The story begins on a rainy night when Ilangkumaran and Nallavan escape from somewhere and enter Chennai with their past actions unclear. They settle at Pulikutti's residence and find jobs in a petrol bunk. Bharathi comes into Kumaran's life. Her initial wrong belief about him changes as soon as she knows his kindheartedness. Soon, love blooms between them. Kumaran, along with his friends, starts a venture, which grows fast. This makes Pulikutti give an advertisement in a magazine with their photo. Then comes a group chasing for Kumaran and his friends. Within a few minutes, Pichai, a friend of Kumaran, arrives in Chennai and shares some news. Kumaran's old life is shown in the second half, and it is revealed that he is persuaded to be mentally ill because of his father and stepmother's desire for wealth. The film comes to an end after many interesting twists.
The satellite rights of the film were secured by STAR Vijay. The film was given a "U/A" certificate by the Indian Censor Board.
Critical reception
Poraali generally opened to positive reviews. Pavithra Srinivasan of Rediff gave the film 3 out of 5, saying that "Poraali is worth a watch". Indiaglitz stated that "Poraali provides sparkling moments that will linger in our hearts." A critic from filmics wrote that "Porali is definitely an enjoyable entertainer with a big message." Anupama Subramanian of Deccan Chronicle said "Script triumphs after the struggle" Sify rated the film 4/5 stating that "Poraali has its heart in the right place, and Sasikumar’s charismatic, alluring appeal lifts this film considerably." A critic from Top10cinema wrote that "Poraali has multiple issues running horizontally with the main plot laced in the second half." According to NDTV "Samudrakani manages to get his grip back on the narration, knotting it all up into a fairly engaging whole." Selena of Cini.in gave it 4.2 out of 5 and calling "A nice movie with a powerful message narrated with the Samudrakani flavour." Supergoodmovies gave 3/5 and said "There are many interesting things to watch out in Porali." On the contrary, Rohit Ramachandran of Nowrunning.com rated it 2/5 calling the movie "A vague experience" Behindwoods also rated it 2 star stating that "This earnest Porali needed more power." According to IBNLive "Porali lacks finesse and reason".
