Diya movie review: What critics say about the Sai Pallavi-starrer?

Malayalam actress Sai Pallavi's debut Tamil movie Diya is finally ready to hit the screens. After a long delay, the Tamil flick is releasing this Friday, April 27. The movie is written and directed by AL Vijay, who is known for his works like Madrasapattinam, Deiva Thirumagal and Thalaivaa.

Although it is her debut Tamil movie, Sai Pallavi has become a popular name among Kollywood cine-goers. Thanks to blockbuster Malayalam movie Premam, which earned a good fan following in Tamil Nadu.

The makers had planned to release Diya in February, but it was postponed due to the Kollywood strike, which ended last week.

Sai Pallavi has paired up with Telugu actor Naga Shourya in the flick, which has been simultaneously made in Telugu as Kanam. Veronika Arora, Gandhari Nithin, RJ Balaji, Santhana Bharathi and others are in the cast.

Diya has Sam CS's music and Nirav Shah's cinematography.

It is a horror film which deals with a mother and her 4-year-old daughter. The movie talks about abortion. It may be recalled that the director had earlier made a movie about an intellectually disable father and young daughter in Deiva Thirumagal.

The makers have organised a special screening for the press on Wednesday, April 25. Here, we bring you their response:

Kaushik LM: #Diya - There are no masala elements like song - dance, fights.. Dir Vijay focuses on his core content. It's an emotional family drama driven by mother - child sentiment, with a subtle horror thriller angle. Will work better with the family audience & ladies. 1 hr 40 mins runtime
#Diya 2nd half - The tension is built up well in a couple of scenes. The mother - child sentiment connects well. @Sai_Pallavi92 delivers the goods, it's a nice Tamil debut. Naga Shaurya looks good & does a fair job. Baby Veronika is cute. Just 100 mins, with a message in the end!

Ramesh Bala: #Diya [3/5] : A haunting super natural thriller that touches a sensitive subject..
@Sai_Pallavi92 is excellent.. @IamNagashaurya makes a good debut in Tamil.. @RJ_Balaji provides comic relief..
Dir #Vijay keeps the pace going in this 99 minutes racy thriller..

Cine Time: #Diya First Half :
The Story On Its Own Is New To The Horror Genre . A Well Executed And Movie Gripping Till Now Performances Of Naga Showriya And #SaiPallavi Stands Out In A Very Major Way !
@Sai_Pallavi92 ! #DirectorVijay ! #DiyaIn2Days !
#CineTimee !
#Diya First Half :
Camera Works Pitch Perfect But The Man Of The Show Is Sam .C.S As The Songs And The Background Score Stands Out In The Film !
Full Review Soon !
@Sai_Pallavi92 ! #DirectorVijay ! #DiyaIn2Days !
#CineTimee !

Sridevi Sreedhar: #Diya interval: An emotional family thriller with horror elements ..Superb camerawork!technically brilliant. Slick and smartly packaged at 99 minutes @Sai_Pallavi92 #DirVijay #niravshah @LycaProductions

Rajasekar: #Diya first half - A slow burn emotional horror thriller in which @Sai_Pallavi92 shines with her towering performance. Liked the emotional connect established by director Vijay.
#Diya - An emotional horror thriller from director Vijay, liked the surprise ending and @Sai_Pallavi92 's riveting performance.
#Diya first half - A slow burn emotional horror thriller in which @Sai_Pallavi92 shines with her towering performance. Liked the emotional connect established by director Vijay.

Prashanth Rangaswamy: #Diya - First hit of this summer!! A wholesome entertainer that will attract families big time !! Congrats @LycaProductions . Congrats @Sai_Pallavi92 for a fantastic tamil debut. Congrats Director Vijay sir - Perseverance definitely pays !!
Just done with #Diya First half (Special Premiere ) - If second half moves with the same intensity and perfection as the first , going to be a perfect summer treat for families.
Semma debut for @Sai_Pallavi92 in tamil, has scored big time with suttle yet strong expressions.