Recently, what I like to call the 'Rajni syndrome' has been very evident among younger heroes like Ajith and Vijay. Signs of the syndrome include uttering a catchy phrase repeatedly, stylised actions(usually in slow motion), singing songs of self-indulgence, having others sing songs of praise, walking in slow motion with others following and having every gesture accompanied by a swishing sound! Those who have seen movies like Red and Bhagavathy will know exactly what I mean. Atleast Ajith and Vijay have been around for awhile and have a sizeable fan following. When Simbhu, in his debut film, indulges in all these(and more!), one can't help but laugh at his ego. This is the most irritating aspect of T.Rajendhar's Kaadhal Azhivadhillai, which otherwise is a harmless albeit boring and cliched love story.

Simbhu(Simbhu) is elected college chairman after he beats Shaarmi(Shaarmi), the daughter of Ravishankar(Radharavi), a minister. Predictably, the two soon fall for each other though they never directly reveal it. But when Ravishankar comes to know of the love affair, he is staunchly against it, and is willing to go any distance to make sure that it never succeeds. At home, Simbu's father(Prakashraj) mentally tortures his wife(Seetha) since he suspects her of having an affair with her ex-lover. Outside home, Simbhu is helped by Vakkeel Dada(T.Rajendar), a lawyer who makes sure justice is served, whatever the means.

The movie deals with the oldest of stories - the poor boy-rich girl love story - and makes no attempts to treat it in a different way or in an interesting manner. It follows to the letter, the sequence of events in such stories. So we have the initial enmity between Simbhu and Shaarmi, the gradual thawing of the icy relationship between the two, the idiot suitor who Shaarmi's parents want her to marry, her family's horror on finding out about her romance, their attempts to kill it and ofcourse, the lovers' strong refusal to give up their love against all the opposition. There is no deviation from this at any point and as a result, we can predict with great accuracy, what is going to happen next in the story. The college atmosphere too is distressingly familiar with its rowdy students and buffoonish professors.

There is no hint anywhere in the movie that all these years of filmmaking have helped T.Rajendar improve his talents. The movie lurches from one track to another with jarring jumps and scenes of attempted comedy appear out of nowhere. It seems like Rajendar picturised his scenes and then put them together at random with no discernible concern for continuity. Worse the comedy tracks are distinctly unfunny. On one hand we have the scenes at the college that border on vulgarity. And on the other hand we have Dhamu and co. being subject to torture by Kuralarasan in sequences that are juvenile and unoriginal. The only other track, the portions in Simbhu's house, are cinematic and Prakashraj appears cartoonish with his comments. As he delivers those barbed comments, the audience, alongwith Seetha, is tortured!

The few bright spots in the movie occur towards the end. The sequence where Simbhu and co. dress up in godly fashion is one such sequence. It is short and funny and the background score is catchy. The sequences in Shaarmi's house, one where Simbhu is insulted and one where the couple proclaim their love, are also well done even if predictable. Rajendar then sets up an action-packed climax with Radharavi hiring a supposedly dangerous assassin but the movie ends rather tamely with Rajendar himself in the center of the action.

Simbhu no doubt possesses the goods needed to shine as hero but he has definitely chosen the wrong vehicle for his debut. He is projected as a superstar and it is simply too early for the kind of build up he gets. But his dance steps are very impressive and he fights quite well too. Shaarmi looks cute but is lacking performancewise. Radharavi and Nalini are over the top as needed. Prakashraj is his usual self while Seetha plays the harassed wife well. While the dappanguthu songs are not catchy, the slower songs sound good. But in true T.Rajendar style, they are made up of really simplistic lyrics that don't gel very well with the tunes.