Every human in this world
has their own problems.
I'm no different.
But the most important problem
I have is
An identity crisis.
Who am I?
What is my identity?
You belong to our caste.
That's your identity!
I heard men from other castes
are going after our women.
Let's go burn their house down.
Even I check out women
from other castes.
We're Indians, dude.
That's our identity.
The neighborhood guys are doing a
snake dance to celebrate Bangladesh's win.
Let's go ask them.
Even I celebrate my sixes
with a snake dance!
Our religion is our identity, son!
I heard a group near the hillside
is converting people to another religion.
Come on, we'll give them hell.
If my slippers go missing again,
- I'm quitting temple visits altogether.
- Oh, God!
We're all brave men, son.
And that's our identity.
Our college-going girls
aren't wearing dupattas.
Come, we'll warn them.
I wear low-rise pants,
so my underwear shows.
In my hometown, people tried to
impose their own identity on me.
So I moved to Chennai from Salem.
- Good morning, man!
- Morning.
After high school,
I wanted to study engineering.
But my mom made me study agriculture
so I'd stay in farming.
By the time I graduated,
farming was no longer possible
because of the drought.
So, Dad became a wall painter,
and Mom worked under
the 100-day employment scheme.
- Don't cut down trees!
- Move, please.
With the help of people from our town,
she planted 2,000 saplings.
Now imagine telling her
to cut those trees down
to build a road into town.
Do you think she'll stay quiet?
If you keep protesting,
your town's never getting a road.
He's got a point, too.
Either build the road without cutting
down the trees, or get out of here!
People shouldn't try to fix things
without knowing the town's issues.
- Out of my way!
- Sir, it's fine.
Don't build the road.
That's how educated people
end up leaving this town
just to make a living somewhere else.
That temper proves
he's from our caste.
Even when she was sick, Mom worked
in the fields and fainted often.
Even as things got harder,
she was stubborn about farming.
She forced me down her path,
so I gave up farming
and came here for work.
Despite having
a degree in agriculture,
it's the course I signed up for
during an Aadi offer
that's helping me
make a living in Chennai.
For the past four years, it's been
the same company, the same desk,
the same job
And I'm still searching for my identity.
My name is Sathya.
And my age is
Bro, get out!
How long are you gonna be in there?
- Why do you keep knocking?!
- Can't you hurry up?
- He does that all the time.
- What is it?
- I'll finish you!
- Go!
I've stayed in the same mansion
since I came to Chennai.
There's hardly any difference between
Chennai and this mansion.
It's always crowded,
long queues, water scarcity,
- fans fighting over Thala and Thalapathy!
- Hey! I'm a fan of Prashanth!
My actors, Bobby, Vijay,
and my music director
Meet Mani from Madurai.
He spent ten years chasing
his dream of becoming a director,
only to crash and burn in love.
I have a story called
It's All Because of Her.
Want to hear it?
Go on.
It opens with
It opens with
It opens with
This is Vasanth from Tirunelveli.
He can even sell junk to earn money.
Idiyappam!
Thanks, son.
Since Mani had no income and
wanted to make it big in cinema,
the girl he loved broke up with him.
My girl's a religious one, buddy.
You can always find her
in temples.
- But we're different, you know?
- Yeah.
We're Periyarists.
Cut to scene. We're in front
of her mother confessing our love.
Her mother looks me up and down.
The camera slowly zooms in on her
And then she says,
"We don't eat garlic, son."
That was it. I was done!
What do garlic and love
have to do with each other?
Don't you get it, idiot?
If they don't eat garlic,
they won't eat onions either.
So I said, "Get lost, onions!"
and walked away!
Every night, over a free drink,
he keeps retelling his failed love story,
irritating everyone.
This is a kind of love.
Baby, you said you've got
a surprise for me?
What is it?
What's this?
You've got an amazing tattoo.
Remember, Naveen?
He just finished
his tattoo course.
Vasanth's been talking
to a girl from Bangalore
whom he met through a wrong number.
Now he's forgotten his Tirunelveli Tamil
- and speaks fluent Bangalore Tamil.
- Yes!
- Exactly.
- His only goal is to
find a job in Bangalore.
But he made sure
I was poked right!
Didn't the poking hurt, baby?
This is another kind of love.
I will gut your heart out
like a goat!
Even if you slit me
and throw my heart away,
it'll still say, "I love Chimbu!"
"I love Chimbu!"
"I love Chimbu!"
This too is love!
Everyone has their own love story.
But me?
No girl's ever stopped me for a ride
or to ask for directions.
The only thing I've heard them
tell me is
Excuse me?
"Excuse me."
I lived a life I hated and despised.
Then one day,
a girl walked in and made it
worth loving and cherishing.
#01 YOU, ME,
THE RAIN, AND AN UMBRELLA.
I still remember when
I first met Viji.
You didn't come in yesterday?
Yeah, I went to my friend's wedding.
The older we get,
the more wedding invites we get,
and it's frustrating.
Excuse me.
She was writing down the name
I would whisper until my last breath.
- You first.
- No, it's alright.
- It's fine.
- I insist.
She mistook me.
She took me the wrong way.
She took me the wrong way!
Did she?
She read it all wrong.
Dang it!
What's wrong?
Anyway
You didn't turn up yesterday, right?
We got a new trainee.
She was gorgeous!
Her name's Viji!
She must be around
Twenty-something
Sorry.
I didn't mean to do it.
It was just an instinct.
What do you mean?
I don't understand.
It's okay.
I misunderstood you.
I'm Vijayalakshmi.
You can call me Viji.
I'm Sathya.
You can call me...
Call him bro, then.
You can call me
whatever you like.
We've become so close that
she calls me "da."
Despite being close,
some bonds just don't turn into love.
I didn't want ours
to suffer the same fate,
so I'm pulling every trick I've got.
Like snow that fell on spider webs,
her face was filled with
tiny raindrops.
Her lips are like
an inverted Thirukkural.
The lower line is slightly bigger
than the upper one.
For guys like me,
getting down on one knee
and proposing won't do the trick.
But on a softly scented night,
with a chill in the air,
maybe we'd get a yes.
Viji?
I've been meaning
to tell you something
What is it?
Just as I was about to
express my love,
the open sewer
turned my night sour!
- I'll get going. Tanu's here.
- Okay.
I'll be back on Sunday. Okay?
- Get home safe.
- Alright.
Bye!
Did she just text you a "K"?
Yep.
She could send you 100 free messages.
But still, she replied
with a single letter.
She's definitely in love with you, man.
No one asked for your advice.
Flirt with your girl instead.
I can't.
Why not?
She'll get caught if I call her.
Her cousin's in town, it seems.
So she's showing him around Bangalore.
She posted about it on Orkut, too.
Look!
Isn't she scrumptious?
Look how she's showing him the city!
That's her cousin?
Yeah!
He's from Delhi, apparently.
Hey, Cutout!
Santhosh?!
Is that you?
Not bad.
Talking without the "da" now?
You still haven't
forgotten the past, have you?
Alright, serve me.
- Congratulations!
- Okay, okay.
Bring me some water, Sathya!
So
You fell at my feet
in front of your parents that day
to pick up leftover leaf plates?
I work in the accounts department
in a company called Step Up.
This is just a part-time job.
Are you married?
I don't have plans for it now.
But I'm an eligible bachelor.
A bachelor?
So you're unmarried.
You were the oldest in our class, right?
You must be 30-something, right?
I'm 29.
One year doesn't make
much of a difference.
There's only a one-year difference
between 28 and 29.
But between 29 and 30?
There's a huge difference, dude.
Okay, whatever.
He was my classmate in college.
Just because his father is a politician
who owns mills, schools, and colleges,
he's an arrogant brat
who doesn't respect people.
One day, when he talked big,
I thrashed him.
The next day, he ran to his father
and demanded
- a public apology from me.
- Sathya,
why are you scared of him?
The entire village is here.
You'll be humiliated
if you fall at his feet, son.
You
What are you thinking?
Sathya!
