A wannabe don helps his hearing-impaired girlfriend extract revenge over the man who killed her parents. If you'd have watched the trailer, the story is an easy guess. If you haven't, well this is the story of Naanum Rowdy Dhaan. This simple, forever trodden story line, however, turns out as an interesting watch, courtesy Director Vignesh Shivan's screenplay with a blackish comedy treatment.
Vignesh Shivan's job was half done when he decided to pair up Vijay Sethupathi and Nayanthara. The versatile Vijay Sethupathi fits well into the character of Pondy Pandi, whose ambition is to become a Rowdy with a lair painted in fluorescent colours quoting charges for different jobs. He however has to operate in secrecy without the knowledge of his mother (Radhika Sarathkumar), who is a police officer.
Nayanthara as the hearing-impaired Kadambari puts up one of her best acts till date. She emotes well and looks beautiful in her simple costumes. This lead pair is fresh and their chemistry works wonders on the screen.
R. Parthiepan as the big time rowdy "Killivalavan" scores with his unique brand of performance in a role which is simultaneously menacing and funny. His expression upon meeting with Nayanthara for the first time is a huge laugh riot.
Naanum Rowdy Dhaan is filled with a power packed cast which includes veterans like Anandaraj, Mansoor Ali Khan, Radhika Sarathkumar who give commendable performances. Mottai Rajendran comes in a small role teaching Vijay Sethupathi about what makes a Don tick. RJ Balaji as Vijay Sethupathi's friend has done a neat job and his pop culture references causes a lot of stomach-ache through laughter.
One of the biggest pillars of the movie is the music by Anirudh. The music is a driving force of the screenplay and the songs come within the narrative of the story. Cinematogaphy by George Williams, who proved his mettle with Raja Rani, proves a strong point in this movie. The beautiful streets of Pondicherry have been well-captured through the lens of George and with Editor Sreekar Prasad handling the cuts. Naanum Rowdy Dhaan scores well on the technical front too.
For his second directorial venture after 'Poda Podi', Vignesh Shivan has chosen a very simple storyline but has shown his intelligence as a filmmaker in the screenplay and story treatment department with well written characters.