It’s a theme which emphasises the age old adage about reaping what one has sown. Rettai Vaalu revolves around Shekhar, a petty thief, the bane of his father and elder brother.
The earlier part depicts the antics of Shekhar and his friends in Chennai and their frequent brush with the police. With his knack of escaping from the clutches of the cops each time, Shekhar at one point reaches a village. Passing as an orphan, he decides it is an ideal place to lie low for a while. Shekhar’s life takes a turn when he falls in love with the village bigwig’s daughter Anjali (Saranya). The flashback of Shekhar’s deprived childhood and foray into crime are long and dreary. It’s in the second half that the narration picks up. His identity discovered, Shekhar and Anjali elope to Chennai.
At this juncture, the narration picks pace. Akhil and Saranya get space to perform here and have done a convincing job. It’s about how his actions come home to roost and results in the loss of his new found love and happiness.
The verbosity, and a flippant first half alienates the audience from the lovers plight. With no big names to boast of, there was no expectation from the film. And so no great disappointment either.