If you fall at his feet now,
I swear I'll never speak to you again!
Even though Mom told me never to apologize
when I've done nothing wrong,
- I fell at his feet to settle the problem.
- Let go of me.
Humiliated by that,
my mom stopped talking to me.
I thought I would never see him
again in my life.
But
Sathya, my boy!
Come here.
What can I get for you?
- I'd like some rasam, please.
- Hey.
Bring some rasam here.
Wait. I'll take it.
I said I'll handle it.
- What's this?
- Rasam.
- I asked for buttermilk.
- You moron.
He asked for buttermilk,
and you brought rasam?
- Take it away.
- Okay.
Hey, where's the
buttermilk bucket?
Are you bringing it here,
or should I come there?
Hey! Won't "Sir" serve me?
- Does it really matter?
- Hold on.
- Bro, I'll do it.
- Zip it, will you?
- Okay, right!
- I'll go.
Who piled so much food
onto the kid's plate?
That's enough.
Enough, man.
That's enough.
Hey!
Didn't I tell you that's enough?
I'm telling you the same.
That's enough.
What happened, dude?
Why are you getting angry?
They'll talk this out.
Any problem, Santhosh?
Go on, eat.
What have you even achieved
to act this arrogantly?
Was this a love marriage?
- Nope.
- I knew it.
You've got no identity of your own.
Your dad set you up with
a comfortable seat beside him
and even picked a bride for you.
You'll always be
daddy's little boy, won't you?
What's so hilarious about
being a bachelor?
Feeling proud about getting laid
ahead of us?
The minute we turn 30,
girls' families reject our horoscopes.
Companies reject our job applications.
And on top of that,
boomers like him chew our ears off
asking, "Why aren't you married yet?"
We have to deal with all that,
put our own lives on hold,
and work for our families
instead of starting one of our own.
Now that's a bachelor!
The pain of still being single at 29
Guys like you, living off daddy's money,
wouldn't get it, dude.
Long live you two!
Come on, guys.
TRIPLICANE'S MANORAMA MANSION
TO BE DEMOLISHED
Baby, please? Come online, please!
I'm begging you. Please? For my sake.
Every apartment has
that one little room on the terrace
rented out for bachelors like us.
The three of us moved into one such room
after the mansion was demolished.
Baby!
Is this why you were shy
because you're half-dressed?
It's okay, baby.
There's nothing to hide between us.
Even in this, you look beautiful.
Baby, there's someone behind you.
No one's here, darling.
There
Behind your cupboard
That white shorts guy
Now he ran in!
- Shucks!
- Sathya, come here quickly!
Hey, what is it?!
A thief broke into her room!
Bro, she's not fully covered,
but she's covered. Help her, man!
Can't you see him?
He's right behind you, baby.
This is why I told you to eat carrots.
Dude, someone's there
inside her cupboard, right?
What if it's a ghost?
Vasanth, I'm freaking out!
Hey! Hey!
Baby?
Baby!
Baby!
Baby!
You saw that thief, right?
Baby
Dude,
do you really think
he's a thief?
Of course!
Can't you tell?
Don't you dare suspect my girl.
God
I got a text from her saying
she was feeling low
and didn't want to stay home.
She asked if we could meet.
#02 THE SEA, THIS DAMNED LOVE,
AN EXCLAMATION MARK!
It was fun, right?
One second.
What is he doing?
- Okay, thank you!
- Complete nut case.
Hi!
Settled into the new house?
We will, eventually.
Hey,
you said you were feeling low.
Is everything okay?
I told my mother
I was feeling feverish.
She shouted at me,
saying I was lying
just to escape doing the laundry.
She thinks of me as a burden.
She doesn't love me anymore.
Why don't you check
if I'm running a fever?
What are you looking at?
Give me your hand.
See?
I have it, right?
Oh, my!
You're burning up!
You've got a nice new fragrance on you.
What perfume did you use?
Rotomac.
I finally feel at peace.
Can we get in the water?
What's wrong?
The sea always reminds me
of the movie Titanic.
I've seen it 20 times, maybe.
Oh, yeah?
Alright, tell me
your favorite scene from it.
The one where the hero
wins tickets in a rummy game
and runs to board the ship?
That's my favorite!
I've seen girls who
casually touch while talking.
But Viji is not like that.
Her standing in the sea,
holding a guy's hand
That's not a small thing.
But
I didn't want to live
with the uncertainty
of where I stood in her life.
I'm going to the shore.
I felt like I was
confusing friendship with love.
I could've made girls look at me
if I had some talent like Titanic's Jack.
But I can neither draw nor write poetry.
I can't even play a guitar.
You know,
the voice inside my head is much
more interesting than what I speak.
But she can't hear it, right?
Or can she?
Let me try.
Viji
Hi, dear.
Would you like to buy
some flowers?
Look at her hair.
It looks empty without flowers.
Who even has
such lengthy hair these days?
Buy her some, will you?
Is it a law for lengthy hair
to have flowers on it?
Ask her yourself
if she wants flowers.
Over here, ma'am.
Poor girl's going to suffer with him.
Come, let's go.
Sathya?
Sathya!
Wait, Sathya.
What is it?
What do you think of yourself?
I'm a girl and dropping you so many hints.
Don't you get it?
I waited six months
thinking you'd propose,
but you kept putting it off
for some reason!
When she wanted you
to buy me some flowers,
why did you get irritated?
I thought you'd never touch me
And even lied about having a fever.
And you're still acting dumb?!
When I asked about
your favorite scene in Titanic,
you said you liked that rummy scene!
I'll k*ll you.
What's taking you so long?
Tell me!
I
I was looking for a special place
to propose.
Yeah, right.
Don't make me cuss.
In buses, temples, and even in
public toilets, people etch their names
Expressing their love.
You could've written our names
in the sand,
drawn a heart, and proposed!
Instead, he was bothered
about the pit we were digging.
You are so dumb!
I've been trying to stay calm
and be a good girl.
But you're testing my patience.
So, will you finally say you love me,
or should I walk away?
What?
Wait here, okay?
- Where are you going?
- Just stay there.
Sathya?
Stay right here.
Come with me.
- What happened?
- Come here.
- Where?
- Come.
What is it?
This is that special place.
What's so special about this place?
We're still on the shore.
If you walk away from this spot,
you'll hear the traffic blaring.
Walk toward the sea,
and you'll hear the waves crashing.
Okay, and?
But at this spot,
you can neither hear the traffic
nor the waves crashing.
Just the deafening sea breeze.
Don't believe me?
Go check for yourself.
Alright.
Hey
You're right.
As you said,
I can only hear the breeze.
The one that you hear from a conch?
That's what I hear.
Are you ready to look me in the eye
like this for the rest of your life?
Gosh, you're so romantic!
I don't know how
or what you're going to do.
You're buying me flowers
from that lady before we leave.
Okay? Come.
Can't walk around with these heels.
It hurts.
Here, hold these.
It's getting late. Come on.
Come!
Come fast.
Is that your girl?
Enjoy!
I'm a beautiful girl's boyfriend.
That's my identity now.
The sky rained love.
The earth soaked it in.
The sky rained love.
The earth soaked it in.
Seeds broke free to grow.
New plants began to show.
Flowers bloomed so fair.
They longed to rest in your hair.
Where you walk The flowers turn.
Drawn to you in quiet grace.
Even thorns long in silence.
To be the flower
You might pick one day.
All flowers fade and fall away.
But the one you chose that day.
Even the one you wore and threw.
Still holds the scent of you.
Its journey ends in grace.
It finds its heaven there.
- Viji?
- Yeah?
- Did you see this?
- What is it?
- Here.
- What is it?
Hey!
You somehow bought it?
Okay, hold this.
I'll look at it when I'm back.
I'm running late. Okay?
- Hey...
- Yes, Sathya?
Are you in the office?
I'm just starting from home.
#03
ANNA SALAI, BUS GRAFFITI
Power cut there too?
It just went off here.
As soon as summer comes,
the power cuts start.
Why are you still here?
Has the MD come?
