Hi review: Kavin, Nayanthara's breezy rom-com is easy to like, hard to love

Rom-coms have a timeless charm. They make you smile, tug at your heartstrings and, at their best, leave you walking out of the theatre with a little more hope than you walked in with. But very few films manage to get that emotional balance right these days. Last week, the Malayalam film Bethlehem Kudumba Unit did it effortlessly. This week, Tamil film Hi attempts to recreate that magic with a story rooted in romance, family and second chances. But does it work? Let’s find out.Mayilsamy, aka MS (Kavin), is a simple, innocent man from Coimbatore who has spent most of his life being rejected by women. Now, with his conservative family constantly reminding him that it's time to settle down, marriage has become an unavoidable conversation. But MS doesn't want an arranged marriage. He wants to fall in love first and then get married. So, he does what any desperate romantic would do — he runs away from home and asks his family not to look for him.Then there is Devayani (Nayanthara), whose circumstances are far more grim. Her family is trying to marry her off to a misogynistic man in exchange for Rs 57 lakh. Unwilling to let others decide the course of her life, she escapes, leaving behind her alcoholic father in search of a life where her choices belong to her.Their paths eventually cross in Chennai, where MS and Devayani begin a new chapter — initially as friends. As two strangers trying to escape the lives their families have chosen for them, they slowly find comfort and companionship in each other. But when friendship begins turning into love, things get complicated. Can MS and Devayani build a life together on their own terms? And will their families ever accept the choices they have made?Lyricist-turned-director Vishnu Edavan's Hi is filled with quirky ideas and dialogues. What begins as a typical rom-com slowly transforms into a family entertainer, with a plethora of characters occupying the screen and adding to the chaos. MS's parents are played by K Bhagyaraj and Radikaa Sarathkumar, while Devayani's father is played by Prabhu. Then there is Sathyan, Aditya Kathir, Amrutha Srinivasan and several others who bring in the laughs and help take the story forward. Some of the director's quirks work surprisingly well, including the Pakistani lover angle and the increasingly elaborate lies that MS and Devayani cook up to keep their respective families at bay. The film eventually turns into a comedy of errors, with everyone getting pulled into the mess. In that sense, Hi occasionally reminds you of a Sundar C film, where one lie leads to another and chaos itself becomes the source of comedy.The pairing of Kavin and Nayanthara looks fresh, and the film wants to explore the love between two contrasting characters. When circumstances force MS to become the kind of person Devayani dislikes, she is the first one to call him out. Similarly, she knocks some sense into him when one lie forces them to keep building on it, eventually betraying family members who genuinely trust them.There is also a stretch where Devayani makes MS understand his unsolicited anger towards a woman who rejected his love. The dialogues here are simple and sensitive, and the sequence feels particularly relevant at a time when stories of violence stemming from rejection continue to make headlines.While some stretches are enjoyable, Hi doesn't aim for high stakes. It keeps things simple and doesn't explore its full potential. This is both the film's strength and its weakness. A story built almost entirely around misunderstandings and comedy of errors has plenty of scope for laugh-out-loud moments. Some land, while some don't.In hindsight, Hi also leaves several questions unanswered. The film also raises interesting questions around MS’s family and Devayani’s unresolved conflict with her parents, but doesn’t explore these threads to their full potential.Kavin's personality and expressions suit a character like MS, and he does full justice to the role. Nayanthara looks beautiful as Devayani and scores in the emotional sequences. K Bhagyaraj's one-liners bring a sense of nostalgia, while Radikaa Sarathkumar sleepwalks through a fairly familiar emotional mother role. Prabhu, as Nayanthara's father, gets a sweet character arc that undergoes a transformation, and it is endearing to watch.Hi's biggest assets are its cinematography by Leon Britto and Rajesh Shukla and music by Jen Martin. The Rasagulla song and some of the lilting background score are soothing to hear and complement the film's breezy mood.Hi works best when it embraces its simplicity. It doesn't have the emotional heft or comic consistency to become a standout rom-com, but it also never becomes exhausting. Kavin and Nayanthara make for an appealing pair, the supporting cast adds enough chaos, and the film occasionally surprises with its sensitivity.The problem is that Hi constantly hints at being better than what it eventually settles for. There are several ideas here that could have been pushed further, but the film chooses the safer route. Perhaps that's also why it is easy to like and equally easy to forget.A harmless romantic comedy with a few lovely moments, Hi is pleasant company — just not unforgettable.- EndsPublished On: Aug 28, 2026 07:31 IST