Whenever a film gets delayed for a significant period of time, the biggest problem it faces upon release is 'aging'. This could be for a variety of reasons - the story is outdated, the plot has been tackled by newer films, the cast is no longer exciting, etc. Karu. Pazhaniappan's Sadhurangam, released now 5 years after it was made, runs across some of these issues. But what affects it more is that its exciting middle game is bookended by a weak opening and a disappointing endgame.

Thiruppathisamy(Srikanth) is an investigative journalist working for Dhisaigal magazine. His articles about the atrocities perpetrated by the rich and the powerful earn him the enmity of politicians, policemen and businessmen alike. So when his girlfriend Indu(Sonia Agarwal) is kidnapped, he has no idea who among his enemies is behind it.

Srikanth's actions as a journalist aren't very exciting as he targets some usual targets and incurs their wrath in a manner similar to what Jeeva did in Ko. But the other sides of his life are portrayed in an interesting manner to keep things moving. His encounters with Sonia are interesting since her character is shaped well, his relationship with his father(Vijayan) is low-key and natural and his short conversations with Ilavarasu and Manobala contain some laughs because of their quips and comments.

After introducing a few bad guys who are familiar and cliched, the film finally does a couple of interesting things. It reveals some unexpected sides of the bad guys' characters and doesn't show us who Srikath is up against. Unlike most films where the hero draws up plans to beat the villain, Srikanth here spends most of the time trying to figure out who the villain is. The anonymous villain's taunts and Srikanth's efforts to uncover him make the proceedings suspenseful and Sonia's efforts to escape from her captives add to the suspense. This combination makes this portion the only part of the film that lives up to its title.

Unfortunately, the high level of suspense concludes in a rather disappointing manner. The person behind the kidnapping is not very interesting or surprising and so the revelation turns out to be a disappointment. The proceedings after we know the identity of the kidnapper are also routine with familiar elements like chases, close misses and fights.

Srikanth makes a believable action hero as he tracks down his unseen foe. As always, Sonia Agarwal's perennial sad look makes it difficult for her to make the romance seem energetic but she is convincing as the terrified kidnap victim, looking for ways to escape. Mahadevan is successful at sounding sincere when he reveals that even bad guys can have a good side while Manivannan has a serious role as Srikanth's boss.