Though Ajith's attempts to revamp his image as an action star started off strongly with Dheena, the following movies have not been as successful. Citizen did rather poorly inspite of the hype while Red was a certified dud. So he's back to trying his luck as a romantic lead where he has had most his successes so far. But Raja proves that a strong story and screenplay are what matter in the movie rather than the image he tries to cultivate.

Raja(Ajith), the owner of a bus company, stubbornly says "No" whenever the issue of his marriage is brought up by his worried parents. Priya(Jyothika), who has run away from home since her father is trying to fix up her marriage without her consent, appears at his house, requesting accomodation until the date of her marriage passes. But she gradually allows everyone to think that she and Raja are in love. Raja's overjoyed parents believe her wholeheartedly and even arrange their engagement. But when Raja breaks it up and exposes her lies, she reveals her past, which also contains the reason for Raja's sadness.

The movie does not start strongly. As in Appu, the need for commercial ingredients takes precedence over character development as Ajith dances with Manthra joyously one moment, only to become a serious man with a sad past the next. The so-called comedy is crude and distasteful and the movie drags forward with little to look forward to. But Jyothika's appearance improves matters. Her ruse to get into Ajith's house is clever and the suspense about Ajith's past and her link to it is well maintained. The sore point during these portions is the comedy(like Ajith's attempts to get Livingston out of his house) which falls flat on its face.

The flashback manages to be everything the movie so far wasnt and primary credit for this goes to Priyanka Trivedi, who steals our hearts as the timid Brahmin girl. With her wide eyes and expressive face, she manages to give Jyothika a run for her money. It is solely because of her performance that we actually feel sorry for her even during the cliched, attempted-rape scene. The romance has its cute moments with both Ajith's pushy attitude and Priyanka's shy nature hitting the right notes. Jyothika has little to do during these portions and is more of a bystander.

Ajith reverts back to his usual looks after trying a whole host of different get-ups and disguises. He looks trimmer than in Red too. Jyothika never has a chance to display good chemistry with him since though the two are never really together almost for the entire movie. Priyanka Trivedi picks up the acting honors effortlessly. Few others in the cast make an impression with Vadivelu performing his usual role of being a pain in the neck. Deva compounds the overall pain with a soundtrack of poor songs.