Raja, who does not remember his past and is haunted by vague memories, works with a cook for Arusuvai Ambi. A sequence of events leads Raja to recollect his real identity as Durai and sets out to avenge his family's death and find the truth behind the death of his mentor Deivanayakam, an honest politician.
Chennai Online wrote "Durai is a movie for die-hard Arjun fans".[2]The Hindu wrote, "The 'Action King' lives up to the sobriquet once again — stunts are a major draw of 'Durai'(U/A). It is his treatment of the story that is found wanting".[3] Pavithra Srinivasan of Rediff.com wrote, "If you're a keen Arjun fan, you'll get plenty of opportunities to whistle and cheer. If not, you can at least doze your way through".[4]
