While infusing the preaching of Mahatma into the script without making it sound like a sermon is a way of doing it, smearing it all over for the sake of sticking to the rules of Tamil cinema bible that provides much emphasis on melodrama and less on logical thinking seems to be director Udayan’s method.

Although Aayudham Seivom only has the ingredients of a commercial potboiler – fights, an item number, a little more than below-average script, and a comedy track – what makes it stand a little apart is the basic idea of its plot. Not to mention, the essence is lost in the packaging – after all Sundar C has a fan following and has to maintain the decorum meant for his movies.

Sundar C plays the hit man who makes a living out of hooliganism and other petty crimes. He can be hired for any such deeds other than assassination because he considers killing as an act even beneath his standards. While he is hired to steal the documents that have crucial evidence relating to Collector Suganya and her family’s death from the old and good-hearted lawyer Vijayakumar, the old man is accidentally killed and in his death-bed wishes Sundar C to ‘live long’.

Sundar C, disturbed by this, is meanwhile directed by a court, for another offence, to perform social service in a Gandhi Museum in Madurai. He wins the curator Nasser’s heart by employing novel methods to increase the visitors to the museum – like announcing prizes such as a handshake with Malavika. After his brief stint at the museum, he embarks on a journey to probe and discover who is guilty of Suganya’s death and with the help of Gandhian principles brings the culprit before the eyes of law.

The role seems to be tailor-stitched to perfection for Sundar C. He performs stunts like an insurmountable hero and runs around trees with his lead pair Anjali on the other hand. Above all, he sets Manivannan right of his monstrosity with the help of a few patriotism-evoking dialogues on TV.

Kattrathu Tamil Anjali has long shed her widely accepted ‘homely’ image and the makeover has deprived her of her usual drapes leaving her with scanty outfits, in exotic locales. Vivek’s comedy fuels the otherwise dragging screenplay in many places and announces Vivek’s regaining glory. Manivannan, Vijaykumar, Napoleon, and Suganya are a few noteworthy members among the cast. Vindhya swings of the Tamil version of ‘Khaike Paan Banaaraswala’ while Malavika restricts herself to a few scenes devoid any gyration.

‘Innum Oru Vaanam’ sung by Girish and Chinmayi is the pick of Srikanth Deva’s music and K.S Selvaraj’s camera has done wonders to the song.

Thangalakshmi(Nadhiya), who is from the village of Kothamangalam, has raised her daughter Abhinaya(Ragini) in Bangkok ever since she had a fight with with her brother Paalpandi(Lalu Alex) and walked out. But when Abhi’s marriage is fixed with a boy in Bangkok, she wants the wedding to take place in her own village since she has a few things to prove to her family, who want Ragini to wed Paalpandi’s son. But problems crop up as soon as she lands with some goons attempting to kidnap Ragini. So she hires a local ruffian Kathi(Sundar.C) to protect her daughter until the wedding. But Kathi has his eyes on Ragini’s wealth and makes his own plans to disrupt the wedding.

The film contains enough masala elements to keep things moving in an entertaining fashion initially. Comedy holds the upper hand as Vivek tries to go one-up on Sundar and then as they both team up to disrupt Ragini’s impending nuptials(the way Moondru Mudichu’s Vasantha Kaala Nadhigalile… is used for this leads to the best laughs). But there is also the suspense about the reason behind Nadhiya’s enmity with her family and action(as Sundar beats up all those goons trying to kidnap Ragini) that keep us interested in the proceedings. With Ragini content to wed the boy her mom has picked and Sundar more intent on breaking up the wedding, romance is the only aspect that is absent but it is not missed much.

The key plot point that occurs midway into the movie generates mixed feelings. One one hand, Nadhiya’s action is silly and completely unbelievable, even taking into consideration her ego and stubbornness. On the other hand, it does lead into a rather unexpected twist and sets the stage for everything that happens next.

The film then pits Sundar and Nadhiya against each other but doesn’t know how to make it interesting. Nadhiya’s plans are uninspired and naturally, Sundar’s ways of beating those plans are equally simplistic. But that doesn’t stop the director from giving each sequence a build-up that makes us look forward to something much cleverer than what is eventually presented. The director’s lack of ideas is clear from the amount of screen time afforded to Namitha and Vivek. Namitha finally gets to play a part in the proceedings but Vivek’s comedy track, which sees him employ the same concept and get-up as he did in Thoondil, is completely transparent as a ploy to extend the running time.

Sundar.C has some way to go before he can carry off an action-comedy role like this. His looks do suit the role but he lacks the charisma and voice modulation that would make us laugh at his antics or cheer him on in his verbal duels with Nadhiya. Nadhiya seems to be one of those actresses who never seems to age. Looking just as good as she did during her heroine days, she has fun as the haughty woman who refuses to back down and almost makes us side with her rather than Sundar(the script obviously recognizes her youthful looks since there are quite a few jokes about she being the bride instead of Ragini but these seem borderline vulgar). Ragini is just an onlooker. She has a couple
of duets with Sundar initially but has to give even that up as Namitha and even Nadhiya(though it is just a few lines in 1 song) get to shake a leg with Sundar.