Chanda, directed by S Narayan, carried a lot of expectations as his previous film Cheluvina Chiththaara was a blockbuster. And, for the first time Narayan is working with Vijay, who has tasted huge success with Duniya.
Though Chanda is not a wasted effort and there are some good moments, the film looks as if the director was in a hurry to finish it! The story line is weak but the script has some incredible moments. Vijay's performance in the closing moments of the film is top class.
But the main drawback of Chanda is that the film looks stretched out in the second half with too many incidents happening. The first half has some lively moments and Vijay's action sequences are sure to enthral the audience.
Kariya is an uneducated, innocent fisherman. When he is chided by his mother for not going to school, he threatens the principal of a college and gains unauthorised entry into a class room. One day he is beaten by the relatives of his classmate Swapna, who assume that Kariya has sent a love letter to her. An angry Kariya retaliates and beats Swapna's relatives and goons to a pulp. Swapna then feigns love for him. Kariya also falls for her and decides to be a good man. To his shock, Kariya later realises that Swapna is trying to take revenge on him. By the time Swapna learns the truth, her marriage is fixed by her parents with somebody else.
Vijay is very good in the action sequences and in the last twenty minutes, he mesmerises the audience with his power packed emotional performance. But Shubha Poonja needs to polish her acting skills. Komal once again shines.
Music by S Narayan is good and two of the songs rock. Nothing exceptional can be said about the camera work of Jagadish Wali and the editing of Soundar Rajan.
Chanda is definitely an above average film.
Rediff Rating: 
