If one were to pick the genre of Tamil cinema that has had the most number of weak entries, it would probably have to be the college campus movie since we've rarely had a film that accurately portrayed college life. Pugaippadam gets a few parts of it right but not enough to become that elusive college campus movie that is also completely successful.

Krishna(Amjad) has just joined his college in Kodaikkanal and soon becomes good friends with his classmates Guru(Harish) and Karthika(Mrinalini). Bala(Sivam), Krishna's new roommate, and Gauri(Yamini), a senior and Karthika's friend, soon make it a bigger gang. Shiny(Priya), their HOD's daughter, is the last addition to the group. The gang visit Bala's house in the village during the winter break and Krishna volunteers to accompany Shiny back when her dad orders her to return sooner so she can make it for Christmas. Things aren't the same after that trip.

Pugaippadam is a wee bit more successful than most Tamil movies set in a college campus, in its depiction of college life. The lack of realism(seen in the very first scene when Amjad talks to a staff from the office) and the targeting of teachers(here its the HOD) are still there. But the behavior of the students is natural and the conversations they have, whether they are teasing or standing up for one another, feel quite spontaneous. As always, there is an incident that showcases the group's friendship but its nice that the showcasing is not its only purpose and it actually turns out to have a big impact on the path their friendship takes towards the end.

The movie is successful in showing the friendship(the visit to Sivam's house is a neat segment even if it reminds us of a very similar segment in April Maadhathil) but not so successful in dealing with the fissures that appear in that friendship. The big issue crops up too abruptly and the reactions of the people involved seem exaggerated. The romances also seem a little half-baked as one is developed in a rushed manner and the other, one-sided romance is moved along without ever giving a proper reason for why one doesn't reciprocate or even acknowledge the feelings of the other.

Considering that the movie opens with Harish walking out, the fact that another big issue looms up among the group isn't a big surprise. But the movie does well in hiding what the issue is until it is explicitly revealed. But it is not as shocking as we expect it to be and the effectiveness of the surprise is also lost as things get too melodramatic. The effects of the melodrama last till the end, which is different but doesn't seem powerful enough to make an impact.

Amjad has a really irritating style of dialog delivery and his expressions and body language add to the misery. Harish is adequate and Sivam suits his role with his soft-spokenness and sincerity. Mrinalini and Priya don't make much of an impact but Yamini, who doesn't have as much screentime as them looks good and makes an impression by downplaying her role. Oru Kudaiyil Payanam... has some nice lyrics and is picturized in a way that reflects the fun the group of friends are having.