Pudhiya Paadhai is a courageous endeavour by Parthiban. He turns several conventions of tamil cinema upside down in this story of a rowdy who is humanised by the woman he raped. The confidence evident in every frame of the movie and the contravention of established rules in tamil cinema make it tough to believe that this is his first movie as a director. He could never match the success of this movie as a director but his longevity is testimony to his talent as an actor. With Bharathi Kannammaa, he started what could be called his second innings in which Housefull, his only directorial venture, earned him accolades and awards. Most of his recent movies have banked solely on his dialog delivery for their success. But Pudhiya Paadhai reminds us that none of them have really done justice to his talent as an actor.

In Pudhiya Paadhai, Parthiban, abandoned by his mother as a baby, has been deeply scarred by the fact and has grown up as a ruffian with no values whatsoever. He acts as a henchman doing the dirty deeds for a local politician(Nasser), sleeps with prostitutes(and then steals back the money he paid them!), spends his time being drunk and proudly proclaims that he would do anything for money. Into his life enters Seetha(Seetha), the neglected daughter of a rich man. Turns out Parthiban had raped her(for money ofcourse) and sensing a good heart inside the rough exterior, she has decided to wed him and bring out the human being in him.

The protagonist, played by Parthiban, is definitely a memorable character. His first scene, where he uses the embers from a burning house to light his cigarette, is a stunning scene that immediately establishes the hard-heartedness of the character. His foul mouth spares nobody and the in-your-face dialogs are raw and hard-hitting. While the mother, seen or unseen, is still hallowed in tamil movies even if the hero is an orphan, Parthiban daringly turns even this cliche on its head. The way he talks about his mother to Seetha is crude and new to tamil cinema. The piece where he explains to Seetha why there is a picture of Gandhi in his house is a telling comment on the hypocrisy of present-day politicians.

It is appreciable the way Parthiban has handled that is basically an unsavory theme - a woman trying to wed the man who raped her. He makes Seetha a headstrong, independent woman who makes the decision to wed Parthiban based on her own choice(and the humanity she saw in him) rather than blindly wanting to wed him just because she lost her 'karpu' to him. Her conversation with Manorama in this regard makes her decision much more palatable. The behaviour of her would-be husband after Parthiban has raped her, is another nice, unexpected touch. These are some of the many moments that elevate this movie from other run-of-the-mill ones with similar themes.

There is no dearth of comedy either as Parthiban does a fantastic job deftly mixing comedy and sentiments almost throughout the movie. The first scene in the movie, which gives a new interpretation to the board 'Ulle Veliye' that is hung outside his house, is clever and funny and these two characteristics mark several of the dialogs in the movie. The methods Seetha uses to irritate him and his reactions are hilarious and the kid who plays his sidekick does an admirable job too. The same cannot be said of the separate comedy sequences though. The dialogs of V.K.Ramaswamy and Satyapriya are vulgar(even after the sound is muted in many sequences) and 'Venniraadai' Moorthy and Junior Balaiah do their bit with some crude routines.

Parthiban's transformation has been handled in a believable manner. Some natural dialogs make these portions interesting and not too cinematic. A rightfully serious sequence where he is stabbed and Seetha takes care of him while others he has hurt before walk by is used to start the transformation process. The ruse he uses to make sure Seetha eats well and her reaction to this are touching. The change she brings to his life is also neatly depicted through the scene where the women in the neighborhood invite them to a function in their house. Though one feels the tragedy towards the end could have been minimised, it does pave the way for an important message about not letting the past happen again, in the climax.

Parthiban the actor is no less deserving of praise than Parthiban the director. The effectiveness of the dialogs, be they funny or emotional, is increased several-fold by his inimitable delivery. He portrays a believable rowdy and excels in the heavier scenes too. Seetha is radiant and a good contrast to his rough-and-tough nature. The kid evokes several laughs with good timing and delivery while Nasser is the perfect, conscience-less politician. Unfortunately, Chandrabose's songs are very forgettable though Parthiban refrains from introducing any regular duets. The Kuyili dance is for the front-benchers.

Pudhiya Paadhai is a path well worth taking.