"3" explores the 3 stages of life of both Ram (Dhanush) and Janani (Shruti Hassan) from their school days up to their married life. Flashback narratives tell of how they met and fell in love, from objections from their parents, to a post married life which then turns sour. The first half of the film is a romance drama and the second half takes a total turn into a slow thriller. The director manages this transition well and executes each frame with sound knowledge.
Dhanush introduces the Ram character in 3 different stages which resembles his earlier performances in films like "Thulovatho illamai" & "Mayyakam Enna". His performance in the second half is heart wrenching and wins the sympathy of the audience. On par we have Shruti Hassan (Kamalhassan's daughter) who seems to have far better improvements in her acting skills since her "7aam Arivu" film. It would have been better if she could speak fluent Tamil and limit her crying scenes in this film though. Other cast members like Prabu and Rohini who portray the parental characters stands out with their limited screen presence. Playing Dhanush's friend, both Siva Karthikeyan and Sundar Ramu handles comedy and emotional scenes fairly well respectively.
Newcomer Anirudh who composed the popular 'Why This Koleveri Di' song also managed a good background score which added more connection to the film's narration. Surprisingly, the song in the movie was pictured in a simple way without any hype.
The director's approach towards two different genres in a single film is a change to the conventional patterns of a Tamil movie today. On the whole, "3" has an interesting story backed by a wonderful performance.
