This is the movie that the title Magalir Mattum is even more apt for! With Snehithiye, Priyadarsan steps into no man's land by offering us a movie that is comprised predominantly of women. Male actors are seen only in the sidelines, as in a crowd or constables at the police station. While such a gimmick in itself might have made for interesting viewing, Priyadarsan also serves up a film that is a youthful entertainer in the first half before turning into a crime thriller that keeps us guessing and surprises us at the end.

Vasu(Jyothika) and Radhika(Srabhani Mukherjee) are thick friends staying in a ladies hostel. Geetha(Ishita Arun), a rich girl, is their rival. When Radhika's aunt Malathi(Lakshmi) starts pestering her to marry, Vasu and Radhika invent an imaginary lover Ramesh for Radhika, to postpone the issue. But things start getting out of hand when Ramesh actually starts calling her. Determined to unmask him, the girls call Ramesh to their hostel but he is shot right in front of their room. They naturally become the prime suspects and are arrested by ACP Gayatri(Tabu). But they escape and go on the run.

Priyadarsan does well in bringing out the fun environment in a ladies hostel initially. The actresses too contribute their parts in making these portions move along without too much lag inspite of not much happening. The friendship between Jyothika and Srabhani and their petty rivalry with Ishita are enjoyable. The comment on girls losing track of their friendship rings true and the two girls' promise to each other is sensible, apart from setting the stage for the happenings from then onwards. The sad end to one of their friends is touching especially since it is based on a true incident.

There are two sides to a successful thriller. It must maintain the pace while keeping us in suspense about the identity of the killer. It must also wrap things up neatly by tying up all loose ends and explain things clearly so we exit the movie with a sense of closure rather than confusion. Puriyaadha Pudhir was a movie that got both these issues down pat. Snehithiye is successful in doing the first. Its pacing is quite good(though not perfect with quite a few slow areas after the girls go on the run) especially during the girls' frantic acts to dispose off the dead body. The appearance of the dead body on the stage is superbly picturised with the right kind of build up. The identity of the killer at the end is also a mind-boggling surprise with another minor surprise in the unmasking of another key character.

But the film slips up in after this. Things are not wrapped up neatly and the happenings(related in flashback) do not stand up well to scrutiny. Some things are left hanging(like the reason for Lakshmi's perturbed behaviour and her bleeding hand) and some of the key characters' acts lack logic when looking back after the revelations. Earlier, key scenes like the pair's escape and their hold up of a garment store are too cinematic while an unwanted song slackens the pace.

Jyothika plays the vivacious college girl well and turns into a convincing fugitive on the run. Srabhani Mukherjee lacks looks or glamour but comes up with a credible performance. The strict cop's role fits Tabu like a glove. Everyone else in the cast gives a good performance. Photography is excellent, especially in the initial scenes. The scenes in the library and the meat locker are suspensefully picturised. Vidyasagar once again stresses his underutilisation in the tamil film industry with some foot-tapping numbers.