Mayi stands out solely because it is so ordinary and unremarkable. The movie succeeds in presenting a memorable character but doesn't go much further. Satisfying fans of Sharat Kumar by giving him a strong role and highlighting the good qualities of the man he portrays seems to be the only aim of the movie. There is almost no story to speak of and a flashback with an overload of sentiments is the only substantial portion in the movie.

Sharat Kumar carries the movie very well on his shoulders. The close cropped hair, twirled moustache and casually tied dhoti suit him very well and even his posture while sitting or walking seems studied and invokes respect. Mayi becomes Maayaandi when provoked and Sharat Kumar performs both sides of the character with aplomb. His reasons for always sitting on the ground and drinking only 'koozhu' are delivered well and are impressive. But his larger-than-life role results in the others in the cast barely making an impression. Meena and Suvalakshmi have no scope for acting while actors like Jaiganesh, Indu and Manorama have only one or two scenes.

Sarathkumar making such a strong impression may also be because the rest of the movie is so weak. Most of the movie is nothing but a string of incidents, each of which brings out one more side of the too-good-to-be-true Mayi. His visit to the collector's office helps explain why he always sits on the ground while Indu's wedding proves his brotherly ties to women in his village. We also have a corrupt policeman so Sharat Kumar can flex his muscles in a fight sequence.