After Aanandham and Run, which were in different genres but were equally entertaining, Lingusamy quickly became one of my favorite directors. But the long break seemed to have blunted his skill as 2005's Ji, which again belonged to a different genre but was a pretty tepid affair. With Sandakkozhi he goes back to Run territory. Though the movie tackles the same story, it shows that he still hasn't lost his touch when it comes to serving a good masala film.

Balu(Vishal), on a visit to his friend's house in Chidambaram, falls for the friend's sister Hema(Meera Jasmine). The entire town is under the grip of the local dada Kaasi(Lal). When Balu runs into Kaasi, he gives him a good thrashing before returning to his hometown Madurai. So Kaasi goes after him for revenge but learns that killing him is easier said than done.

Sandakkozhi proves to be interesting by virtue of a single plot development in an otherwise familiar story. The first half is distressingly familiar as Lingusamy sets the pieces in place for the story of a college guy going up against an all-powerful dada. So the hero quietly sees the unlawful acts of the rowdy, has his plans upset by disturbances created by the rowdy's men and finally teaches him a lesson during their face-to-face meeting. But when the rowdy goes after him, the story introduces a nice plot development that spices up the proceedings. It adds some new variables to a familiar equation and makes the second half different from the movies we've had so far(and there've been quite a few) with the same theme.

Lingusamy has fashioned some interesting romances so far and he doesn't disappoint us here either. Meera Jasmine gets a very interesting character and her antics keep us engaged while we are waiting for the action to heat up. Her innocent story after her theater trip and her way of dealing with getting caught for stealing money from her dad are all very entertaining. The lightheartedness is maintained when the romance pops up during the second half too.

While the plot development spices up the story, it also limits the amount of action. With a new character that demands quite some screen time and the continuation of the romance, the time devoted to Vishal and Lal gets reduced considerably. The situation Lal is forced into also adds to the lack of action and all his failed attempts reduce him to the level of a comedian sometimes. Lingusamy makes up for it somewhat with a nice one-on-one climax. The location, cinematography and stunt choreography make this a good treat for fight fans.

Vishal, the hero of Chellame, fits two out three characteristics in the usual description of a hero - he is tall and dark but not particularly handsome. But he is good as an action hero, fighting and dancing well. Meera Jasmine enjoys herself in the tomboyish role and looks very cute too. The ruckus she creates in the theater is very believable. Rajkiran gets a dignified role and does justice to it. Lal, a Malayalam actor, makes a good villain. Dhavani Poatta Deepavali... is a nice number and is picturized well too.