It revolves around a selfless idealist whose morality declines when he takes to politics, alienating his wife in the process.

The rift between them becomes wider when Thenmozhi refuses to satisfy Ulaganathan's sexual desires, citing his lack of loyalty.

Thenmozhi's brother Suthanthiram, who had run away in childhood, returns and fights for his sister's rights, but fails as he is silenced by Ulaganathan with money.

Once when she is not home, the child which was left in her father's custody, takes infant steps, and is washed away in a flood.

But he mocks her and advises her to join him for the upcoming Independence Day ceremony, which is also their wedding anniversary.

As Ulaganathan expresses happiness about his wife's apparent return to his side, she takes a knife hidden in the garland and stabs him to death.

The police arrest Thenmozhi and Suthanthiram sombrely sits under the Gandhi statue.

Its underlying theme is party switching, a common phenomenon that exists in the country's political system, and its impact on small-time politicians.

[11] According to Erode Thamizh Inban, the song "Kaiyila Kaasu" for which he wrote lyrics was banned by radio stations as it was too political in nature.

[14] A contemporary review from Ananda Vikatan stated that while everyone at the time was using cinema for entertainment, Balachander used it as a weapon to attack the evils of the society.

[15] Jayamanmadhan of Kalki praised the acting of the star cast, Narasimhan's music and Balachander's direction.

Some critics were concerned about the idea that even educated people would be corrupted if they come to politics, while a few others opined that the film did not provide a solution for the problem.