Dowry Kalyanam

In Thiruninravur, Ganesan and Ethiraj are close friends and colleagues. Ethiraj's widowed status and his mother's proposal to marry Gowri spark tension, and Ganesan accuses Ethiraj of using their friendship for his own interest. Ethiraj denies it, insisting he regards Gowri as his sister, and, in tears, leaves, challenging Ganesan never to meet again.

Determined to arrange a grand wedding for Gowri despite their poverty, Ganesan resolves to find a suitable groom. He meets the marriage broker Neelakanda Sastrigal and selects Mangupathi's photograph as the potential groom. To cover the initial expenses of the groom's family visit, he pawns Uma's gold bangle, but Rowthar lends him Rs 200 in exchange for Ganesan's cheaper watch.

Ganesan and Uma visit Mangupathi's parents and discover they are demanding a large dowry. Rushyendramani, the domineering matriarch, imposes the terms and keeps tightening the demands. Uma negotiates with Neelakanda Sastri to reduce the amount to Rs 8,000 and asks for 40 pounds of gold jewelry; later adjustments bring the list down to 25 pounds of gold and Rs 7,500 in silver utensils.

To raise funds for Gowri's wedding, Ganesan writes to relatives seeking help. Paternal uncle Jalandhar Subbudu and maternal uncle Kuselan pledge support, and Ganesan's grandmother decides to contribute by cooking for the event. The manager suggests using provident funds, taking loans, and collecting gift money from office colleagues, while Rowther offers to provide all the groceries for the wedding.

Jalandhar Subbudu visits Thiruninravur and hands over Rs. 2,000, easing some pressure. Natesan secures a job at Kousalya Chit Funds, which requires a Rs. 1,000 deposit, and Ganesan covers the payment.

Ganesan writes to Rushyendramani explaining that he cannot meet the earlier dowry demands, and Raja Kalavai visits to press the issue. Subbudu negotiates a reduced dowry of 10 pounds of gold instead of 25, though expenses still loom over the preparations.

On the eve of the wedding, Subbudu's wife falls ill, prompting Uma to return Rs. 1,000 to help him leave immediately. With that repayment and the prior Rs. 2,000 funding exhausted, the family scrambles to cover remaining costs and obligations.

Natesan misappropriates Rs. 1,865 from his company funds to help cover wedding expenses. Ganesan's grandmother contributes Rs. 700 of her savings, and a mysterious man claiming to be Kuselan begins to offer assistance, leading Ganesan to suspect he is an uncle.

At the wedding hall, the groom's family and extended kin issue orders and demand various items from Ganesan's family. Rushyendramani scolds Uma for not arranging a cook, and Ganesan's grandmother steps forward to cook for the family. A thief in the crowd flees but leaves behind money he had stolen.

The real DIG Kuselan arrives at the wedding hall and apologizes to Ganesan's grandmother, offering to help but with a strained past. He provides funds, and Ethiraj, who had vowed to sever ties, unexpectedly appears and hands over the remaining dowry money.

With the funds in place, Gowri's wedding proceeds to completion. Gowri asks that the borrowed gold jewelry be replaced soon, signaling that the dowry cycle may continue even after this marriage.

Neelakanda Sastrigal's elder daughter develops a liking for Mangupathi's friend Kalyanam. In a concluding turn, Ganesan's younger brother Natesan marries the wedding hall owner's daughter at the same venue, and this marriage takes place without any dowry being demanded.