Sathum Podaathay comes from Vasanth, the master storyteller. And he does not disappoint. Its appeal as a movie is because it has something different from the mundane.

Though the story is definitely pedestrian, dealing with a typical middle-class family and the relationships between the family members, the apt screenplay and twists in the tale have added the difference, the necessary dimension to make it endearing and enjoyable, a film to ponder over.

The cast has just followed the storyline. So Padmapriya strikes us as a simple middle-class housewife; Nitin Sathya is the hyper young man, casual, self-centred, secretive; Prithviraj is the young bachelor, willing to experiment with all things in life.

The story clearly depicts how life springs surprising and unbelievable situations. Bhanu (Padmapriya) and her husband Ratnavel (Nitin Satya) reside in the city. Ratnavel is a Railway employee and the couple trudge through life with the silent worry of being childless.

A thorough medical examination of both (Suhasini as the mature gynaecologist!) reveals the shattering fact that Ratnavel is sterile. Still she puts on a brave front and they get along with their lives. The couple then adopt a child. But Ratnavel gets agitated and is repelled by the child, who constantly reminds him of his handicap, his shortcoming.

At this point, Bhanu comes to know that Ratnavel had been an alcoholic. knew he was sterile and that he had purposely hidden the fact of his sterility from her. Then, the conservative and tolerant Bhanu becomes bold and walks out of Ratnavel's life, detesting him for his behaviour. Ratnavel takes it hard and decides to wait for his moment to take his revenge on Bhanu.

Bhanu meets Ravichandran (Prithviraj) a software engineer. As friendship and understanding blossoms between them, Ratnavel intrudes to make it hard for Bhanu and nip any possible relationship developing. After this point, the movie becomes a thriller.

Padmapriya is the central character of the movie. She has absolutely justified her role with the right kind of performance. What viewers usually love about Prithviraj's character is that he embodies a certain ideal of manhood: quietly confident, stubbornly independent, street-smart and essentially decent. Here also, he does not disappoint viewers. His performance stands out as a strong foil to Padmapriya's role.

H. Sridhar's sound effects form an outstanding aspect in Sathum Podaathay. Yuvan Shankar Raja and Vasanth have paired up, bringing out an enjoyable score for the entire movie. At some places, the music even substitutes dialogues, fulfilling more than its usual role.

Sathum Podaathay certainly is subtle and enjoyable; it effortlessly makes an appreciable impact that other movies labour for. En route, it has also broken some stereotype roles which are usually seen in Indian films.