Our directors who turn to production have always displayed a good knack for spotting talent in other aspiring directors. Following directors like Shankar(who rediscovered Balaji Sakthivel and Vasanthabalan) and Sasikumar(who gave the chance to Pandiraj), A.R.Murugadoss too exhibits this knack with his choice of new director Saravanan for Engeyum Eppodhum, the first film from his production company. The film illustrates the unpredictability of fate and conveys a stern warning but does so after giving us two interesting romances.

Amudha(Ananya), travelling from Chennai to Trichy by bus, reflects on the day when, on her first trip to Chennai for an interview, she took the help of a stranger(Sarvan) to help her get through the day. That stranger is in fact, on the bus going from Trichy to Chennai at the same time. On the same bus are lovers Kathiresan(Jai) and Manimegalai(Anjali), who are on their way to visit Kathiresan's family.

The film opens with a brief look at a crucial event and then takes us back in time via flashbacks. This approach has harmed some films while working well in others and here its a mixed bag. While knowing what is going to happen eventually reduces the suspense, the fact that we do not know how exactly the key players are affected by the event keeps the suspense from being dissipated completely. And knowledge about what is coming does add a layer of gravity to the relationships.

The Jai-Anjali track is the easy winner among the 2 romances. Anjali's forthrightness and daring and Jai's shyness and docility leads to a relationship where the roles are completely reversed compared to the romances we see. So the interactions and conversations between them are consistently hilarious. Anjali's nature also leads to her actions being unpredictable and we are as taken by surprise as Jai by the way she gets him to meet some of the people in her life. At the same time, her rough exterior hides a lot of love for Jai and this is brought out through small expressions and acts.

The Sarvan-Ananya track is hindered by their traditional characters(especially when compared to Jai and Anjali) and the somewhat contrived start. But the track does manage to overcome these as the two spend the day together. Some hilarious moments(like Ananya's encounter with the roadside Hanuman and the subsequent punchline) keep us smiling while subtly tender scenes(like Ananya going to sit next to him in the bus before backing off) showcase the growing attraction between them.

While we see the character arcs of these 2 couples, the real surprise is number of minor characters who manage to stay with us even though we see them so briefly. Whether its the boy hoping to impress a girl or the dad waiting to see his daughter, the film manages to create likeable characters using just fragments of conversations and actions.

The climactic event achieves a couple of purposes. It illustrates the unpredictability of life and how little control we have over it. We watch people make small decisions for themselves and others over the course of the film but only at the end does it become clear how those minor decisions impacted their lives in huge ways. At the same time it also delivers a clear warning about a very real and very dangerous issue. The sequence following the event are melodramatic and a bit long but the director, after a clear pointer towards it, avoids the temptation of a cheesy and gimmicky end.

Jai and Anjali inhabit their characters easily and comfortably. Jai is completely natural as he obediently fulfils Anjali's every wish while she has a whale of a time playing the dominating but appealing woman. She has noticeably put on a lot of weight though. Sarvan fits the role of an IT guy while Ananya lets her expressive eyes do most of the work in showing us the gradual change in her feelings. Chotta Chotta... wonderfully shows us the characters of Jai and Anjali through a series of very sweet and funny vignettes while Govinda... does something similar for the Sarvan-Ananya track by showing us Ananya's experiences in the city. Maasamaa Aaru Maasamaa... uses a simple shrug of the shoulders as an infectious dance movement to make up a fun song sequence while the more sedate Un Pere Theriyadhu... nicely captures Ananya's feelings with both its lyrics and its scenes.