3 - Review

'3' starts off with an intriguing set-up, making you go "Really? In the first scene?".

What follows is about an hour and half of fun-filled, well-taken scenes with great performances and directorial flourishes. and then comes the somewhat inconsistent, plot hole-ridden second half, boosted by Dhanush's brilliance, but bogged down by the director and Shruthi's annoying histrionics.

The first half is very well written - carrying ample scenes of the boys having fun, along with sensitive scenes that only a woman could deliver. Dhanush pulls off the schoolboy phase with ease (something that Shivakarthikeyan struggles to do - surprisingly, notwithstanding his funny one liners and demeanor). Shruthi is pretty good in these scenes as well.

The second half almost feels like it is another movie, reminding you of 180, Mayakkam enna and a few other movies. Dhanush's performance is the saving grace here. Towards the end, you start to feel like the movie should have ended already - and then climax is over in a heartbeat - leaving you with a lot of questions - one of which is "Why name this move '3'"?

Aishwarya Dhanush has done a commendable job - Rohini's eyes roving over specific parts of Shruthi's face after her wedding and the camera zooming out from Prabhu/Bhanupriya deserve special mention here. She should have special attention to the narrative perspective in the second half, especially the climax.

Overall, the movie is worth a watch - for its fresh and poignant screenplay and Dhanush's performance.