The Tamil film Gusthi was in the making for the past two years. It was hyped as the coming together of actors Prabhu and Karthik after the much celebrated Mani Ratnam movie Agninakshatram.

They are together after a gap of more than decade, and the film does to a certain extent bring back nostalgic memories. The on-screen chemistry of Prabhu and Karthik is still intact, and the film manages to evoke laughter.

Jeeva (Prabhu) runs away from a marriage to his cousin and lands up in Chennai. He assists Vels (Vadivelu) who hails from the same village and now runs a wayside eatery. Singam (Karthik) along with his men pose as thugs and extort money from small time traders. A car accident, a rich lady, a suitcase containing money, a gangster and a furious uncle later, all land up in Kodaikanal. The fun then begins.

The first half of the film drags. But post interval, when one expects it to be a routine fare, happenings make it lively. Director Rajkapur -- who has helmed mainly action movies so far -- springs a surprise by coming up with a good comic fare.

Both the seasoned actors do their part well. The leading ladies Flora and Manya are just glam dolls required to parade in short skirts and hot pants.

Coming from a director of B grade films and with out-of-work actors, the film is surprisingly refreshing. A bit of trimming would have helped to quicken the pace, though.

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