Agni Natchathiram 1988

In Madras, the half-brothers Gautham Vishwanath [Prabhu] and Ashok Vishwanath [Karthik Muthuraman] are the sons of Vishwanath [Vijayakumar], a senior IAS official, with Susheela [Sumithra] and Kamala [Jayachitra] serving as their mothers. Both brothers carry a simmering anger toward their father and toward each other, setting a tense tone for the family from the outset.

Gautham, a trainee IPS officer, crosses paths with Anjali [Amala Akkineni], the Commissioner’s daughter, and the two slowly fall in love. After graduating from the police academy, he is appointed Assistant Commissioner in Madras. In parallel, Ashok meets a mysterious girlfriend [Nirosha], and a romantic relationship begins, adding another complicated layer to the family dynamics. Meanwhile, Vishwanath is tapped to head an inquiry into a nefarious factory owner, Chidambaram [G. Umapathy].

One night, Ashok and his friends encounter Gautham and Anjali; after a junior taunt, Gautham arrests Ashok’s friend on an charged-up, invented offense. Enraged, Ashok and his gang attack Gautham’s home, injuring Susheela. The next day, Gautham arrests Ashok following a provocation into a bruising altercation. With Vishwanath out of town, Susheela steps in to help Kamala bail Ashok out, offering sharp, unsolicited advice about raising law-abiding children. Chidambaram responds by attempting to bribe Vishwanath, but the official rebuffs him and orders an assault on Vishwanath instead.

During Mallika’s matchmaking ceremony, Vishwanath fails to appear, leaving the groom’s family doubting the seriousness of Kamala and Vishwanath’s marriage. Ashok erupts, confronts his father at home, and berates him, only to learn that their paternal grandmother has died; Gautham ejects him from the house. Ashok soon discovers that his girlfriend comes from a fractured family too. The Commissioner learns of Gautham’s romance with Anjali and begins to doubt his monogamy.

Mallika later encounters Gautham and Anjali on a commuter train, and he instinctively protects her from some hired thugs, with Anjali joining him to accompany Mallika home. Mallika refers to Gautham as her elder brother, but before he can respond, Ashok arrives and ejects them. A wedding adds to the day’s chaos, followed by another public brawl, prompting Vishwanath to lament his humiliation.

Tragedy strikes when Vishwanath is struck by a truck driven by one of Chidambaram’s thugs and slips into a coma. Fear tightens the family’s bonds as Susheela and Kamala stay by his bedside. Chidambaram arranges for Vishwanath’s murder inside the hospital; Vishwanath aims to submit the report the next day. When thugs attack, Gautham and Ashok switch to the ambulance carrying Vishwanath and thwart the murder plot. The brothers bring the bandaged Vishwanath to the commission’s office the following day to present evidence against Chidambaram, who is arrested, and the brothers share a triumphant high five. In the end, justice is served and the two brothers’ bond is solidified.

Throughout, a few moments of danger and hope punctuate the narrative, including a striking cameo by Prabhu Deva in the song “Raaja Raajathi,” adding a festive rhythm to the otherwise tense saga.