Arjunan Pillayum Anchu Makkalum 1997

Arjunan Pillai, Innocent, is an autocratic father who sees his four daughters as burdens to be married off to anyone whatsoever, but he remains fondly attached to his pampered son Ajayan, Baiju Santhosh. Through broker Adjustment Ayyappan, he arranges his elder daughters Jayalakshmi, Bindu Panicker, and Jayaprabha, Kalpana, to be married to the rather old caterer Sudhakaran, Mala Aravindan, and to a low-earning municipality employee Thankakkuttan, Harisree Ashokan, respectively, despite strong objections from his wife Sarada. The matches reveal Arjunan Pillai’s rigid priorities and his relentless push for status over affection.

When their third daughter Jayasree, Charmila, stands up to him to support her sisters and mother, Arjunan Pillai decides to punish her by marrying her off quickly to an autodriver Uthanan, Jagadish, on the same day, lying that Uthanan runs an automobile workshop rather than driving someone’s auto. Arjunan Pillai’s single-minded dream remains to secure a rich alliance for Ajayan, hoping to elevate the family’s fortunes through a prestigious marriage.

Fortunately for the three sisters, their husbands are responsible, loving, and plainspoken men, even if their incomes are modest. Thankakkuttan, Harisree Ashokan, loves his wife Jayaprabha deeply, even though she denies him intimacy and, at one point, appears to have pressed him away. Uthanan, Jagadish, quietly earns his keep and supports his new wife, while Jayasree, Charmila, finds strength in her stance against her father’s plans.

As time passes, Uthanan’s true status is revealed, and the sisters along with Sarada come to see how misguided and harsh Arjunan Pillai has been. They move out of the big house to join their husbands, reclaiming some agency and a sense of dignity. Yet Arjunan Pillai’s ambitions do not end there; he finalizes a rich alliance for Ajayan with the businessman K. G. P. Menon, only to face a new wave of scheming from Ajayan and Menon themselves, who seek to seize Arjunan Pillai’s properties.

Ajayan’s wife Seetha and her father, C I Paul, become entangled in the plot to claim more wealth, testing the unity of the family. The three sons-in-law—along with Arjunan Pillai—stand together to defend the family’s holdings against Ajayan’s attempts at fraud. They win the court case, recover the property, and Ajayan faces incriminating consequences for his deceit. Despite these trials, the family’s bond holds, and the plan to marry Jayasree moves forward with renewed determination.

In the climactic arcs, Arjunan Pillai, Uthanan, Sudhakaran, and Thankakuttan prepare for Jayasree’s marriage, showing solidarity in the face of pressure from Ajayan and his father-in-law, Menon. Although Ajayan tries to disrupt the wedding again, the alliance among the brothers-in-law and Arjunan Pillai remains unbroken. The confrontation peaks as Ajayan’s attempts to sabotage the ceremony are thwarted, and Arjunan Pillai’s family stands firm. In the end, apology and reconciliation accompany the joyous celebration of Jayasree’s marriage, signaling a hard-won peace and a clearer path for the family’s future.