‘Hi’ movie review: Kavin, Nayanthara anchor Vishnu Edavan’s old-school wholesome entertainer

With its warm and colourful frames, soulful songs, low-stakes drama, and writing that understands the enduring appeal of simple stories, Vishnu Edavan’s film brings back a comforting strain of Tamil cinema, with a superb cast doing much of the heavy lifting

Updated - August 28, 2026 04:59 pm IST

Nayanthara and Kavin in a still from ‘Hi’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

In the latest Tamil film Hi, Kavin is Mayilsamy, a sensitive man in Coimbatore who cannot hide his vulnerabilities as easily. Seeing him unable to cope with a rejection, his family forcibly arranges a marital alliance for him. Mayil elopes to Chennai. Nayanthara plays Devayani, a young Pollachi woman as sharp as a knife, whose irresponsible, drunkard father doesn’t see the issue in getting her married to an abusive man. On the day of her wedding, she elopes to Chennai.

When the two meet on a rainy evening, Mayil dons a translucent raincoat — which must also shield his heart, broken earlier under a fake rain shower. Devayani waves ‘hi’ to Mayil with a sickle in her hand, the one she brought from home to defend herself in an unknown city — she protects her heart with thorns and sharp edges, having been repeatedly distressed by men.

He breaks easily. She holds herself together with all her might. He is a Bhagyaraj-esque hero and a Rajinikanth fan, rejected for not being a Kamal Haasan in romance. She is an 80s Radikaa Sarathkumar-coded, spirited woman and a Kamal Haasan fan wanting an honest life on her terms. These are the simple and sweet characters who anchor lyricist-filmmaker Vishnu Edavan’s Hi, a humble family entertainer about love, confronting fears, and living with hope.

Bhagyaraj, Sathyan, Prabhu and Radikaa Sarathkumar in a still from ‘Hi’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

During pre-release promotions, director Vishnu repeatedly stated he wished to make an old-school “K-TV comfort-watch” that filmmakers like KS Ravikumar, Vikraman, Visu, and V Sekhar built careers on. While many similar promises have gone awry in the past, Hi is precisely that quintessential comfort film that Tamil cinema has been missing for quite some time. Films in this particular sub-genre feature big joint families, colourful occasions, soulful songs, some good drama, and one simple twist that holds the one-liner.

Here, the story kicks off when Mayil, in an instinctive move to save the day, lies about his relationship with Devayani to their parents. Veteran actor Prabhu reminds us of why he is called Ilaya Thilagam in his role as Devayani’s father, who turned to alcohol when his wife walked away decades ago. Veteran Radikaa, who is delivering a scene-stealing performance for the third consecutive Friday this month, plays Mayil’s mother. But the more interesting casting choice is late veteran Bhagyaraj as the father to a man who might remind many Tamil cinema fans of the 80s Bhagyaraj. These stalwarts, along with great performances by the lead pair and superb supporting actors like Adithya Kathir, Khureshi, and Sathyan, make Hi one of the most well-cast, well-performed films of 2026.

I speak of performances first because writer-director Vishnu seems to have relied on this casting to do the heavy lifting — and in films that are almost too breezy for present-day palettes, the high-pitched moments need to work as well as in Hi. Take, for instance, the scene in which Bhagyaraj’s character must open up to his depressed son, or a superb scene in which Prabhu realises what he had been missing due to his alcoholism. Watch how Nayanthara emotes the many mixed emotions she feels upon seeing her father turn over a new leaf. Kavin is easily one of the few young talents who could make you laugh and tug at your heartstrings in a short span, and he aces almost all his scenes.

I could go on and on, but it’s a pleasure to see such performers not used as mere tokens, but given characters with heft and real purpose in the story. The conviction the makers had in this school of cinema is evident in how the film never tries to punch above its weight. The stakes are kept low, and no unnecessary twists throw you off. Of course, some scenes in the second half drag on. Some, like one that transpires in a hotel’s powder room, felt too convenient and poorly staged. Still, even through these dull stretches, something keeps you invested, like some good old humour and Jen Martin’s tastefully conceived songs.

A still from ‘Hi’ | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Even if you nitpick, Hi will convince you to forgive it, for there’s real effort to make a clean, honest film. Vishnu is a writer who crosses his t’s. How does Devayani, a girl who grew up in such a low-income background, end up wearing such high-fashion clothes? Because the friend (Amrutha Srinivasan) who helps Devayani in Chennai is a costume designer. Why does Devayani take some time to realise the weight of the lie Mayil inadvertently thrust on her? Because she has internalised her hatred for her mother so much that she understands the emotional stakes only in the presence of another mother (Mayil’s mother).