Vijay Sethupathi is perfectly understated as Albert. A man who’s return to the city after many years isn’t quite what he thought it would be. He says Pinocchio is his favorite film, yet he is the most honest character in the story. Even his lies have noble intentions behind them. Him telling Maria “I’ll have anything fermented except dosa batter” when asked to come in for a drink is funny in the sardonic, smart-assy way Sethupathi is known to sardonically play smart assy characters. He enjoys the freedom he suddenly has, by claiming the city at night. Having a coffee on the street, watching a movie in a large theater, talking to a singer at a bar, eating a comically larger sizzling dish, bringing you along to each little adventure in a way only a gifted actor and their inquisitive eyes can.

Katrina too is understated. Maria isn't a particularly motherly figure, her attention wavers from her child a lot, but that’s perhaps because Maria didn’t WANT to be a mother. She wants what Albert now has, the freedom to be by herself. Katrina is understated and like her character keeps it together, rehearsed and on plan, right until the end.

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