Chithram

Kalyani is the daughter of a wealthy NRI, Ramachandran Menon, who resides in the United States. She is brought up in Madras by Purushothaman Kaimal, her father's friend. She falls in love with a man of her choosing and decides to marry him despite her father's opposition.

When her fiancé learns she may be disinherited, he abandons her at the wedding. The breakup exposes the fragility of her social position and short-circuits her hopes of an easy marriage. This event hardens the feud with her father’s wishes.

Ramachandran Menon, though ill, decides to approve a husband for his daughter and invites Kalyani and her intended to spend a fortnight at his estate near a tribal community. He hopes to give her a final, happier memory before any possible fate. The trip is arranged to keep the broken engagement hidden from the world.

Kaimal encounters Vishnu, who had just tricked a foreigner by claiming his brother could not swim. After Vishnu explains his need for money, Kaimal hires him to play the part of Kalyani's husband for fourteen days. This arrangement lets the real couple maintain appearances during the visit.

Bhaskaran Nambiar, the estate caretaker and Kalyani's cousin, resents the potential inheritance and tries to prove Vishnu isn't the husband. He launches various schemes to expose the deception and undermine Vishnu's cover.

At first, Vishnu and Kalyani clash as they improvise the pretend marriage. Their constant bickering slowly gives way to a deeper understanding. The uneasy partnership begins to evolve into a cautious alliance.

Just before Ramachandran's arrival, Vishnu secretly ties a mangalasutra around Kalyani's neck. Bhaskaran had misled the father about her wearing it, making the gesture a turning point. The symbol binds their relationship more firmly in the eyes of the family.

Kalyani's feelings deepen as she sees Vishnu's kindness and courage. She begins to hope they could marry for real, not just continue the ploy. The romantic tension rises as the fortnight progresses.

A visitor arrives at the estate, asserting he is a relative of Vishnu and signaling deeper ties to Vishnu's life. The arrival unsettles the household and foreshadows a hidden truth. The air thickens with questions about Vishnu's real identity.

The visitor is revealed to be the prison warden, and it is disclosed that Vishnu is an escaped convict sentenced to death. The ruse steadfastly maintained so far begins to unravel. His peril becomes central to the story and to Kalyani's feelings for him.

A flashback reveals Vishnu's life as a freelance photographer married to Revathy, a mute dancer, with a child. A man (Revathy's visitor and later revealed as her brother, a naxalite) visits while Vishnu is away, leading to Revathy's death during a confrontation. Vishnu explains he escaped prison to fund his child's surgery.

On the final night of Vishnu's stay, he asks the jail warden whether he could live outside jail. The warden remains silent, giving no reassurance. The moment underscores the uncertainty of his future and the weight of the choices made during the fortnight.

The happy fortnight ends as Ramachandran returns to the United States. The warden takes Vishnu back to jail, where his execution awaits him, and Kalyani watches him leave. The film closes with Vishnu and Kalyani waving goodbye to each other.