Karky (Pa. Vijay) is the son of Arokkyasami (Nassar), who wants to win freedom of his people from the shipbuilding owner Rajanayagam (Suman) and his wife Sena (Namitha). Meera (Meera Jasmine) is Rajanayagam's sister. She is a very kindhearted woman who helps Karky. With Meera's help, Karky starts a war against Rajanayagam. Rajayanagam is not only cruel and stone-hearted, but also very cunning and a big fraud. He and his wife play a cunning game and cheat Karky. Karky's mother Valliammai (Khushbu) is initially reluctant to wage war against evil openly as she is afraid of bloodshed. She wanted all workers to live and not die. Rajanayagam crosses all the levels of cruelty. There is no way the situation can be handled peacefully, so Valliammai asks Karky to open a full-fledged war against evil. Then the final war starts between good and evil in which good wins over evil.
Sify wrote "The film is made like an old fashioned steamy tear jerker where good triumphs over evil in the last reel. Characters and milieu look early 20th century, they speak loudly as though they are on a stage without mikes".[4]The Times of India wrote "It is very obvious that a lot of money has been pumped into the venture, but the archaic writing and hackneyed situations never allow ‘Ilaignan’ to grow among the audience and bloom into youth".[5]The New Indian Express wrote "'Illaignan' is neither a seriously meaningful film, nor an engrossing commercial entertainer although the script boasts of a good potential".[6]
