Vishal's long time wish to do a police role has at last been fulfilled, but…

This long list of buts has become a list of drawbacks and though Vishal has fulfilled his ambition through 'Sathyam,' it is a test of patience for viewers.

There are 3 ministers who aspire to occupy the CM's seat. Kota Srinivasa Rao wants to do away with them all and become the CM. He plans to get what he wants with the help of the local gangster Dilli played by Ravi Kale. But before he can do that, the 3 ministers are killed.

The villain breaks his head over the identity of that killer. The police force is also keyed up and the case is handed over to Assistant Commissioner Vishal. In his hunt for the accused, Vishal finds to his utter shock that the culprit is none other than the straightforward police officer who had been the reason for his donning the khaki uniform. "The law should only punish; God should only penalize…" is what the officer had taught him. How had he changed like this? The trials and tribulations that Vishal encounters form the rest of the story.

Vishal's mentor had always maintained that the law will always triumph, so why had he suddenly changed into saying that the law is dead? But as his pupil, Vishal proves that the law can never die. This in short, is the interesting summary of the story, but the many flaws in the screenplay have given rise to apprehension that the film would fare badly at the box office.

Vishal has worked hard to develop the taut physique and a brisk salute appropriate for a police officer. Blazing eyes and straightforward demeanor that he will maintain the sanctity of his khaki uniform have lent strength to his character. But the old concept of how a cop handles politicians, have laid waste all his hard work.

From Sivaji to Surya, all actors have done such cop roles. The audience wants to know what new stuff Vishal is going to show us. And so we wait expectantly till the climax, only to be let down with a feeling of disappointment.

Despite being wounded in the back and thighs, Vishal bashes up the multitude of rowdies who attack him repeatedly like a swarm of bees. This is rather overdone. In the climax scene, Vishal goes on endlessly to get the truth out of the minister. His oratorical skills only leave us yawning.

Transforming from an honest cop to a killer who defies the law, Upendra appears only in a few scenes, but his character portrayal is deep and impressive. Well done, Upendra!

More than doing her job as a TV reporter, Nayantara is more keen on setting aside time to romance with Vishal. Her role is purely to provide the glamour quotient. In the name of humour, Premji gets whacked by Nayantara. These scenes show his utter lack of acting skills. Let's see how he fares in his next film.

Ravi Kale, who acted in 'Kuppi' is actually a stage artiste. He has been wasted in the role of a local rowdy. It's rather sad that he has subject himself to this.

The scenes where children are featured, deviates from the story line and ends in loss of interest.

It is rather noticeable that Harris Jayaraj has not paid enough attention to the background score. The songs "En anbey" and "Pal papbli" are passable. Dialogues by S Gunasekaran are impressive here and there. Cinematographer R D Rajasekaran's hard work is noticeable especially in the car chases.

If new director A Rajasekar's screenplay had given him a helping hand, we could have also shook hands with him.