Debutant director VJ Gopinath's 'Jiivi' is a thriller where our protagonists Saravanan and his roommate Mani steal from their landlord and cover up their crime. Saravanan is played by a much improved Vetri (of 8 Thottakkal fame), and the deadpan expressions on his face helps the film a lot. Karunakaran on the other hand is earnest, and plays a role of more importance, than just a comedian. His jokes helps in easing out the pressure slightly, and that works in a positive way.

There are multiple plots happening and the writer Babu Tamizh's good writing ensures that they all culminate at a single point and it is indeed clever. The way Saravanan has been characterized is certainly one of the most interesting we've seen in recent times. He dropped out of school in 8th standard, believes that practical education is enough to survive in life, and is extremely curious about life. He reads a lot of books, and that is reflected on the dialogues he speaks.

Saravanan gets a mass introduction of sorts - KS Sundaramurthy goes on a rampage with the electric guitar when Saravanan is... wait for it... sitting in a share auto. But that's the only point where he looks like a mass hero. After that point he constantly underplays his character, and this offers a realistic touch to the film. Sundaramurthy's music at few places is loud, while the cinematography looks pretty ordinary.

There is a small romantic subplot that looks slightly out of place, but it is not prolonged and cut off smartly. Praveen KL's editing is slick and airtight. Fittingly, his name appears first in the post credit sequences. The film is more of dialogue driven, and at places, that causes a rousing moment to fall flat.

Sample this: Saravana takes a book from a rack in a library, places it in a different one, and challenges the librarian to find it. The librarian searches in its original rack and is unable to find, when Saravana interrupts saying "Psychology of a Librarian - A librarian searches a book in the rack it was earlier placed on." Amidst a sea of pearl-like dialogues, there are a few that states the obvious. These scenes lack clarity on what the director wants to convey.

The intelligence of the hero resonates well with the audience, therefore the connect is maintained throughout and the films keeps us invested throughout. Overall, Jiivi is a pleasantly surprising thriller with a lot of heart, that engages you well throughout.