Alli Arjuna 2002

Arivazhagan, Manoj Bharathiraja, a Chennai-born youth, has grown into a neglectful, good-for-nothing figure under the hands of his wealthy parents Anbu, Jai Ganesh, and Usha, Fathima Babu. Despite earning a degree, his chief aim is to irritate his father and carve out his own path. The family travels to Bangalore for the wedding of Savitri, Richa Pallod, where a sudden crisis unfolds: the groom disappears, and Arivu steps in to take his place on the wedding stage. The arrangement is made, yet Savitri elopes, and Arivu feels betrayed. Months later, Savitri returns to Arivu’s home seeking refuge. He lets her stay, then moves to live with his friends, and she follows. At first irritated, Arivu slowly discovers that his feelings are softening, and he finds himself gradually falling in love with her.

Meanwhile, a parallel thread follows Nisha, Preetha Vijayakumar, an accountant in Chennai who asks Savitri to help arrange her own wedding. Savitri brings Kishore, Karan, into the plan, and Nisha’s wedding is set in motion. But two days before the ceremony, Nisha becomes a victim of sexual assault; she returns home, and overwhelmed by shame, commits suicide by immolation, while her mother is severely burned trying to save her. Kishore, Nisha’s brother, throws himself into the search for the assailant. As Savitri is recovering, Kumar, Mahanadhi Shankar, tells Kishore that he sexually assaulted his sister, adding another layer of tragedy to the tale. Later, Arivu ends up at Kishore’s house and learns that Nisha is Kishore’s sister, a revelation that shocks him because he previously felt responsible for her death. Kishore, furious, chases Arivu, but Savitri and her parents intervene to calm the confrontation. The film ends on a somber note: Arivu is forgiven, but he does not unite with Savitri, and he walks away, leaving the relationship unresolved.