The action-romance genre is a favorite with our filmmakers but so few of them get it right. Vendhan, director of Inba, doesn't get it right here. Inspite of the somber start, the film soon reveals itself to be a familar story of love between a boy and a girl, opposed by the girl's brother. Dull and predictable, it will likely end up as another flop in the careers of Shaam and Sneha, who are both badly in need of hits.

Inbasekhar(Shaam) has just gotten out of juvenile school after 10 years. He finds a job tending bar but his short temper keeps landing him in trouble. 'Malai' Ganesan(Arun Pandiyan), who dotes on his sister Priya(Sneha), hires Inba as Priya's bodyguard to keep her safe. Priya is irritated with Inba and does her best to trouble him but her feelings undergo a change when Inba saves her life. But Inba, who has been hurt by love in the past, turns her down.

Inba starts off with a rather downbeat look at the young boy's life in a juvenile school. With physical and sexual abuse happening freely, it shows that these schools, while intended to reform its students, could have the opposite effect and make them even worse criminals than they were when they were enrolled. But this bleak start gives way to a regular masala film. Shaam's character doesn't seem different from that of our other heroes and nowhere do we see any hints of some side of him being shaped by his years in the school (he is short-tempered but seems to fight only when legitimately provoked and his lack of belief in love, we learn later, is from what happened before he got into the school). While the proceedings aren't very entertaining, they are even more disappointing because of the different start to the movie.

With Arun Pandiyan's introduction as the heroine's brother who is also an all-powerful dada, we settle down for a retread of Run but fortunately, the movie chooses a different route at a couple of key places. The first difference ofcourse is Sneha's attitude towards Shaam. With her bent on getting him in trouble, the movie has some energy. Her plans aren't particularly clever but even then, its more fun when Shaam breaks her plans(like when she tells her brother that he never showed up) than when he accepts it meekly(like when she sends him off to jail). Once the two get together and go on the run(with some strategically-placed stops so they can dream up some duets) to escape Arun Pandiyan, the movie once again resembles Run but by making Aditya and his brother bad guys, the movie proceeds a little differently towards the end also. The climax itself is predictable but the end seems real abrupt.

The film turns to clock back to Shaam's time in school to explain his distrust of women and love. Barring one song (which is the best picturized song in the movie), the happenings don't seem distasteful inspite of being set in a school. The actions of the characters are not very realistic but they are not completely outside the realm of possibility either since competition and the desire to win do prod people to do some pretty mean things.

Maybe the long string of flops is getting to Shaam but he lacks energy and seems pretty lethargic. His bearded face and serious character don't help either. I've always felt that Sneha was a natural actress but her character here makes even her look like she is hamming at a couple of places. There is absolutely no chemistry between them. Arun Pandiyan looks stiff most of the time. Ganja Karuppu once again proves that he is not ready to carry a comedy track on his own. Appearing as a locksmith, his segments are boring and painful.