Anirudhan, Mammootty, a sales manager from a middle-class family, moves to a town lodge for work, where his father, his grandmother, and his sister live nearby, along with a shy village girl. Anirudhan’s grandmother, Sukumari, is part of the home front, grounding the story in tradition even as new ideas begin to surface. In the lodge, he quickly befriends a small group of residents, including Lonappan, Innocent, the lodge’s long-time helper, and Sukumaran, Mohanlal, a city-bred man who also stays there. The two men share a warm, easy camaraderie, built in part on a brief, earlier encounter that makes their bond feel natural.
A young girl arrives at the lodge and asks to meet Sukumaran. Anirudhan and one of his companions assume she might be Sukumaran’s girlfriend, and they tease him about keeping secrets. When the girl returns, it becomes clear she is Sukumaran’s sister, Sujatha, Shobana, and not a love interest. This revelation shifts the mood and begins to reveal the characters’ deeper connections and loyalties. Life at the lodge continues with their day-to-day routines, until a telegraph arrives announcing that Anirudhan’s grandmother is ill, prompting him to return home. Sukumaran accompanies him, and soon he becomes a familiar presence at Anirudhan’s family doorstep, welcomed as if he were one of them. Sujatha grows fond of him, and his easygoing nature helps bridge the gap between city and village life.
Back at home, Sukumaran confesses to Ravi, their shared roommate, that he has fallen in love with Sujatha. Ravi helps arrange a meeting that leads to a marriage proposal. Anirudhan, sensing no significant obstacles, agrees to the match, and Sujatha also approves. In parallel, Sukumaran proposes marriage for his own sister to Anirudhan, and soon both friends marry the sisters who complete their pairings. The early years of these marriages bring a touch of culture shock: Neelima, Sukumaran’s urban wife, struggles with village life and with some of the traditional expectations that come with it, such as the use of contraceptive pills and the discomfort of living in a rural household. Sujatha, too, encounters adjustments as she adapts to Sukumaran’s cosmopolitan lifestyle. For a time, the two couples manage these differences, believing they can grow together.
Tensions escalate when their mutual friend Ravi visits and suggests they drink at home to rekindle their friendship. Anirudhan resists, but Neelima sees no problem with the idea, causing a rift. Ravi’s invitation travels to Sukumaran’s home, where Sujatha offers a nuanced view on the matter. Then Sujatha becomes pregnant, and Sukumaran feels a pang of shame over the early pregnancy, worrying it might curtail their freedom. Around the same time, Neelima reveals she has a job opportunity back in the city, which would let her continue her career while Anirudhan stays behind. Anirudhan, who values stability and tradition, opposes this plan, and when his in-laws suggest he take a chance abroad, a confrontation erupts. Enraged, Anirudhan slaps Neelima, and she leaves for her parents’ home. Sukumaran tries to mediate, urging him to accommodate Neelima’s upbringing and ambitions, but Anirudhan stands his ground that the fault lies with the changing dynamics rather than with Neelima.
The family rift stretches to the breaking point, testing the bonds between fathers, wives, and brothers. Their former camaraderie seems lost, and the lodge crew—Ravi, the caretaker, and the owner—confront the need for harmony. In time, the group agrees to abandon the feud and to find a way to live together again. Anirudhan and Sukumaran reunite and stage a little dramatic ruse to reunite Anirudhan with Neelima, attempting to resolve the rift through a shared performance of reconciliation. As those plots unfold, Sujatha, now settled with her son at home, engineers one last twist: she orchestrates a reconciliation with Sukumaran, moving the story toward a hopeful, united ending. The film closes on a note of renewed family ties and mutual respect, with both couples learning to balance love, tradition, and personal aspirations in a way that honors their roots while embracing change.
