While not really a whodunnit in the traditional sense of the word, Puthiya Paravai starts off with the death of a woman and slowly reveals who was behind that and why. The story, about a man's past coming back to haunt him, features some nice twists and turns that make us realize that his life is not as idyllic as it seems on the surface. The surprising climax and some memorable songs make this one very enjoyable.

The opening scene shows a woman being chased by a man in a car and falling to her death after being hit by a train. The scene then shifts to a ship coming from Singapore on board which Gopal(Sivaji) meets Latha(Saroja Devi) and her father(V.K.Ramaswamy). Their friendship continues when Latha and her father come to stay at Gopal's mansion in Ooty. When confronted with his reaction on seeing a train, Gopal reveals his past where he married a nightclub singer Chitra(Sowcar Janaki) but saw his life crumble afterwards because of her wayward lifestyle. When she left his house, he had tried reasoning with her but failed and later learned that she had committed suicide by falling in front of a train. Latha sympathises with him but at the time of their engagement, a woman claiming to be Chitra appears with her uncle Rangan(M.R.Radha).

The movie begins quite slowly. After teasing us with the scene where the woman is chased, the movie settles down, concentrating on the budding romance between Sivaji and Saroja Devi. There is nothing particularly youthful or cute about the romance and that results in a rather slow pace. But the way some casual comments from these portions(like Sivaji's favorite food) are brought in later makes them meaningful. The comedy, inspite of talented performers like Nagesh and Manorama, is not very funny and the separate track is more of a filler. The frequent phone calls from M.R.Radha are the only signs that all is not well.

The movie picks up though with Sivaji's confession about his earlier marriage. The episode has enough intrigue to pique our interest and Sivaji's performance makes it believable. While his instant rapport with Sowcar is a little unbelievable, it does help the narrative move quickly. Sowcar's drunken behavior after the wedding makes us feel sorry for Sivaji.

The reappearance of Sowcar Janaki is a nice twist and the movie becomes really absorbing from that point. We feel sorry for Sivaji's plight as he struggles to make the people around him believe his position. His happiness at each new oppurtunity to unmask Sowcar and disappointment when he sees the idea crumble are believable. The climax has another nice twist and is genuinely surprising.

Sivaji is very good, especially in the later stages as the man trying to find a way out of the sticky situation. Saroja Devi irritates us with extra heavy cuteness during the romance but the serious scenes find her performance better. Since we have been familiar with seeing Sowcar as a housewife in most movies, she appears a little out of place as the nightclub singer. M.R.Radha makes even the most casual line appear memorable with his unique accent. The movie has a golden soundtrack. Paartha Nyaabagam... is haunting and melodious. Enge Nimmadhi... has some very strong lyrics and is picturised well with the settings reflecting the confusion in Sivaji's mind. Among the romantic songs, Mella Nada... comes out tops while both Unnai Ondru Kaetten... and Chittu Kuruvi... are melodious.