Writing for "Firstpost" in 2014, S. Srinivasan said the film says people with "families and reputations and clean linen shirts to protect" should normally "avoid messing up with the poor, who have nothing to lose, or the rich, who can swat us like a fly". In another "Firstpost" article, Apoorva Sripathi noted that the hand gestures Jayaram makes in one scene in which he is in deep thought were actually symbols of the AIADMK, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Indian National Congress. She called this an example of Ramaswamy making references to politics in his films. Film historian Mohan Raman said, "Cho was one person who could spout political dialogues and display his brand of wit ... His comedy in ["Guru Sishyan"] was satire-driven ... maybe because he was essentially a stage actor". Rajanayagam states that "Kandu Pudichen" replaying in part at the film's end signifies a trend in Tamil cinema wherein the last song to be played is usually heard earlier in the film.