Azhagi is the first movie as director for cinematographer Thankar Bachan(among 2001 releases, he was the cinematographer for Kutty and Paandavar Bhoomi) and like Jeeva, another recent cinematographer-turned-director, Thankar Bachan too displays a willingness to tackle a new subject and a welcome freshness in approaching the same. His Azhagi deals with a young boy's first love and his confusion about tackling his feelings when he meets her again, under vastly different circumstances, at a later stage.

Shanmugam(Parthiban), a veterinary doctor, lives in the city with his wife Valarmati(Devayani) and their two children. In school, Shanmugam was in love with his classmate Dhanalakshmi but fate had forced them to go their separate ways with Dhanalakshmi(Nandita Das) being forced to wed her brother-in-law. One day, Shanmugam spots Dhanalakshmi, who, having lost her husband, now lives a life of poverty on the platforms. After an unsuccessful attempt to find her a job in a friend's house, he hires her as their servant-maid.

Thankar Bachan decides not to adopt a straightforward approach and instead constructs the movie as a series of flashbacks for Parthiban. Parthiban's current life serves as bookends for different segments of his past life and the transitions into the flashbacks are smooth and happen naturally. Furthermore, this is probably the first movie that begins in the present but ends in the middle of a flashback! The only complaint I have about the approach is the fact that the circumstances as the movie starts(the way his son addresses him, for instance) make it clear what the ending is going to be thus draining most of the suspense out. The only remaining interest is in the way the ending is going to be brought about.

The scenes involving the kids in school are delightful and a lot of fun. The antics of the kids easily raise laughs while Shanmugam's tentative feelings for Dhanalakshmi are brought out through some very natural acts. After being subject to crass and loud romances set in college campuses, this school romance is a pleasure. Ilaiyaraja's background score during these portions is brilliant and complements the scenes perfectly. Its obvious the kids have been selected with lot of care and the kids playing Parthiban and Nandita at every stage capture our hearts effortlessly. In the present too, the brief scenes at Parthiban's house are natural and showcase the characters of the people well.

Thankar Bachan has been one of the most vocal critics of the quality of Tamil cinema the last few years. He appears to have put his money where his mouth is with the first half of the movie, which sidesteps most cliches of Tamil movies. But unfortunately, he gives in to the same crass commercialism he was so critical of in a very obvious manner in the second half. The vulgar dance and the unconnected comedy track are black spots in the admiration Thankar Bachan earned until then. While they are obvious concessions he has made to appease the producers, there are also a few scenes of overt and artificial sentiments(like Nandita Das' reaction on hearing about Parthiban's accident) that are contrary to the completely natural way human sentiments had been portrayed in the first half.

Apart from such aberrations, the second half too contains a lot to appreciate and enjoy. The delicate situation of Parthiban bringing home his first love has been handled maturely and the incidents leading upto it have a practical touch. The fact that Parthiban still holds a candle for his childhood sweetheart is revealed in a way that doesn't diminish respect for his character and with a couple of scenes, Thankar succeeds in defining Nandita as someone who knows to draw the line between dreams and reality. Devayani's character too has been shaped very well in the way she treads the thin line between jealousy and trust. The ending is sensible and succeeds in adding respect to all characters involved.

Nandita Das does the heavy role full justice. She manages to convey her dreams of a better life(with Parthiban) through just her eyes at many places. Parthiban puts aside his usual wisecracks and portrays the silent, mature character creditably. Devayani too manages to convey her jealousy through her eyes and succeeds in making her character memorable. Vivek's comedy track has very few laughs and the fact that it sticks out like a sore thumb in the otherwise sensible and sensitive movie lessens the impact of even the few funny jokes.