Producer Punnagai Poo Geetha and director Vishnuvardhan have come out with their latest offering Pattiyyal. Vishnuvardhan’s earlier Arindhum Ariyamalum was also a hit, so much is expected from Pattiyyal starring Arya and Bharath in the lead roles and Pooja and Padmapriya as the heroines.

Pattiyyal is about two friends who happen to be gangsters, and how they lead their lives. Koshy (Arya) and Selva (Bharath) are the gangsters, working for Sami (V.M.C. Haneefa). Koshy is an expressionless person without caring for others’ feelings, except for his friend Selva, who is deaf and dumb, fearless and uncaring for others. For them, killing is a way of life.

Saroja (Padmapriya) and Sandhya (Pooja) are neighbourhood girls who fall for the dubious charms of these two gangsters, who behave like reincarnations of Robin Hood. The story develops on their encounters, the troubles faced by them, how they have run ins with the cops, how they reform, how they perform, understandings, misunderstandings, fights, thrills, spills, songs and the required tamasha. The major portion of the film has been shot in and around Chennai.

Koshy and Selva are given the job to erase and eliminate Nachimuthu Gounder (Santhanabharathy). This leads to an unexpected twist; things come to a head leading to a strange, violent and different revelation and climax.

Arya stands out as the emotionless killer Koshy. Bharath, as the deaf and dumb gangster, has a more difficult role, having to emote only by his eyes and body language, yet he does it perfectly. Padmapriya and Pooja have got fairly meaty roles and fulfil them adequately, with good vibes with their leading men. V.M.C. Haneefa and Santhanabharathy have also done very realistic acting, a treat to watch.

Nirav Shah's poetic camera-work adds charm and virtuosity to the film, and are likely to fetch him some awards. Sreehar Prasad’s editing is slick; Yuvan’s memorable music is so perfectly melded to the rest of the film.

In short. VishnuVardhan has managed to package it all with the vibrancy and virtuosity. Vishnuvardhan has done his best to create a simple movie without unwanted twists and a director’s ability is depicted through his treatment of the plot and narration. He has done his best to portray Arya differently, exposing new facets of his talent.