Looks like it's a two-hour
power cut today, sir.
It'll be back by noon.
- Okay, sir.
- It was a Friday.
She had just washed her hair.
Not the usual well-combed single braid.
Just a casual knot on her damp hair.
A bit of jasmine held her hair in place,
like a paperweight holds paper.
She looked like
a perfectly wrapped gift.
I think she went to the temple
in the morning.
She smelled divine, like a temple.
- Hello?
- Yes!
It's hard to work without the AC.
Yeah.
Power won't be back for two hours.
What do we do until then?
Didn't we plan
to go by bus once?
Yeah!
Shall we take the bus today then?
We're going!
You're right!
Going on the bus is actually fun!
What, Viji?
Honestly, why did you
fall in love with me?
I don't know.
I swear, I don't know!
Why do you ask?
I thought you'd say
you liked my character,
that you think I'm a good person,
or that I remind you of your mom.
But all you did was
talk about my eyes, lips, face, and hair,
just my looks.
It does sound nice,
but
Do you really love me, Sathya?
Look, love needs no reason.
If it does, it isn't love.
Even Shakespeare said so.
But you want a reason.
Fine.
Let's do it your way.
Why are you in love with me?
Is it my character?
I don't even give money
to the homeless
or help the blind cross the road.
Why do you love me?
Actually, I like your inner voice.
You mean "Seelay"?
What does that mean?
I call that voice Seelay.
Oh!
Then it's Seelay that I like.
I don't know why I like you either,
but I trust you completely.
I asked myself
the same question Viji asked.
I had no answer.
She loves my inner voice.
Someday, the inner voice
that praises her beauty
will admire her character
and fall for that, too.
And someday,
she'll hear that too.
#04 SEELAY
Hello, where are you guys?
Alright, come fast. Okay.
Bye.
Sathya, they're almost here.
They'll be here in ten minutes.
Why is your button open?
The only thing
I know about Viji is that
she wants to become an IAS officer.
But I wanted to know
about her school days,
her favorite teacher,
and the subject she hates.
So I thought I'd meet her friends
and get to know her better.
Now it's okay.
Do I look okay?
Hello?
Give me a minute!
Hey, Mr. Sathya!
Vasanth said you're out on your bike
with a girl every day.
You didn't even tell me.
I'm talking to you!
Are you two eloping or what?
Hello? Hey!
Do you have a photo of her?
Show me right now!
No sense of timing at all.
All my thoughts kept
going back to my mother.
Whenever she took up road issues
or lake issues, we'd clash.
Because of that,
we haven't spoken in four years.
If she dies while we're still not talking,
my whole life would feel meaningless.
Hosur! Hosur!
Come on, hop in!
Viji, is that him?
Hold this.
Thank God you're here!
I was worried you'd taken an Omni bus.
Finally, I saw you.
This will do.
Where's your phone?
I tried calling you.
First, it kept ringing,
then it switched off.
When you rushed off, saying your mom
was sick and you had to leave,
I got scared.
I didn't know what to do.
Then my friends showed up.
They just asked where you were
and what happened,
and I started crying.
Meet my friends.
- Hi!
- This is Amritha.
-Lakshana,
-Hi.
- Jayashree, and Divya.
- Hi. Hello.
Sorry. We were supposed
to meet at the park,
but we ended up meeting you all
at the bus stop instead.
That's okay, boss.
We'll meet another day.
We'll wait outside.
You guys continue.
Alright? Let's go.
Sorry, I didn't mean to do it.
My phone switched off.
Since I came here in a hurry,
I couldn't charge it.
Namakkal, Salem!
Namakkal, Salem! Salem!
Namakkal, Salem, Salem!
Namakkal, Salem, Salem!
Should I leave?
Hey, wait a minute.
- Just shut up. I'm warning you!
- Hey, Divya! Stop!
- Give it. You could've stayed there.
- Sorry, sorry!
Don't start the bus yet, bro.
Sathya, take this.
There's a water bottle and
a banana for when you get hungry.
I know you might not feel like eating
because of your mom,
but please don't stay hungry, okay?
Just seeing you will
give her strength again.
Please, at least talk to her now.
Call me once you reach.
CHENNAI
SALEM
I left her alone at the park
just like that.
Why would she come after me?
That too with her friends?
When girls leave town,
I've seen their boyfriends
send them off with water bottles
and a few books to read,
right here at CMBT.
But I've never seen someone like her.
Seelay, Seelay
My dear Seelay
HEY, JUST PICK UP THE PHONE ONCE.
DON'T RIDE TOO FAST.
YOUR MOM WILL BE FINE.
Seelay, Seelay
My only Seelay
SHOULD I COME TO THE VILLAGE
WITH YOU TO SEE AUNTIE TOO?
WHICH BUS STAND ARE YOU LEAVING FROM?
DO YOU HAVE MONEY ON YOU?
This love I feel, I must confess
It won't let my heart rest.
It aches to tell you why.
The words that echo deep in me
Did they find their way to you?
My eyes can't hold it in.
You asked me that day
if I fell for your beauty?
No.
This is the character you asked for.
This is why I love you.
If you ask me suddenly,
I won't be able to phrase it perfectly.
That's how I am.
I grew up that way.
My inner voice kept yelling,
"Everyone, look!
That's my girl!"
Sir, ticket?
Where are you going, sir?
Brother, one ticket to Salem.
Make it two.
Seelay, Seelay
My dear Seelay
Who else needs a ticket?
Seelay, Seelay
My only Seelay
Like the moon that moves
Upon the river's face.
Like a beam of light
Touched by rain's embrace.
Your light that shines
So deep and true.
My life within the love I keep
Love of my life, it's you, just you.
Seelay, Seelay
My dear Seelay
Seelay, Seelay
My dear Seelay
Seelay, Seelay
My dear Seelay
Seelay, Seelay
My only Seelay
Seelay, Seelay
My dear Seelay
Seelay, Seelay
My dear Seelay
Are you happy now?
Okay, bye.
From now on, tell her to rest
instead of working
at the canal and the lake.
Even on her deathbed,
your wife won't change, will she?
I've had enough, Dad.
I'm going back to Chennai.
Stop, dear.
She won't change her mind.
And you won't step down either.
You two aren't going to
speak to each other in this lifetime.
For my sake,
stay here for a week.
So she can at least see you.
She'll be all right.
Hey, she's here.
I didn't expect that
You would listen to me
and stay here.
You've become calmer
and more composed.
Whatever the reason,
I'm happy about it.
There's a girl, Dad.
Her name is Viji.
I look at myself
But I'm not the same.
How do I tell you
That you're my world?
You walked in
As the wings of my soul.
Seelay, Seelay
My dear Seelay
You're the joy
That stole my heart away
I search for you
As my eyes grow dim each day.
Take my hand and guide me home.
Seelay, Seelay
My only Seelay
Like a night that never fades away
And a story that never ends.
My soul searches for you in every beat
You're the rhythm that makes me complete.
Even the moon will rest one day
Close its eyes and drift away.
But our love won't lose its ray.
Seelay, Seelay
My dear Seelay
Seelay, Seelay
My dear Seelay
Seelay, Seelay
My dear Seelay
Seelay, Seelay
My only Seelay
Seelay, Seelay
My dear Seelay
Seelay, Seelay
My dear Seelay
What are you doing
on my computer?
I'm checking if you've got
adult videos.
Check his computer.
You'll get it.
In this restless, spinning world.
You gave me a lap
Where worries sleep.
You became my forever.
You came to me, my love
I'm drenched by something unseen
I'm lost for words to express my love.
Distance means nothing
I'm close to you in every memory.
Even the moon will rest one day
Close its eyes and drift away.
But our love won't lose its ray.
Seelay, Seelay
My dear Seelay
Seelay, Seelay
My dear Seelay
Do you always have to
bring a gift?
Seelay, Seelay
My dear Seelay
Seelay, Seelay
My only Seelay
Seelay, Seelay
My dear Seelay
Seelay, Seelay
My dear Seelay
Have a sweet.
