Padikkathavan is about the rise of an uneducated youth. Through the film, Dhanush reinvents his commercial hero avatar.

Radhakrishnan aka Rakhi is the youngest member in a joint family full of well-educated persons. Sadly, Rakhi shows no interest in improving his academic status. Rakhi's education had stopped when he had failed in the tenth standard. Obviously, all his family members are worried about his future. Every day, his father (Prathap Pothan) pricks Rakhi's self-respect by making nasty and derogatory comments. Rakhi, frustrated with this ill- treatment at home, tries to ignore his sorrows by laughter and enjoyment in his dear friends' company. However, he does not mind when his friends point out that he needs to improve his status at home. A cheerful and casual analysis by the friends eventually yields a possible elegant solution to Rakhi's nagging problem. His friends advise him to marry an educated girl and if that happens, without any hard work, he can comfortably bask in her glory. Even though he is not the brightest of persons, standing by his wife's side, he can proudly bask in the reflected glory of her education, intelligence and status.

Taking their practical advice, Rakhi hunts for a suitable girl. Soon, he meets Gayathri (Tamannaah), a college student and helps her out of a tense situation. Instantly choosing her as his life partner, Rakhi proposes to her. Perplexed at the sudden proposal, Gayathri refuses, but Rakhi keeps bulldozing her. Notwithstanding his consistent bugging, Gayathri tries all ways, including planning a murder plot, to deter him. Nothing works out to improve the situation or free her from Rakhi's clutches. Meanwhile, Chinna Reddy's (Sayaji Shinde) men try to murder Gayathri and Rakhi saves her life. Coming to know about the murder attempt, Gayathri's father Samara Simha Reddy (Suman) arrives to take his daughter to their native place. While probing the reason for Gayathri's absence, Rakhi comes to know about Gayathri's family and the long-time tussle between Gayathri's father Samara Simha Reddy and the influential big shot Chinna Reddy.

With a firm decision to make Gayathri his, Rakhi, accompanied by his friend Assault Arumugam (Vivek) goes to Samara Simma Reddy's abode. He convinces Samara Simma, gets his permission to marry his daughter and while on his way back to bring his family to celebrate the wedding, Rakhi faces an unexpected enemy who is determined to kill Rakhi. What happens next? Does Rakhi vanquish this new foe? Does Samara Simha Reddy help him in this battle? Does Rakhi emerge alive from the battle and return to marry his sweetheart Gayathri? Don't miss all the whirlwind action in Padikkathavan!

Undoubtedly, Padikkathavan is a genuine Dhanush brand film. Here, he is the freakish, carefree hero, uneducated, adventurous yet lovable. Similar to his earlier roles in films like Sullan, Dhanush has tried to infuse some commercial elements in Padikkathavan to satisfy his fans. Action blocks are amazing. Air-kicks and all sorts of gravity-defying stunt gimmicks are abundant in the film. As usual, Dhanush scores through his classy performance. However, the remarkable aspect that distinguishes Padikkathavan from other Dhanush movies is the comedy. In all the scenes, both alone and in combination with Vivek, Dhanush has provided first-rate entertainment.

Tamannaah is the sweet-looking heroine in Padikkathavan. As a lover who is upset with her boyfriend, she proves her talent in the poignant scenes. All the supporting actors, including Prathap Pothan, Suman, Sayaji Shinde and Atul Kulkarni have given their best. Director Suraaj has succeeded in giving an action cum comedy entertainer. Mani Sharma's music as well as re-recording adds a significant dimension to the story. A.A. Venkatesh's camerawork and Thalapathy Dinesh's stunts are the other plus points in the film.