Thalaivan Thalaivii Movie Review: Vijay Sethupathi, Nithya Menen's chemistry couldn't save its weak story

Vijay Sethupathi and Nithya Menen starrer Thalaivan Thalaivii hit the big screens on July 25, 2025. As the movie began streaming on the OTT platform Amazon Prime Video from August 22, 2025, here’s the Pinkvilla review to check out.

The Plot

Thalaivan Thalaivii is a romantic action comedy that tells the story of Aagasaveeran, a roadside eatery owner who is looking to get married. In a matchmaking process, he finds the proposal of Perarasi, a double degree graduate.

While they hail from different backgrounds, Aagasaveeran and Perarasi find a connection through their shared love for food. Despite her family’s inhibitions, Perarasi marries him, only to encounter problems in their marriage. What happens to their relationship and whether they overcome challenges forms the crux of the story.

The Good

Thalaivan Thalaivii is a mess from a storytelling perspective, but the lead actors, Vijay Sethupathi and Nithya Menen, are a delight to watch. Their chemistry is absolutely entertaining and remains the biggest takeaway from the movie.

The film’s romantic premise, which begins with a traditional matchmaking session and evolves into a rugged love story, feels outdated and difficult to digest in 2025.

Coming to the positive side, Thalaivan Thalaivii has a brilliant soundtrack composed by Santhosh Narayanan. The Kalki 2898 AD composer delivers tracks that are deeply rooted in the Tamil background and lend authenticity to the setting.

A special shoutout goes out to the song, Pottala Muttaye, which features Santhosh himself crooning alongside Coolie fame Sublahshini. With M Sukumar handling the visuals and Pradeep E. Ragav editing the film, the technical aspects somehow managed to elevate an otherwise subpar experience.

The Bad

Thalaivan Thalaivii is an amalgamation of every bad idea coming together to create a complete mess. The romantic action comedy strives to narrate the story of a constantly bickering couple, ultimately glorifying the idea that toxic relationships are normal and acceptable.

While Vijay and Nithya present some jovial moments, the story itself turned out to be a train wreck that reassures that whatever problem a couple faces in their relationship, divorce is never an option. Instead, it encourages one to endure disrespect and emotional harm as a virtue.

Looking at Pandiraaj’s previous family drama ventures like Kadaikutty Singham and Namma Veetu Pillai, it is evident that his storytelling remains stuck in a bygone era. By normalizing such outdated values, the film fails miserably and cannot be salvaged.

Though the initial stages of the movie showed some promise, it quickly departed from common sense and tested the audience’s patience. With screaming dialogues and irritating characters, the experience progressively worsened with every scene.

Featuring problematic content, horrible writing, and tone-deaf narration, Thalaivan Thalaivii became increasingly difficult to sit through.

The Performances

The biggest, and perhaps the only redeeming quality of Thalaivan Thalaivii lies in the performances of Vijay Sethupathi and Nithya Menen. While Vijay does his best with the material he is given, Menen deserves praise for her effortless ability to shine amazingly alongside any co-actor.

Her masterful acting, previously seen opposite Thalapathy Vijay in Mersal, Suriya in 24, Dhanush in Thiruchitrambalam, or Dulquer Salmaan in OK Kanmani, continues to impress in the film as well.

Watch the trailer for Thalaivan Thalaivii:

The Verdict

Thalaivan Thalaivii is a fiery mess of a film from its story itself. While the experience is likely to be torturous for many, some might still find enjoyment purely because of Vijay and Nithya’s compelling screen presence.

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