- What's the occasion?
- It's my 100th interview.
That's why.
No, thanks!
Sit down, please.
Here, ma'am.
What is this?
What's wrong, ma'am?
You filled the "sex" column
as "I'm waiting"?!
Idiyappam!
That was out of frustration, ma'am.
Sorry, ma'am.
What the hell is this?
And you've filled your
area of interest as "Bangalore"?!
Idiyappam!
Oh, that's where my girl lives.
What the hell is this?
Your degree certificate has
Maruthi Printers' logo on it.
It's a fake certificate!
Idiyappam!
- Get out! Get lost!
- Ma'am
#05
FOUR LIPS AND ONE KISS
Get away!
Didn't you say you'd
be back only at night?
Listen. I'm furious, man.
Don't make it worse!
I want to drink in peace.
Fine.
How did it go over there?
It all went to hell.
My producer's last movie was a total flop.
He won't be able to finance it
for the next two years.
This is all because of her!
This is her doing!
- Who?
- My ex, of course.
My whole life fell apart
the day she left me.
- He got sweets for his 100th interview.
- Go take a look.
I'll k*ll him if he didn't
get selected today.
Sathya
- There's a girl asking for you.
- Sathya?
Is she your girlfriend?
Move, please.
Why are you here?!
- Did anyone see you come?
- Nope.
Hey, can I show her around?
Just keep quiet.
Feel at home, sister.
Viji, meet Mani.
- My close friend.
- Oh.
Hi!
Nice meeting you.
Remember the slap I gave you?
Why bring that up now?
Don't mind me.
I'll take my drinks elsewhere.
- Anyway, my beers are getting warm...
- It's alright.
- No worries, you can drink here.
- Oh, no, no.
If I stay, neither of us can do
what we want.
- What are you doing, man?
- I'll leave you two be.
Have fun! Bye!
- Dude! Dude!
- But it's raining...
Sathya!
I'm leaving my slippers here.
I'm heading out!
Turn up the TV to drown out the noise.
Call me if you need anything! Bye!
Pickle!
The perfect pairing!
I know why he left us alone.
You're sick,
and I just came to check on you.
But if you don't behave,
I'll k*ll you.
What's this?
Idiyappam!
Just put it back.
My head's already k*lling me.
Feels like I'm seeing you after years.
Since you got back,
you've been on sick leave.
Thought I'd pay you a visit.
But I didn't know
your friend would be here.
I'm sorry.
Screw him.
Okay, when are you planning
to tell your mom about us?
- Okay, don't tell her.
- Hey.
It's not like I don't want to.
Will you hear me out, please?
I want to become an IAS officer.
That's been my dream.
Everything else is secondary.
Only then will my mother
take me seriously.
Do you understand?
Until then, I want you to stay calm,
like that snake in Chandramukhi.
No hissing, no dancing.
Just be a good boy, okay?
Hey, you're burning up.
What did the doctor say?
You don't know?
You sent me "those" texts all night,
and now you're asking me?
You don't know?
You don't?
What the hell is this?
An orange dupatta?
And it's got Hindi on it.
- Yeah.
- Alright, tell me what this is.
This is the letter "Y."
This?
This is "O."
And this?
That's "M."
"M"?
What about this?
Why do we need a third language
when we have our glorious Tamil?
Get your hands off me!
Take your hands off me!
I'm only against its imposition,
not the language itself.
When desire creeps in,
love doesn't stop for red
or go on green.
It's like a flashing orange light
in the middle of the night.
You've got to tread carefully.
Dude?
Hey
Viji left?
Not yet.
Will leave in a while.
You can come in.
Is this really our room?
My lungi is
Now a curtain!
Forgive me, my Lord.
- Hey
- Careful, man.
Careful.
- Dinner's ready?
- Yes, please sit.
Sit.
I made it all.
Tell me if you like it.
Enough.
You're not hungry?
- You first.
- Eat with him.
Let him eat.
Long live home-cooked food!
It's been three years
since I last ate at home.
All thanks to her!
- Slowly, slowly. Have some water.
- Don't cry!
I thought you would've pounced on
each other since the room was all yours.
But you tidied it up
and cooked dinner, instead!
So you're a good girl.
Who said we didn't?
Oh, my. That was unexpected!
Very good.
Good to know that.
I've been there,
and I can relate to this.
- Is that rasam? Can I have some?
- Yes.
Thank you, that'll do.
Pour some in my hand, please.
Why did you two split up?
Did you try to win her back?
You see, in the beginning,
chemistry is all love needs.
But as time goes on,
you need math, too.
Math is very important, you know?
I wasn't born with a silver spoon,
unfortunately.
I fled to Chennai because
cinema's my everything.
And years flew away in a blink.
How long will she keep
taking care of me?
She fought with me
and went away.
I pooled in all the cash I had
and looked for her everywhere.
But when I couldn't bear my hunger
after the third day,
I gave up.
These days,
even a pair of slippers
Gets on my nerves!
When I go into the bathroom
to console myself,
I dunk my head in a bucket of water
and cry my heart out.
And to ease my physical needs, I
Hey, hey!
Oh.
Sorry, sister.
I shouldn't have said that.
Sorry, man.
But
The food was fantastic.
He's really lucky to have you!
Hey, wait.
I'm not done talking.
Wait.
Sister,
being in love is an amazing feeling.
You can sit with your loved ones,
look back on all the trouble
you got into and your glory days,
and laugh your heart out.
But talking about your failed love story,
telling everyone how you blew it
just for free drinks
- Alright.
- That's the worst kind of pain.
Time to sleep.
- Hey, let go of me! I wasn't done!
- Come on, man!
Listen up, Viji.
If you
Decide to break up with my buddy
because your mother
or your father disapproved of him,
- I swear I won't let you rest in peace!
- Hey!
- Shut up!
- Oh, don't shush me!
-I may be drunk now,
-That's enough.
- But I meant every word.
- Shut up, man.
Bye.
What's the matter?
TEA ESTATE OWNER'S DAUGHTER
CLEARS IAS EXAM
Okay, hold this. I'll look at it when
I'm back. I'm running late. Okay?
- Hey...
- Yes, Sathya?
Are you ready to look me in the eye
like this for the rest of your life?
I want to become an IAS officer.
Don't hesitate to follow your heart, dear.
Honestly, why did you
fall in love with me?
I swear, I don't know!
In the beginning,
chemistry is all love needs.
But as time goes on,
you need math, too.
Math is very important.
Viji?
Viji
Yes?
I've been watching you since morning.
What are you thinking?
What's wrong?
It's nothing.
Your face doesn't say that, Viji.
I'm resigning.
What are you saying, Viji?
Who did you ask before deciding this?
Why would I need to ask anyone?
I make my own decisions.
You should've asked me!
We are in love with each other.
We can't make individual
decisions anymore.
It has to be "our" decision.
Tell me this, then.
What did you want to become growing up?
I just wanted to be a grown-up.
Answer me, Viji!
Come on in!
Love you, Hema!
Why do you keep tailing me?
Most of them know that I love you.
- They don't know it's mutual now.
- So what if they do?
Everyone and everything back home
knows about us.
Tell me, Viji!
Because I'm done hiding our relationship.
Guys! Wait, wait!
I'm sorry.
Guys, guys, guys!
May I have your attention?
Sathya and I are in a relationship.
Relationship?
- What about Manoj?
- Shut up, idiot.
What about me?
Viji, are you okay?
It's alright.
It's not like he's the only man around.
Will you shut up?
You have no idea what love is.
Please tell me he's pranking us all.
You expect us to randomly believe
- that you're dating him?
- Are you pranking us?
How do I prove it to them?
If we were married,
I'd have shown my thaali.
But
Hey, my neck hurts.
Can you bend down a little?
I felt my identity slowly slipping away
the moment Viji said
she wanted to pursue IAS.
It felt like graduation day.
Viji's 21, and I'm 29.
I'd never felt the age gap between us
when we were walking side by side.
