Movie review

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  Story: Though he loves Revathy ( Aadhmiya), his neighbour and childhood pal, Kannan (Sivakarthikeyan) lies to his friends that she too is in love with him. 
  
  
  So, when Revathy's family, respected - and feared - in the village, arranges her wedding with another, his friends decide to get the lovers together at all costs and send an inebriated and unconscious Kannan and a drugged Revathy off to Kerala in the hope that her family will accept the couple once they are married. How does their plan play out? 
  
  Movie Review: The plot of Manam Kothi Parvai is pretty much on the lines of the by-now familiar rural romance formula (a happy-go-lucky guy head over heels in love with a girl whose family wouldn't hesitate to murder the guy if it comes to know of his affair) but director Ezhil (of Thullatha Manamum Thullum fame) attempts to offer some subtle variations - he keeps you guessing on the girl's thoughts on the romance well into the second half and then, rather than treat it as a serious romance, he tries to inject humour into the scenes.
  
  
  But there is quite a difference between merely trying and actually making your treatment succeed. Ezhil seems to have tried to do a Kalavani here but those familiar with his repertoire will realize he is more comfortable with melodrama. So, the lightness of touch the film requires is missing and what you end up with is a bunch of characters who talk non-stop trying to be funny but fail more often than not.
  
  
  And, there is no better example than the leading man himself. Even on the small screen,Sivakarthikeyan is a motor-mouth but the short duration of the shows makes his lines appear wittier than they actually are. While he managed better in his earlier big screen ventures like Marina and 3, in which his characters weren't the lead, here, with an underwritten character, he comes across as someone trying hard to be funny. While Ezhil might have intentionally wanted to make Kannan an everyday guy, he ends up creating a hero who seems spineless - leave alone taking on his adversaries, Kannan cannot even seem to talk or act on his behalf.
  
  
  Similarly, while Ezhil does a good job of not immediately revealing Revathy's actual feelings for Kannan, he fumbles when she confesses her love for him. The scene is executed awkwardly with the character verbosely explaining her decision to avoid his advances that it fails to be romantic. And, while debutant Aadmiya is pretty and homely to look at and fits the part well, she isn't convincing in conveying her character's internal dilemma.
  As for the supporting characters who play the friends, everyone has a couple of misses for every funny line that hits the mark. While their antics even border on the irritating side during the first half, they end up being actually funny once they are caught by Revathy's family. But they cannot makeup for the largely listless and uneven screenplay.