Depicting two parallel timelines helps the series build momentum with several unanswered questions. This also pays off when a main character is introduced much later in the series. However, what the series, like most dramas and thrillers in Tamil, fails to have is an effective police track. “Endha kaalathula irukeenga? Cyber Crime la irukura technology eh theriyaama irukeenga, (What period are you stuck in? You are not aware of how advanced Cyber Crime technology is),” a senior police officer echoes our frustration — but this line goes wasted as they eventually go back to using out-dated methods to carry their investigation forward. For instance, when the cops try to track the phones of Rayar and co, the latter had already changed their numbers. So the cops come up with a super plan: they contact one of the government officials who is also related to Rayar and get hold of his new number. However, instead of tracking the phone, they try to call and trap him, which he obviously realises, quickly escaping to a new hiding spot.
The show becomes contrived when new people keep rising to power, and the party members and other political parties, who were once a threat, slowly get reduced to being mere puppets. Sengalam is also predictable in the sense that you know who is going to kill whom and who is the betrayer, but the way in which the story unfolds makes for an engaging watch. Flaws and all, the well-etched characters and powerful performances are the backbones of the series. And that is mainly because director Prabhakaran understands the complex world of politics, which consists of both naive and canny politicians who know how to take the next step.