But the moment she stepped ahead,
she felt miles away,
like a fading speck in the distance.
If you love me,
if we're meant to be together,
and if you can still hear me,
just turn around and look at me, Viji.
Viji
Viji
I've always told every couple I met
they'd end up together,
just to spare them the heartbreak.
Until I met you two.
You and she
aren't meant for each other.
One day, you're going to suffer a lot.
Come on, dance with us!
Everything may seem fine
until it's her turn.
One day, she'll show you
who she really is.
That'll shake you to your core.
I'm not sure if I can stand again.
I don't know if I'll open my eyes.
All I can hear is her laugh
and the sound of the rain.
Viji?
Viji!
Viji
#06 A DRIFTING KITE
IN THE COLD BREEZE
Cultural understanding
of health and disease
explains how communities
interpret illness through their beliefs.
Viji was dead set on clearing
her IAS exams this year.
Mani was knocking on
every production company's door
to get his script approved.
Vasanth got a job in Bangalore
and settled down with his girlfriend.
Sir!
Thank you so much, sir.
But me?
Without Viji
and no will to work,
I felt completely lost!
I'm wilting away, my flower.
My sweet summer bloom
Because of you.
Why did you come?
I told you I'd take the bus.
I wanted to see you.
-I'm wilting away, my flower
-Okay, let's go.
My sweet summer bloom
Because of you.
Since my love has drifted away.
I'm a poet reborn today.
You're okay, right?
I wanted to see you,
but I just couldn't find the time.
My prelims are in two days.
I understand, Viji.
The moon above whispers my ache.
The earth below bears what I take.
-The moon above whispers my ache
-Do you always have to bring a gift?
The earth below bears what I take.
Between the heavens and the earth.
Why are we so far apart, my love?
- What's wrong?
- It's just that
Sometimes I wish I could
meet my dad, just once.
Why?
To ask him why he left?
I've never even seen
a picture of him.
His name is Kurunila Kathiravan.
That's all I know about him.
No matter what,
I would never leave you, Viji.
I'm wilting away, my flower.
My sweet summer bloom
Because of you.
- What else?
- Viji,
this kind of question only comes up
after we've talked for a while.
Don't you have anything else to say?
Alright, get some rest.
Wake me up at four, okay?
Okay.
- Love you, da.
- Love you.
You are the endless sky
I am the world below.
You are a silver cloud.
- Still awake?
- I am a broken sliver, incomplete.
By losing myself in you
I have unraveled my soul.
I'm wilting away, my flower.
Open it.
What is this?
Okay, you can go.
- Are you taking over for Viji?
- Yes.
- Are you married?
- Yeah.
I love you.
Good thing she didn't catch that.
- Hello.
- Can I speak to Sathya sir?
Yes, ma'am.
How did your exams go?
Pretty well.
But the mains are tougher.
I've only got four months.
I need to study really hard.
Anyway, where are you?
At work.
I need to go somewhere tomorrow.
Can you take me?
What's this?
Hitting Enter gives me an error.
I knew it.
I was wondering
why you were being so nice.
Don't make it sound like
I'm only being nice to get a ride.
Alright, I'll take you.
Mind telling me why?
#07 FALLEN ROSES
Hey, Sathya!
Look over there.
That's Rukmini auntie,
my Hindi teacher.
She sings really well.
And that man over there is her husband.
These are all his paintings.
She really does look like an angel.
Stop drooling.
Hello.
Hi.
Do you like my artwork?
You have very nice paintings.
Thank you.
- What?
- I just realized
it's hard to look someone
in the eye when they're taller than you.
- Sorry, what?
- Height, height.
- Looking for someone?
- Yeah, my favorite painting.
Okay.
Viji, is that Sathya?
Oh, my God!
Look at the way he's admiring you!
It's the first time he's seeing me
in a lehenga.
He's melting!
- Put the bags in the car.
- Sure, ma'am.
- Bro, go get the umbrella.
- Viji.
Please sit.
So, Sathya,
has Viji mentioned me?
Yeah, she was just talking about you,
but then
And then what?
I interrupted
- like a total buzzkill?
- No, not at all.
Viji was my student.
She lived in our building
when she was in school.
I used to call her Radha.
I don't even know why.
You used to come to my Hindi classes
- back then, right?
- Yes.
- Remember any of it?
- Yes.
She's taught me a bit of Hindi too.
You
Hey, that sounds like
some kind of code word.
No, no, it's nothing.
- Okay, I'm running late for my flight.
- Okay, ma'am.
- I'll leave now.
- Okay.
Do you want me to drop you somewhere?
- No.
- I have my bike. I'll manage.
In this rain?
And it's a pretty long way, isn't it?
Let's do one thing.
- Pooja.
- One second.
When is our checkout?
Tomorrow at 11 a.m.
- Okay, give me my key.
- Yes.
- Thank you.
- It's okay, ma'am.
This is my room key.
You can use it.
- We're leaving anyway, so
- But
Freshen up, grab something to eat,
and relax for a bit, okay?
No, it's okay.
We'll manage.
- It's okay.
- Don't be so formal with me.
Do you like the lehenga?
It's beautiful.
I called you here to give you this.
Okay, dear, I'll get going.
Stay in touch.
- It was nice meeting you.
- Nice meeting you.
Bye.
Bye.
I was
The bag
I'll just use the restroom.
Oh, no.
Yes, Mom.
She was really nice to me.
She even gave me a beautiful lehenga.
I'm wearing it now.
Yes, I came with a friend.
Sathya
I've told you about him.
Anyway, did you eat?
Okay then, go get some sleep.
I'll get home safe.
Bye.
What are you doing?
Hey!
Viji, do you remember?
Before we started dating,
when you'd travel home
late at night in an auto-rickshaw,
I told you to act like
you were calling home.
To tell your mom when you'd get home
and give her the license plate number.
I told you to do that so the driver
wouldn't mess with you.
But I never imagined
You'd use that trick on me.
What are you even saying?
I don't get it.
Be honest with me.
Was that really your mom?
No.
Why, Viji?
Are you ever going to trust me?
How could I?
The moment we got the room key,
where did you run off to?
What's in your pocket?
See for yourself.
There was a stall downstairs.
I saw these earrings and thought
they'd match your dress perfectly.
Why do you do this?
Why do you always
get me something?
Do you always have to
bring a gift?
I want everything around you
to remind you of me, Viji.
To me, that's a real achievement.
I am not your "achievement," Sathya.
I'm not your trophy,
please understand that.
I'm fighting to become an IAS officer.
You need to find something
to fight for, too.
Set a goal and go for it!
There won't be time
for any of this then.
We aren't the same anymore, Viji.
I wake you up,
I take you places you want to go,
yet sometimes you just leave
without looking back.
Don't get me wrong.
But lately,
I feel more like your driver.
I'm not interested
in anything else, Viji.
I just want to see you,
talk to you,
make you laugh,
and make you think of us.
When I get you something like this,
you kiss me and hold me tight.
That's enough for me!
To me, that's love.
I can't think beyond that.
Fine.
You say you can't think beyond this.
Then don't.
Just see what "this" actually is.
What are you even saying, Viji?
Stop blabbering.
I'm serious, Sathya.
Holding hands and touching shoulders
as we walk,
riding over speed bumps,
sharing a drink with two straws,
choosing corner seats at the theater,
what is it all for?
It's just a way to savor love
in small bits, isn't it?
Thinking about what it is,
how it feels,
whether you can see it
or feel it,
where to meet next,
how to move forward,
these thoughts take over everything,
don't they?
So let's see what it is today.
No, Viji.
Stop.
Let's just leave.
What now?
Are you about to give me the
"wait till marriage" speech?
I don't believe in all that.
Does it really matter
if it's before or after marriage?
Are you coming,
or should I just leave?
I don't think you really mean
any of this, Viji.
This feels wrong.
Only the mind knows
right from wrong.
But the heart
only knows whether it wants it or not.
What does your heart want, Sathya?
Do whatever you want,
my heart's just not in it.
Let's go.
I'm leaving.
