Acting in the role of a smart fraudster, Santhanam doubles up as a good friend to the hero, helping him join hands with his lady love, in the later part of the movie. Although the face of the false landlord is revealed only in the second half, Santhanam has entertained his best throughout his performance as Narayanan and occasionally Billa.

Santhanam needs no introduction but his entry on screen gathers mass attention as it always does. As an adamant daughter, ambitious woman, accommodating small girl and an understanding partner, She has played the role of Anjali beautifully. Priya Anand on the other hand is pleasant to watch as she has effectively brought out the emotional waveries of an Indian brought up in western culture, returning to homeland to trace the beauty of her roots and capture them in frames. Shiva is rightly attired and comes around convincingly as a lad new to the city of variety. ‘Vanakkam Chennai’ is a comeback of sorts for Shiva, as his genre and forte of acting have been explored aptly. With Ajay having come from his native land down south near Theni for livelihood and Anjali having carried her camera along to shoot the south Indian culture, all the way from London, against her father’s wishes, the two are forced to stay in the same apartment. Hero Ajay(Shiva) and heroine Anjali(Priya Anand) set out to the city of assortment with a varied ambition each and their lives get tied up to one another’s inevitably as they get cheated into the same rental accommodation by the comic fraudster Narayanan(Santhanam). How does this city of variety treat two people from different backgrounds, interests, livelihoods and genders? ‘Vanakkam Chennai’ is all about appreciating these basic differences. With the confidence and boldness of a pro, Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi storms into Kollywood as she makes her mark as one of the most entertaining woman directors the industry has witnessed – all this in her debut.

Vanakkam chennai movie part 1