The last two Fazil movies I saw tended to follow the same overall pattern. In both Kannukkul Nilavu and Kilipechu Ketkavaa, elements of suspense were introduced which managed to get the viewer interested in the movie. But the story dragged on leading to boredom and the payoff, where secrets were revealed, was disappointing. While the former is absent in Karpoora Mullai, a remake of Fazil's own Malayalam movie Ende Sooryaputhrikku (in fact Suresh Gopi, the hero in the original, walks by during one of the songs), the latter still hampers the movie since the crucial secret itself is evident much before. But when seen as a character study rather than a suspense yarn, the movie redeems itself by offering an engaging lead character and surrounding her with equally interesting supporting characters.

The movie opens with Mayavinodhini(Amala) in jail, on the day she is being let out on parole for an hour. What led to her situation is told in flashback. Maya was the leader of a mischievous and playful gang of girls studying in St.Mary's college. She is being raised by a guardian Sivaprasad and his wife and doesn't know who her parents are. Needled by a doctor Srinivasan(Raja) to find out who her parents are, she forces Sivaprasad to reveal that her mother is the famous Carnatic singer Vasundhara Devi(Srividya). She meets Vasundhara Devi, who tells her that she did not acknowledge that Maya is her daughter in order to avoid questions which would force her to reveal who the father is. She has steadfastly held on to the secret for so long and even the father doesn't know that his daughter is alive. Hearing this, Maya expresses disinterest in knowing her father and so mother and daughter become close. Vasundhara Devi decides to announce publicly that Maya is her daughter but her associates, who fear an end to their rich lifestyle, have other ideas.

Fazil has been successful in presenting a character that is both intriguing and earns our sympathy. Amala's act after the usual lighthearted meeting with her friends makes it clear that one never knows for sure what she is going to do. Her indecisiveness is clear when she meets her mother in person but gives her a false name but then calls her immediately afterwards from right outside her house to reveal who she really is. Srividya's character also shines brightly. Her huge sacrifice of hiding herself from her daughter to save the father from hardship adds luster to her character.

Relationships have also been portrayed with attention to emotions. The romance between Raja and Amala is sweet and clean. Their initial encounters (especially Amala's visit to his house when she knows his mother is there and her friends' subsequent visits) are very funny and Amala's queries to Raja when he is treating her after her fall are touching. The mother-daughter relationship is handled with finesse. The conversation Amala and Srividya have where Srividya reveals the reason for her silence is mature and Amala's response is poignant. Their relationship afterwards is down-to-earth without any overflow of sentiments.

The tone of the movie shifts abruptly when Srividya's associates attack her. Their actions are quite brutal considering the tone of the movie for so long. There is no respite in the violence from this point and the ending could even be termed a bloodbath. The suspense about Amala's father is also revealed here but is anticlimactic since the selection of actors and pieces of dialog make it obvious long before. These are two places where I found fault with Fazil's directorial acumen. The first is the suspense regarding Amala's father. The wrong choice of actors and an unnecessary scene in the beginning of the movie make it abundantly clear who the father is. Another is his ploy of showing Amala in jail at the beginning and relating the story as a flashback. This dullens the impact of the turn the movie takes when Srividya is attacked. Since we know that Amala ends up in jail, we kind of expect the movie to take a violent turn somewhere and as soon as it does, it becomes clear how it is going to end.

Amala is very good as Maya and brings out all nuances of the character. She proves that she is adept at facial expressions in the scene where Raja plays with her while Srividya is in the bathroom. Srividya banks on her vast experience in similar roles to play it to perfection. Raja is charming as the doctor. The title song is the only catchy number among Ilaiyaraja's tunes.