I don't know whether what Viji
said was right or wrong
But it felt wrong to just
leave her like this every time.
Don't ever leave me.
Wild little longings live in my chest.
Silent passions glow in my eyes.
Wild little longings live in my chest.
Silent passions glow in my eyes.
In this golden hour we meet.
I dissolve in you so sweet.
Like a cloud of quiet desire.
Won't it speak without a fire?
Will you come near me?
Will you look into my eyes, my love?
Will you come, slip into my fingers?
Will you give yourself to me
Until I lose myself tonight?
Wild little longings live in my chest.
Silent passions glow in my eyes.
Wild little longings live in my chest.
Silent passions glow in my eyes.
O moon of a tender summer eve.
Will you come share
The night with me, will you?
Are you the sea
That moves in delight?
Shall I rise like a high tide
And fall gracefully at your feet?
Won't these kisses linger on?
Aren't you the music of my bliss?
Unfading desires held within
Never breaking past the line.
Still, a quiet bloom awakens inside.
Will you come near me?
Will you look into my eyes, my love?
Will you come, slip into my fingers?
Will you give yourself to me
Until I lose myself tonight?
Wild little longings
Silent passions
Wild little longings live in my chest.
Silent passions glow in my eyes.
In this golden hour we meet.
I dissolve in you so sweet.
Like a cloud of quiet desire.
Won't it speak without a fire?
Will you?
Wild little longings
Look at me?
Silent passions
Come closer?
Wild little longings
Give yourself?
Silent passions
Look at me?
Look at me, my love.
Give yourself?
Give yourself, my love.
Hey
I feel a poem coming on.
Can I tell you?
Every place your touch...
That was the last day
we were truly happy together.
Viji went back to studying,
and I, without a plan,
quit my job.
#08 LOVE IS HEART OVERSTEPPING BOUNDS
Hey, stop, stop. Pull over.
CELEBRATING MINISTER
PUNNIYAKODI'S 52ND BIRTHDAY
Why are you standing here, Dad?
At least we're here.
They didn't even let
an old man onto the street.
S.M. PUNNIYAKODI
WATER RESOURCES MINISTER
- Hurry, the minister is here!
- Just a minute.
- Sir, sir
- Wait, stop the car.
Sir, sir
Our lake became a dump yard, sir.
If you please clean it,
we'll somehow survive.
Only you can help us, sir.
I can help you clean the lake.
What about the rains?
I can't help you with that, right?
For that, you need the Rain God's help.
We could've voted for
the Rain God instead.
- Shut your mouth. Go!
- Hey, get going.
You waited all this time for that?
I don't trust that man.
Ask him to call Viji.
I bought her a sari.
Let's just give it to her and leave.
Call her, dear.
She said she'll meet us
at the park nearby.
We'll wait there.
Let's go.
We have to catch the train
on time.
Why don't you sit on the bench?
That doesn't suit me.
I will sit here.
Look, it's pouring like a waterfall.
We don't have
this kind of water back home.
It's just the same water recirculating.
Look at him, acting like
he's never seen water in his life.
Bye-bye.
She'll be here, Dad.
Let her take her time.
Why are you getting so nervous?
Come, sit here.
She started it here, too.
Pick it all up.
Why is she doing all this
when she's sick?
Hey!
You know how she is, right?
- This color will suit her well, right?
- Correct!
Listen, we'll be leaving soon.
Can't you at least
speak a few words to him now?
- What is it, dear?
- Her phone is switched off, Dad.
I think something's wrong.
Should we wait in my room?
We're already
running late for the train.
And our people have
already called a thousand times.
We have to leave now
to catch the train.
Just a second.
Here.
Your mom bought this for her.
Give it to her yourself.
- We're leaving.
- Okay.
- Let's go, dear.
- Should I get you an auto-rickshaw?
No need, dear.
Dad
What is it, Mom?
Why are you looking at me like that?
Just looking at the future Collector.
It's already late. Go to sleep.
- Alright, good night.
- Good night, Mom.
WE ARE WAITING AT THE PARK.
COME FAST, VIJI.
WHERE ARE YOU?
PICK UP THE PHONE, FOR GOD'S SAKE.
DON'T INSULT ME IN FRONT OF
MY MOM AND DAD. COME FAST.
IF YOU ARE NOT HERE IN 10 MINUTES,
I'll BE AT YOUR HOME.
I'VE HIT ROCK BOTTOM IF YOU'RE TURNING
YOUR PHONE OFF WHEN I CALL, HAVEN'T I?
YOU GAINED MY TRUST LIKE THIS
AND THEN ENDED UP BETRAYING ME.
NO MATTER HOW LATE IT GETS,
I'M NOT LEAVING HERE UNTIL YOU SHOW UP.
AM I IMPORTANT TO YOU,
OR ARE YOUR STUDIES?
Sorry, sorry! I'm sorry.
I'm sorry, da.
I'm really sorry.
I remembered it as recently as yesterday.
I don't know how it slipped my mind.
I'm sorry, sorry.
I'm sorry.
Sorry, please.
Did your mom feel bad?
You used to call her "aunt,"
and now you're asking
if "my mom" felt bad.
How would you even remember?
Aunt gave this?
I'm trying to apologize.
You think I did this on purpose?
That's how it looks.
If I did this on purpose,
would I be here begging you
with an exam just four hours away?
Sorry, Sathya!
The exam is making me
anxious and stressed.
I've lost track of the day and time.
Even if today were my birthday,
I would've forgotten.
I would've remembered, Viji!
I would've remembered it.
Right!
I
I don't know how to deal with guys.
My world
It never had a man in it.
Girls school, girls hostel,
women's college
I was always around girls.
Maybe if I had grown up watching
my parents talk and communicate
I would've known better.
But
My dad
left us when I was just a little kid.
Sorry.
Sorry, sorry, sorry.
Don't take this the wrong way, Viji.
If your mother is anything like you,
your dad did the right thing
by leaving you two.
You quit your job, ran your mouth,
and now you want to drink
in broad daylight?
Don't do it, it'll destroy you.
I know this is wrong.
She asks me to
achieve something in life.
I'm already 29.
You've left the job, what's next?
- I don't know.
- Bro,
I think someone spooked her
with a failed love story.
That's why she's scared of love.
What do you think?
It's you who confused her
with your love story.
- Get lost.
- Okay, sorry. Leave it.
If your mother is anything like you,
your dad did the right thing
by leaving you two.
Excuse me!
She doesn't have to love me
the way I love her.
But she can at least acknowledge my love.
Yeah, I get it.
- But look, she...
- I left my job too.
I don't know what to do next.
I got furious when she didn't
show up yesterday to meet my mom.
Maybe I should meet her and say
I won't disturb her
until her exams are over?
She has to succeed.
- It's Viji!
- Hey, look at that smile.
Take me home.
Viji?
Mom has gone to her hometown.
Drop me at the gate.
Come inside, Sathya.
Close the door behind you.
Sorry, dear.
I love you, Sathya.
I'm going to hurt
you with my words.
Bear with me,
I don't know any other way.
Just leave, Sathya.
I've thought this through.
We should break up.
I called you home for the first time.
And you couldn't understand why?
You just walk in and hug me.
What are you trying to say, Viji?
Do you think a girl inviting you over
when she's alone
Can only mean one thing?
Is that all you are, Sathya?
I told you to stop being like this
and stop chasing me.
I kept pushing you to achieve something,
and I flunked my exam.
All the pressure you put on me
over little things
stressed me out,
and I fainted during the exam.
They took me to the hospital,
put me on an IV, and sent me home.
Just like that, a whole year is gone.
Mom went to the village
to pray to our family deity
and called to ask how the exam went.
I acted as I did well.
I lied to my mom.
I got a job in Delhi.
I'm going to work there
and join IAS coaching.
I'm taking my mother with me.
I called you just to tell you this.
Had I told you on the street,
you'd have started yelling.
That's why I brought you home.
I've got nothing left to give you.
I troubled you a lot just so
I could always stay in your memory.
