubtedly Tamil cinema's golden boy right now. Thirudaa Thirudi, his third movie, is his first movie not directed by his brother and the first time he gets to play a 'regular' hero. It looks like his lucky streak is continuing since he acquits himself creditably here in a movie that is nicely paced and never boring.

Vasu(Dhanush) spends his time hanging out with friends and teasing girls and for this, is always at the receiving end of his father's(Manickavinayagam) scoldings for being a good-for-nothing. Viji(Chaya Singh) is one of the girls he rubs the wrong way. When one of his pranks results in his older brother(Krishna) going to jail, Vasu takes a turn for the better and moves to Chennai after taking up a good job. Viji also lands up there and the two continue to aggravate each other.

Like Dum Dum Dum, the very fact that Dhanush and Chaya Singh are at each other's throats makes this movie different from the scores of other romances. And the fact that they end up remaining that way for most of the movie is a pleasant surprise. Though their initial encounter is kind of crude, their subsequent fights are interesting. And the way the screenplay builds up gradually, starting off with teasing before making the fights bigger, keeps the story moving. The only problem with them not falling in love is that the director is forced to avoid duets and instead resort to group song sequences that are cheap and crude.

Unlike other movies which make characters turn over a good leaf in an unbelievable manner for the flimsiest of reasons, Dhanush's change of character here is based on a solid foundation. The incident leading upto it is sufficiently serious and the way Dhanush's family had been depicted upto that makes his reaction believable. Infact, the scenes revolving around Dhanush's family are some of the best in the movie. While his sarcastic comments to his father(like his response after asking his mother not to serve him food if he comes home late again) are very funny, his father's advices are practical. This is the main reason why Dhanush's sadness when his father refuses to talk to him is believable and the scene where they make up is genuinely touching.

The director maintains a nice mix of comedy and seriousness right upto the end. Scenes like Chaya Singh pouring her heart out to Dhanush without realising that he has walked off(and Dhanush's innocent question after returning to the scene) easily make us laugh. At the same time, their conversation on the road in the middle of the night has quite a few sharp lines. The ending is a little cliched but doesn't stretch things out much.

Dhanush's character plays to his strengths and he underplays most of the scenes. The sarcasm evident in his conversations with his father seem to come naturally to him and he is impressive in the few scenes he has express his feelings. Chaya Singh seems to be a natural actress and has a very expressive face that she puts to good use when quarrelling with Dhanush. Manickavinayagam is solid as Dhanush's concerned father while Suki turns out to be a bad choice with her overacting. Dhina's songs have some fast beats. Manmadha Raasa..., with some incredible dancing by Dhanush, really raises the tempo with its fast beats.