Meenakshi Dixit as Princess Maadhulai has done her job adequately. The spunk and wit that you associate with any of Vadivelu’s products are found wanting here, perhaps because of the solemn nature of the premise. However if you are anticipating a Vadivelu laughathon, Tenali Raman comes as a downer as the film travels on a serious path most of the time with an occasional chuckle here and there. Foreign investment is very severely criticized and its negative effects on the kingdom have been showcased with a Chinese team’s infiltration. Yuvaraj does not lose an opportunity to take a dig at the corrupted ministers who focus on swindling money and depriving people of the benefits due to them. Out of the two Vadivelus, the king with his ingenuousness and a unique forked eyebrows appeals well while Tenali Raman with his intellect captivates the audience.Īlthough the film has its premise dating to the monarchial times, the problems that people face in the kingdom are contemporary. An interesting observation is that nowhere in the film is the king named and one gets to hear ‘mannar’ or ‘arasar’ only. The delineation of the two characters has been brought out well by the veteran who with his adept body language brings out the intelligence and innocence of the minister and his king respectively. In fact, those episodes look good on screen and dialogues from Vadivelu’s old films have been intelligently interspersed. The story of Tenali Raman and his brainpower is familiar to quite a few and Yuvaraj has translated some of them interestingly on to the silver screen. However, in this Yuvaraj directed comeback vehicle, it is a historical theme for the comedian and in a double role as a king and his minister Tenali Raman. Vaigai Puyal Vadivelu returns after a brief hiatus to silver screens and to what he does best, entertaining the audience.