Ambuli, the first-ever stereoscopic 3D film in Tamil cinema, has garnered a lot of attention for its technical wizardry. A sci-fi thriller, the movie is directed by duo Hari Shankar and Harish Narayan and keeps the audiences hooked with thrills.

The story, taken from folklore, is set in 1978 to give that edgy effect! Amudhan (Ajay) and Vendhan (Srijith) study in a college. Ajay falls in love with Poongavanam (Sanam). He manages to stay in the college hostel even during holidays thanks to special permission from Vendhan’s father (Thambi Ramiah), who is the watchman.

Poongavanam stays in a village and it takes a long time to reach her village if you take the roundabout route. People are dead scared to take the shortcut through a cornfield as they strongly believe that man-eater Ambuli (half-man and half-beast) resides there and kills whoever who crosses the field. But Amudhan dismisses it as false belief and goes through the field to meet his girlfriend. He undergoes some weird moments though he does not encounter Ambuli.

Meanwhile, the two friends decide to go through the abandoned place after dusk and come across an uncouth man, Sengodan (Parthiepan), who lives alone in the woods and on enquiry, they find that he is the brother of Ambuli. The two friends, with the help of old books from the campus library, unravel the mystery and the film ends in an interesting climax!

It is a new experience for Tamil cinema! The 3D effects are on a par with Hollywood and give one the necessary effect – be it the scary fields, the high octave stunts, the cobweb covered campus rooms and caves, the gigantic beastly looks and the groovy numbers. The suspense factor is also kept intact till the end! The film has newcomers in the lead and they put in their best, leaving the rest to technology.

The ever dependable Parthiepan does his versatile act, and Kalairani as the village granny is aptly cast! Jagan, devoid of humour, is perfect. Cinematography and stereography by Satish are brilliant and the visual compositions give you a fresh feel and appeal. Music is passable while the background score warrants mention and provides the chilling effect.

Each detail of the period sets, including costumes and special make up for Gokul, who plays Ambuli, deserve plaudit. There are a few minor flaws. Nevertheless, it is a movie which is not to be missed for that mammoth ‘desi 3D’ effort!