Arjun Das, Anna Ben, and Vadivukkarasi and her son, played by Yogi Babu, have no connection with one another. However, they are all struggling with severe financial difficulties. Hoping to change their fortunes, each of them takes advantage of an opportunity to make money through fraudulent schemes. In their attempt to multiply their earnings quickly, they themselves become victims of another scam.
After losing not only their own money but also the money they had collected from the public, they are arrested by the police. They manage to escape custody and eventually come together, living as a makeshift family while remaining in hiding.
Meanwhile, a retired police inspector discovers their whereabouts and hatches a plan to make millions by exploiting them. Forced to submit to his blackmail, they return to Chennai and devise another large-scale scam. Whether their plan succeeds or fails forms the central story of Con City, which attempts to portray scams driven by human greed through a comedy backdrop.
Arjun Das, who plays the lead role, steps away from his usual intense and serious screen image to portray a more relaxed character. Although the story belongs to the comedy genre, he isn’t given enough opportunities to showcase his comic timing. Nevertheless, he makes the most of the role and proves throughout the film that he has the potential to succeed as a commercial hero.
Anna Ben plays a woman who is cheated through a scam and later attempts to rebuild her life using the very same fraudulent methods. With her restrained and natural performance, she adds credibility and emotional weight to her character.
Despite the film’s strong emphasis on comedy, Yogi Babu consciously avoids his trademark style and tries something different. Steering clear of his usual body-language humor and punchlines, he attempts to generate laughter through a deliberately gloomy expression and understated performance. However, the experiment doesn’t entirely succeed, and it is only when he occasionally returns to his familiar comic style that he manages to evoke a few laughs.
Vadivukkarasi, who plays Yogi Babu’s mother, delivers a delightful performance that perfectly complements the film’s black comedy tone. Her scenes with Yogi Babu are particularly entertaining, and her expressive acting gives the veteran actress a refreshing new dimension while also providing some of the film’s funniest moments.
The supporting cast—including Akilan, Nandagopal, VTV Ganesh, Deepa Ramanujam, Radha Ravi, Aruldoss, Shaji Chen, Thambi Ramaiah, Ramesh Thilak, Bharadwaj Rangan, Imman Annachi, Ponvannan, Ragu Esakki, and Sadanand—perform their respective roles effectively and without major flaws.
Sean Roldan’s songs are pleasant to listen to, while his background score effectively enhances the pace and energy of the film’s dramatic moments.
Cinematographer Aravind Viswanathan captures the visuals with good technical quality. However, the repeated aerial shots of the city, seemingly intended to justify the film’s title, become somewhat excessive.
Editor Arul Moses A. keeps the screenplay moving without major interruptions. However, the narrative unfolds in a predictable manner, largely matching what the audience is likely to anticipate.
Writer-director Harish Durairaj attempts to present stories of intelligent and carefully planned financial scams within a comedy framework. One interesting creative choice is that the principal characters rarely display overt smiles, lending the film a slightly unusual tone.
At the same time, the screenplay and many of its situations feel overly familiar, creating the impression that viewers have already seen similar stories in numerous other films. As a result, the film progresses without generating much excitement or surprise.