But you moved beyond all that, Viji.
For you to even think of me,
I'd have to be a chapter in your book
or a question on an exam.
You never asked me for anything.
But I would always bring you something.
Today, I showed up empty-handed,
but you asked me for something.
If this is really what you want
Then let's just end it, Viji.
Let's end it!
Have a good life!
#09 THE DANCE OF FIRE
What the hell are you doing?
Is this even a problem?
Listen to me, please don't.
Why the hell did you
beat up a professor?
You're going to end up in jail.
He takes inappropriate
photos of girls,
and I'm just
supposed to let it slide?
Is that any of your business?
We've had nothing but trouble
since we moved to Salem.
There's a new problem every day.
Why do you care if they
cut down a tree on your street?
Why do you have to protest
and put up posters?
Why do you have to file lawsuits, man?
As if that wasn't enough, you started
Citizen Forum, gathered some guys,
and now you're pulling weeds,
claiming to clean the lake.
"Pulling weeds."
You think this is funny?
Pulling weeds is easy.
What are you going to do about that
college built right on top of the lake?
I'll ask them to return the land
they grabbed to build the college.
Oh, and they'll just hand it over?
You think you're the District Collector,
ordering people around?
I'm not a Collector, man.
I'm an activist.
Can I tell you something?
Your problem isn't with anyone here.
Then?
Viji!
No way.
I'm telling you, it's Viji.
No, bro.
You're lashing out at everyone here
because of her.
No, that's not it!
She's the one fueling all this rage.
Why are you reminding me about her?
His name is Sathya.
I told you he's the one
who messed with me at the wedding.
Today, he came to our college
and had the guts to hit our guy.
And he's joined the townspeople
in adopting and preserving the lake.
If he succeeds,
our college will be in serious trouble.
That's why I wanted to finish him
back then,
but you shut me down.
I'm not asking you to stop.
I'm just asking you to wait.
I built this empire with no help.
Even if it's my own son trying to bring
it down, I won't spare him.
His time will come.
He said I have no identity,
and that I...
That I'm just
living off my dad's wealth.
Now, I'll make sure he has no identity.
- Give this file to Udhayashankar.
- Okay, sir.
The Collector is calling you.
Not everyone.
Just you.
All this time, it was your mother
who brought these petitions.
Now it's you.
What have you studied?
B.Sc. Agriculture.
Then why not just do farming
instead of creating
problems with this crowd?
My parents made me study agriculture
because they wanted me to farm.
Only after graduating did I realize
that my college is on the lake.
Ma'am, apparently,
there was a lake in that place.
"Apparently"?
I swam in that lake until tenth grade.
That lake was the lifeline
for all the surrounding villages.
If you turn the remaining lakes
into dumpsters
instead of preserving them,
where will these people go?
You people are always quick
to blame the government.
It's become a trend these days.
How many lakes can the government
preserve with its funding?
It's everyone's responsibility.
Cleaning up a lake isn't easy.
It's a Herculean task.
- Why don't you try doing it?
- Give me an opportunity.
We're adopting Aranganeri Lake.
We are going to dredge it,
preserve it,
and bring it back to life in six months.
From now on, it's ours.
Ever since Viji left,
you lost your composure.
Why do you want to clean that lake now?
I'm cleaning myself.
I'm that lake.
My sweetheart, oh my sweetheart.
Oh, the arrow that pierced my heart.
My tears have filled an ocean.
I can't blame you
It wouldn't be right.
You're not here
To take me to the shore.
What am I supposed to tell my people?
The moment you left, I faded away
-I'm a version of me I never knew
-We're from the same college, bro.
We heard you're cleaning the lake.
So we thought we could help out
at least on the weekends.
I'm Jaanu.
Oh, my loving arrow.
My sweetheart, oh my sweetheart.
Oh, the arrow that pierced my heart.
-Oh, my loving arrow
-Excuse me?
Oh. Thank you.
I'm Varun.
Viji.
What's up, Cutout?
You think you can start farming
by saving this lake?
Try to save yourself from this lake.
Once the lake is back to form,
it'll come straight to your college.
- You!
- Hey!
We're staying here.
Okay!
Your son is back,
just like you wanted.
He's also trying to save
the lake for you.
Why don't you talk to him?
He's not doing this for me.
Not even for the town.
He's doing it for that girl.
Oh, those piercing eyes.
She left me to suffer.
Oh, those piercing eyes
She left me to suffer.
What's happening to me?
I don't feel the same
I yearn for you
I'm breaking deep inside.
Now I'm moving away
I'm searching for my life.
Like heat in the air
Your memories surround me.
All night long
They whisper your name.
Like a root pushing through the soil
I struggle to break free from you.
Hidden beneath the surface
No eyes can see it.
Where are you all going?
- We're going to clean our lake.
- Our lake?
- What's your name?
- V. Vijayalakshmi.
My sweetheart, oh my sweetheart.
Oh, the arrow that pierced
The girl he loved was
also named Vijayalakshmi.
It was going well. But they split up
due to some misunderstanding.
Only now is he clear-headed.
He looks happy.
I want him to come out of it.
My tears have filled an ocean
-I can't blame you it wouldn't be right
-Sathya?
-You're not here to take me to shore
-Just leave, Sathya.
- What am I supposed to tell my people?
- Sathya! Sathya!
The moment you left, I faded away
I'm a version of me I never knew.
My sweetheart, oh my sweetheart.
My sweetheart, oh my sweetheart.
Oh, the arrow that pierced my heart.
I know your love story.
- Continue, go on.
- What should I say?
Even if we're successful,
we can't lean on our own shoulders
or rest in our own laps.
My loving sweetheart.
- Damn, he found it's my dialogue!
- My beloved one.
He's still not out of that trauma.
Getting close to him in the name of love,
I don't think that's a good thing.
If a girl likes a boy,
it doesn't always mean it's love.
We've already got this much water
from just this rain.
At this rate, our college might be
underwater by the next one.
We have to do something.
Otherwise, our college will be in trouble.
Please understand.
Don't do this here.
A lot of people have worked hard
to clean this lake.
If you put plaster of Paris in here,
it'll contaminate the water.
Don't you dare stand against God.
Move!
Please listen to me.
If a God demands nature's destruction,
it isn't God, no matter the religion.
Cutting trees and
sowing seeds won't fix anything.
You know those black-shirt atheists?
They're that group, man.
- Fool! His shirt is olive-green.
- Who are you talking to like that?
- Hey.
- Hey, stop.
- Hey
- Hey, mind your tone
- Leave me.
- The police are here.
- Stop it.
- Move!
Move!
- Hey.
- Hey!
How dare you hit a policeman?!
Come with me!
Get inside!
Move!
Sathya, who ran a Salem-based
social service NGO called Citizen Forum,
is now accused of scamming people
out of millions of rupees.
Investigators also say
he sexually harassed college girls
who volunteered for lake cleanup drives.
Non-bailable charges
have been filed against Sathya
for financial fraud and sexual as*ault,
and he is being held
at Salem Central Jail.
Don't stop a beneficial movement
like this out of personal vengeance.
I know him well.
The more you try to suppress him,
the stronger he'll get.
Leave him alone.
I'm being patient
just because you said so.
But I'm not responsible if something
happens to him inside that prison.
What is it?
You said you had a lot to study.
You're done already?
Help me, Mom.
What's wrong, dear?
I'm not able to focus, Mom.
Viji, my child.
What happened?
Stop crying and tell me, dear.
The more I try to distance myself,
here there outside
I see him everywhere, Mom.
I just can't, Mom.
Who is he?
Sathya.
Sir help.
What do you think I can do?
I want my son back.
You've got two minutes.
Just leave, Sathya.
Just leave, Sathya.
Where will I go, Mom?
Tell me, where can I even go?
Does nobody want me?
How many more times do I have
to be uprooted and planted somewhere else?
You told Viji not to hesitate
to follow her heart.
Why didn't you tell your son that?
Now, I have no identity, Mom.
Who am I?
