| Director | Ram |
|---|---|
| Genre | drama film |
| Country | India |
Prabhakar (Jiiva) is a Tamil teacher in a private school in west Mambalam area of Chennai, who leads a lonely life in a lodge. He is frustrated and even tries to commit suicide, in a system where knowing one's mother tongue and teaching it is looked down upon by a society craving for material benefits and imbalance in pay structure.
The narration is mostly in a series of flashbacks. Prabhakar, for no fault of his, is at the receiving end, terrorised by cops and on the run after killing a railway booking clerk in a fit of rage. He roams all around the country and joins some sadhus, high on pot and also grows his hair long and keeps a shaggy beard. Finally, he wants to exorcise the devils within and at gunpoint kidnaps a television anchor Yuvaan-Suang (Karunas), who records his life story, in which he confesses to killing 22 people in cold blood.
In the flashback, he reveals his past, his upbringing by a Tamil teacher Poobaal Raavar (Azhagam Perumal) and his childhood sweetheart Anandhi (Anjali), who becomes an obsession for him later in his life. The love between Prabhakar and Anandhi is shown in flashes when Prabhakar is narrating his story to Yuvaan-Suang.
Prabhakar lives in a village and develops a friendship with a neighbouring girl named Anandhi. After a few years, Anandhi's family relocates, and Prabhakar's childhood is marred by tragic events as he loses his mother and grandparents in an accident. His father, a soldier, enrolls him in a boarding school before leaving. There, Prabhakar bonds with Poobal after some initial mischief. Gradually, he begins to see Poobal as a father figure. As the years pass, Prabhakar matures into a young man with a growing interest in Tamil, his favourite subject taught by his beloved teacher.
After completing 12th grade, Prabhakar learns of the tragic death of his beloved teacher, Poobal, in an accident and travels to pay his last respects. There, he encounters Anandhi, whose father also died in the same accident, arguing with another family for a chance to see her father's body. Prabhakar intervenes, engaging in a fistfight to ensure justice is served. This incident deepens the bond between Prabhakar and Anandhi, leading them to meet regularly.
Prabhakar enrolls in college, where his choice to study Tamil is ridiculed by his roommate and a few others. Anandhi's mother does not object to her daughter's affection for Prabhakar, viewing him as a potential source of financial support. At one point, she sells Prabhakar's motorcycle to cover her expenses, but he does not mind. After a few years, Anandhi and her mother are forced to move to her uncle's house in North India due to financial difficulties. Initially, Prabhakar loses contact with her but eventually traces her back to her uncle's home.
Anandhi manages to find Prabhakar, and they share a poignant moment at her uncle's house, where Prabhakar inquires about her health, and Anandhi asks about the time of his departure. He buys her some clothes and promises to keep in touch. However, after a few exchanges of letters, he loses contact with her again.
Meanwhile, Prabhakar secures a job as a Tamil teacher and begins living in a lodge. He struggles with a meager salary and loses focus in his personal life. One night, he intimidates a call centre employee who flees after failing to recite the Tamil verses that a drunken Prabhakar gives him. Following this incident, he encounters a police inspector and is arrested for smoking in public. After being released, he attempts suicide but fails. The police later try to frame him on false charges, but Prabhakar manages to escape and unintentionally kills a railway clerk.
At one point in his life, Prabhakar reconnects with Anandhi, who has become a prostitute. He rescues her from her pimps at gunpoint and plans to leave the city with her to return to his hometown. He leaves her at a women's hostel before encountering Yuvaan-Suang.
The police catch wind of Prabhakar and attempt to apprehend him in his hometown. In a tragic turn of events, both Prabhakar and Anandhi hold hands and run toward an oncoming train, committing suicide at the same spot where Prabhakar's dog died during his childhood.