Chennai Ungalai Anbudan Varaverkirathu (CUAV) aims to be a slice-of-life drama depicting young people’s experiences when they leave their hometowns for the city with aspirations, only to encounter the difficult realities of urban life. The director seems intent on creating a modern feel, but because one foot remains firmly planted in melodrama, the film feels confused and unfocused. Chellapandi is an aspiring filmmaker struggling to write a story, hampered by his living situation. Initially, his roommate Nagaraj’s drunken behavior leads him to find another place to live. Then, he becomes homeless when Karthik, his other roommate—a womanizer—has a relationship with a divorced woman who subsequently becomes pregnant and leaves. He does manage to locate a sympathetic landlord, but is again disrupted by some inappropriate roommates. The central issue with CUAV lies in the inconsistent writing; transitions between scenes are jarring, and the film’s tone fluctuates considerably. There are moments when it seems like the director simply filmed whatever scenes were possible using available actors. At other times, it feels as though a 45-minute short film has been stretched out to feature length. For example, there's a scene where Karthik drinks while grieving his mother, or another involving two characters taking turns engaging in phone sex with the same woman. Marudhupandian keeps introducing new characters—even one late in the story—apparently attempting to show how unstable these men’s lives are. However, he also delves into narrating the lives of these supporting players, which ultimately makes the film feel slow despite its two-hour duration. The characters themselves lack depth; it's hard to understand Chellapandi. Is he a serious filmmaker or someone who left his village hoping for success in the movie industry without possessing the necessary skills? Based on what we see, the latter seems more likely because all he does is repeatedly start scenes involving how his hero and heroine meet, but then doesn’t know where to take the story afterward. The ending only reinforces this impression, revealing that he achieved success by turning his own experiences into a film. Regarding Karthik, he's portrayed as someone who makes excuses to avoid being with his mother when she dies so he can be intimate with a woman he is pursuing, showing little regret. He also demonstrates a similar lack of concern when Vinodhini, the divorced woman he’s involved with, becomes pregnant. However, near the end, he suddenly has a change of heart after seeing a picture of the child. Similarly, Vinodhini appears unbothered by her boyfriend's behavior and simply waits for him to return. The strongest portion of the film occurs when Chellapandi tries to find somewhere to stay after being forced to move out again, wandering around the city. Eventually, he devises a plan to secretly enter the house he was previously told to leave, waiting until an elderly owner—a fan of Sivaji Ganesan who watches TV late at night—goes to bed and then leaving before anyone notices his presence. Bobby Simhaa delivers a subtle and effective performance during these scenes. The way the owner and her daughter handle the situation when they realize he is attracted to the young woman provides one of the film's more touching moments. If only the writing had demonstrated this level of skill throughout, we might have received a memorable and poignant film about surviving in the city.

Source on TMDB