I cleaned that lake
not because Viji asked me to,
or just so you'd come talk to me.
I did it for me!
It was to prove to myself who I am.
I found my identity.
And I won't lose it again.
Hey, time's up!
Hurry up.
They're going to do something
to me tonight.
I'm ready to face whatever it is.
But if I die,
all our efforts will be in vain, Mom.
There's only one way for me to escape.
Didn't you hear?
Time's up!
Every cop here
has their eyes on you.
Don't be scared.
Keep a straight face and don't cry.
Try to keep smiling, Mom.
When you go out,
the media will be waiting with cameras.
Cry and make a scene in front of them.
Don't believe anyone here.
If they see your expression change,
they'll hurt you too.
- Go.
- Hey!
- Keep smiling.
- Let's go.
Didn't I tell you time's up?
- Come on! Hey
- Mom!
Smile, please.
- Go out looking the same way, Mom.
- Hey
My son
My dear son!
- They are going to k*ll my son!
- What happened?
- They'll k*ll my son! Save my son, please!
- What happened?
- Tell us!
- What exactly happened between
- your son and the minister?
- Oh, my dear son!
Tell me, why are they
trying to k*ll your son?
-They framed my son with a false case.
-Say it clearly. What happened?
For helping the town.
They're going to k*ll my son!
- Yes, believe me!
- Why have they arrested your son?
Public outrage continues to grow
as students and civilians
protest across the city,
demanding Sathya's release
after he was arrested on a false case.
Following an urgent investigation,
Judge Sabarinathan
voided the land registration tied to the
ill*gal encroachment on the lake land
and ordered authorities to demolish
the college within a month.
The court also ordered
the evacuation of hostel students
and asked college authorities
to make suitable
Fool!
I disown you as my son!
I'm
- I'm Vijayalakshmi's mom...
- I know.
Tell me.
Our family is a big one.
Everyone in my family
is a well-educated doctor or lawyer.
Except me.
After my husband left,
everyone looked down on me
and ignored me.
Maybe that's what made me so stubborn.
I wanted my daughter to do well.
It's her dream to become
an IAS officer.
From childhood until now,
that's been her life.
For a while,
I even got to see her happy.
She took care of herself
and enjoyed what she was doing.
One day, out of nowhere,
she took me to Delhi with her
and said that only then
could she become an IAS officer.
But now
She came to me crying,
saying she doesn't want to study anymore
and is begging me to save her.
I know how it feels
to leave someone you love.
I want my daughter back.
She must do well in the exam.
Even now,
I told her I was going to the temple
and came here.
As a mother,
I want to do something for my daughter.
If you can
Could you please talk to her?
Auntie
Auntie!
Do you have a minute?
Please don't take this the wrong way.
What is it?
Don't you want to know
if Sathya still loves your daughter?
That's his personal matter.
How long have I been in the hospital?
You've been unconscious for ten days.
We weren't even allowed to see you.
A lot of people came
and gave us all kinds of reasons.
Forget it.
You're doing well now.
So many things happened
when you were in prison.
I wonder if your college will
even be there.
Youngsters look up to you now.
They created a "Save Sathya"
hashtag in your name,
and your arrest became
a national sensation.
All your efforts have paid off.
I was wondering
why you were doing all this.
But I understand now.
Do you know what
our Aranganeri Lake looks like now?
Stop right there!
I want to see it!
Like a prayer flag,
it holds the hopes of this town's people.
Look, your son is here!
THIS LAKE WAS RENOVATED BY CITIZEN FORUM
I used to tease him as
"Cutout" in college.
Now people have made a cutout of him.
The answer to "who am I?"
Isn't our name, nationality,
country, mother tongue,
caste, creed, or color.
Life is all about
searching for our real identity.
As Viji said,
I now understand the joy
of running toward a goal.
#10 THE LOVER WHO HEARS HER MAN
CALLED "A WISE MAN"
Drop him at the park and come here.
Viji!
Viji!
Viji!
Viji!
Hey, I've made him sit there.
Did you find her yet?
No, I don't know where she is.
- Bro
- What?
I've got an idea.
Idiyappam!
Idiyappam!
Idiyappam!
Idiyappam!
Idiyappam!
Idiyappam!
Idiyappam!
Shut up and get lost!
Viji!
Viji!
Viji!
Viji!
Viji!
- Vi...
- Why did you come here?
Why the hell did you come?
Tell me.
- I...
- How did you find me?
- Come with me.
- Let me go, Sathya.
- Mom will wake up. Sathya!
- Come, please.
What do you want now?
- I'll tell you. Just come.
- Why are you doing this?
Didn't we already break up?
I said let me go, Sathya.
Can you do me a favor?
Please!
What?
Why did you bring me here?
Please wait here for two minutes.
Just two minutes.
- Wh...
- Don't go anywhere. I'll be back.
- Who are you?
- Viji
Sathya
Sathya?
Viji.
- Who are you?
- Ever since I got to know her,
she has always wanted to see her dad,
who left her when she was a little kid.
After I adopted our lake,
I met a lot of big shots
asking for donations.
One such person from Malaysia
was Kurunila Kathiravan.
You are
Kurunila Kathiravan.
That was a Tamil name in Malaysia,
so I asked around
and found out he's Viji's dad.
You're my daughter!
Dad
Dad?
Forgive me, dear.
Viji
Dad
After moving from India to Malaysia,
he started an export business
and opened hotels there.
Now he's fully settled there, mate.
He's even produced a couple of movies.
He kept calling to ask
if I had seen his daughter.
I called him here today,
and here he is.
Do you always have to
bring something?
Don't smile.
It was your wish to see
and talk to your dad
at least once in your life.
That's why I brought him here.
Thanks.
Your mom visited me at the hospital, Viji.
She said you didn't want to
write the exam.
Does she know about Dad?
Let it be that way.
She's still upset with him.
I honestly don't even know
if he's really Viji's father
or if he just brought in some random guy
wearing a coat and suit.
All your decisions, including
breaking up with me, were right.
But this one isn't, Viji.
I realized why you left me
only after you did.
And I deserved that pain.
I didn't have anyone around
to teach me what to do,
where to go, and what to learn.
I'm a first-generation graduate.
No one before me
even stepped into college.
I spent half my life figuring out
what I like and what comes easily to me.
Settling down in my 30s
felt like a distant dream.
People like me
only wake up when we're 29.
Until then, we work,
make some money,
and that's it.
But you are different.
You're very clear about what you want.
Your mother raised you well
Without your father
or relatives to support her.
She came all the way
there to meet me.
Win this for her sake, Viji.
Her only dream is
to see you become a Collector.
Write the exams, Viji.
Will you?
Please.
Hey.
- What do you do?
- Me?
I wanted to be a film director.
Now I don't even think about it.
Do you have a story?
Sir, of course!
It's called It's All Because of Her.
Want a one-liner?
Go ahead.
It opens with
a round of applause.
We're all a collection of stories.
Some stories make us laugh out loud.
Some make us cry.
And some inspire us
and lift our spirits.
Aranganeri is one such story.
For you to even think of me,
I'd have to be a chapter in your book
or a question on an exam.
Sathya?
This is it.
All this drama just for this.
You can call me your moon,
your sky, your cloud,
or whatever fond names you like.
In the end, I'm just a girl.
I call you my fire, my raging bull,
my lion, and all that, too.
But you're not that.
You're a man.
That's all.
But this world
has romanticized everything,
like boys and girls
and all these small things.
It stopped us from thinking
about the bigger things in our lives.
Remember in school,
we used to draw a heart
in science class?
It was hard to draw that heart.
But that's the reality.
Have you seen the ones lovers draw?
The ones
In greeting cards?
Those are easy to draw
Because they're fantasy.
Come out of your fantasy, Sathya.
You're 29 now.
Your desires and ambitions
Shouldn't stop with me.
You should become something big,
and I'll stand beside you,
proud as your woman.
Hey
I feel a poem coming on.
Can I tell you?
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29 (2026)
Moderators: Maskath3, sidolanters, GabrielAlejo2341