Mukunthetta Sumitra Vilikkunnu 1988

Mukundan K. Kartha is a simple man with a steady job, living in a small, close-knit residential colony in Chennai where a persistent water shortage colors everyday life. When his old college classmate and friend Viswanath drops by, the air fills with a cautionary blend of familiarity and sly ambiguity as the neighborhood listens for what the visit might bring.

The colony’s heart is its young woman, Sumithra, who grows fond of Mukundan, adding a gentle warmth to the tale. Yet Viswanath is a calculated fraud and con-man, presenting himself as an influential figure and a supposed classmate of a Public Works Department minister. He convinces the residents that, through his supposed clout, water pipes will finally reach their stretch of the city, feeding both hope and a dangerous dependence.

To deepen his scheme, Viswanath befriends the businessman C. P. Menon and pledges to secure an import license for Chinese leather, weaving a more elaborate web of deceit. He manipulates Mukundan to extract money from another victim, a move that costs Mukundan his job and puts him under the watch of the police.

As the deception grows, Viswanath even tries to win over Sumithra by presenting himself as a wealthy suitor, attempting to win over her family with pretended riches. The truth behind his tricks gradually surfaces, and the community realizes they have been duped. Viswanath vanishes, attempting a flight to Dubai, but Mukundan confronts him at the airport and tears his ticket, ending the con.

In the aftermath, the story pivots on trust and steadfast love: Mukundan and Sumithra confess their feelings for each other and choose to marry, stepping into a future built on honesty after a period of manipulation and doubt.