Nitham Oru Vaanam (2022) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Arjun's isolated life with OCD

Arjun is a young man living with OCD, which leaves him closed off and seemingly rude to the people and happenings around him. He has a strong dislike for trying anything outside his comfort zone. His one consistent habit is imagining himself as the protagonist of every story he reads.

Love blooms with Janani

After a long time, Arjun meets Janani, a woman he believes truly understands him. This rare connection makes him develop feelings for her, and the two begin preparing for marriage. For the first time, Arjun's life seems to be moving in a happy direction.

The wedding is called off

Arjun and Janani's marriage preparations are going really well until Janani decides to reconcile with her ex-boyfriend. Their wedding is called off, leaving Arjun heartbroken. The sudden betrayal sends him spiraling into depression.

The doctor's prescription: two short stories

To help Arjun overcome his depression, his doctor advises him to read the short stories she has written about two couples, Veera-Meenakshi and Mathi-Prabha. Reluctantly, Arjun begins reading, and this decision sets three distinct story arcs in motion.

First story: Veera and Meenakshi

The first story follows a love marriage couple: Veera, a civil engineer, and Meenakshi, a mechanical engineer who plays basketball out of passion. The two share a wonderful life together. On a rainy day, a pregnant Meenakshi is left alone at home while Veera steps out and unexpectedly meets with a tragic accident. The story ends abruptly, leaving his fate a mystery.

When

A rainy day

Second story: Mathi and Prabha

Imagining himself in Veera's place, Arjun is left clueless and angry by the unfinished ending, so the doctor directs him to her second diary. It tells of Mathi, a carefree girl who runs away the night before her wedding, only to cross paths with Prabha, a man who has consumed poison over a love failure. She admits him to a hospital, where Mathi's father asks Prabha to marry her instead. Just as Prabha is about to tie the wedding thread, Mathi falls unconscious with her nose bleeding, and this story too ends abruptly.

When

The night before Mathi's wedding

The stories are rooted in reality

Desperate for answers, Arjun goes to the doctor's house to confront her. She reveals that both stories are based on real people and hands him the addresses of Meenakshi-Veera in Kolkata and Mathi-Prabha in Himachal Pradesh. Arjun resolves to meet them in person and discover what happened next in their lives.

Where

The doctor's house

The journey begins with Subha

Arjun sets out on a journey to find the real couples, accompanied by a young woman named Subha. The two hit the road together, with Kolkata as their first destination. What begins as a quest for answers slowly becomes a journey that changes both of them.

Meenakshi's revelation in Kolkata

In Kolkata, Meenakshi reveals that Veera died in the building crash on that fateful rainy day. Instead of feeling sad and hopeless, she was motivated by her loss and moved to the city with her newborn baby to pursue basketball, and now works as a basketball coach. Disheartened by the tragic tale, Arjun decides to call off the remaining meeting, but Subha urges him to meet Mathi-Prabha and judge for himself.

Where

Kolkata

Subha's own heartbreak

As they travel together, Subha's own past comes to light. She had been in a relationship for two years before her boyfriend dumped her for another girl, whom he later married after buying a house. Desperate to confront him and demand a proper, logical reason for the breakup, she never found the guts to actually do it.

The truth about Mathi and Prabha

In Himachal Pradesh, a colleague of Prabha recounts the couple's real story. Prabhakaran, a jovial Deputy Superintendent of Police in Coimbatore, stumbled upon Mathi during a routine city round and was instantly smitten. He asked her father, Senniappan, for her hand and plotted with him to win her consent, but during the plan Mathi fell unconscious and was diagnosed with cancer. Even after learning about her illness, the couple chose to stay together and remain happy.

Where

Himachal Pradesh

Prabha's advice: accept and move on

Arjun and Subha finally meet Mathi and Prabha in person. Speaking with them, Prabha shares a life lesson with Arjun: some things in life simply have to be accepted, and one must move on. The couple's contentment, despite everything they endured, leaves a deep impression on Arjun.

Where

Himachal Pradesh

Arjun's transformation

Transformed by both stories, Arjun changes completely into a different person. He begins to admire the small things in life and finds himself staying happy, letting go of the rigidity and bitterness that once defined him.

Subha confronts her ex-boyfriend

Arjun takes Subha to her ex-boyfriend's house so she can finally face him. She confronts him, slaps him, and even breaks his car, releasing all her pent-up anger. The enraged ex then begins chasing after the two of them.

Where

Subha's ex-boyfriend's house

Love confessed on the run

During the chase, Arjun seizes the moment and confesses his feelings for Subha, who happily reciprocates. The movie ends with the two of them running away together from her boyfriend, both finally at peace and in love.