Year: 1992
Runtime: 146 mins
Language: Tamil
Director: K. Balachander
Five strangers from disparate backgrounds, each disillusioned with their lives, agree to commit suicide together. Instead, they embark on a 100‑day pact to live joyfully as a group. Along the way an orphaned baby arrives, and they draw strength from disabled achievers and their advice, prompting the youths to choose a brave, lasting future instead of death, ultimately embracing life.
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Five young people—Deepak, [Anand Babu], the idealist son of a judge who unravels the gifts his father showers him as bribes; Gautham, [Babloo Prithiveeraj], the pampered son of a wealthy business patriarch with a stubborn heart; Karpagam, [Madhoo], who runs from an arranged marriage with a very rich old man; Akhila, [Y. Vijaya], Suguna’s widowed mother who fears the class gap; and Pasupathy, [Gowtham Sundararajan], a bright, low‑caste youth who cannot find work despite his qualifications—are drawn together by a shared sense of disillusionment and destiny at a bleak crossroads. Each one carries a different burden: Deepak’s world of bribes and hollow luxuries, Gautham’s clash of love with a calculated family plan, Karpagam’s fight against an oppressive marriage, Akhila’s protective concern for Suguna’s future, and Pasupathy’s struggle to break through caste barriers to a fair chance at life. As these stories braid together, the film paints a portrait of a society that rewards appearances over virtue and leaves young people feeling unheard and unheard‑of, even by those meant to shelter them.
Deepak’s crisis unfurls when he confronts the moral rot around him. [Anand Babu] plays the role of a son who begins to see his father’s money as bribes rather than blessings, especially after he witnesses the father’s enormous bribe in a courtroom dispute. A homemade video song about corruption becomes a mirror that shouts back at him, prompting a charged confrontation with a friend who hints at their family’s complicity. His anger erupts, and the line between right and wrong starts to blur as he lashes out. The homefront collapses too when his mother starts justifying the very corruption Deepak objects to, helping to reveal how luxury—the bungalow, the car, the Yamaha bike—has been built on a hollow pedestal. The tension sharpens when Deepak’s own longing for a more righteous world collides with his father’s world of influence and power, forcing him to consider a radical break from the life he has known.
Across from him sits Gautham, [Babloo Prithiveeraj], the spoiled son of a powerful patriarch known as M. R. T. His love for Suguna is tested by his father’s plans to seal a strategic marriage to someone who would expand the family’s business might. Akhila, Suguna’s mother, [Y. Vijaya], sees the risk in such unions, while Suguna herself resists the stratified ladder that would place her in a role she never chose. The plan to stop the couple from marrying escalates into a web of social pressure and manipulation, with M. R. T. proposing to step in by turning Gautham into a stepchild of circumstance—making their romance appear as a rebellion against a system designed to keep them apart. Suguna’s defiance grows, and she begins to push back in bold, provocative ways, testing the boundaries of loyalty, respect, and family duty.
Karpagam, portrayed by [Madhoo], is another thread in this web, fleeing a marriage to a much older, extraordinarily wealthy man. The escape speaks to a broader theme of autonomy and the cost of societal expectations, while Akhila’s protective stance adds emotional weight to the dilemma. The third thread centers on a young girl named Subathra, introduced as a victim of grave violence; Subathra is brought to the fold as a person whose experiences illuminate the harsh realities many face, and Ramya Krishnan embodies this weighty character with quiet gravity.
Meanwhile, Pasupathy, [Gowtham Sundararajan], is introduced as a poor youth who earns top marks yet cannot secure employment because of the caste system that shadows his opportunities. His plight highlights the structural barriers that compound the personal pains of the others, even as he proves to be one of the few voices urging caution and hope amid despair. The group also intersects with other figures—Paathi Pandiyan, [Madhan Bob], a voice of hard‑edged realism who observes the larger social machinery at work, while Chevva, [Dhamu], and Deepak’s Friend, [Poovilangu Mohan], populate the supporting world that surrounds the five main characters, each contributing to the texture of the story in small but meaningful ways.
At the suicide point, the five youths finally decide to test life for 100 days, promising themselves a glimmer of joy amid mourning. They sing laments for futures they fear they may never have, all while trying to keep the spark of life alive in the face of a culture that seems set on ending it all too quickly. Pasupathy, however, makes an earnest attempt to pull them back from the edge, arguing that death is no joke and that there is value in trying to change their minds. The group’s doubts begin to bloom, and the plan starts to crack, even as the fear of the unknown intensifies.
Then a baby arrives at their doorstep, an unexpected responsibility that tugs at their hearts and complicates their resolve. The pressure of caring for a child binds them more tightly to one another and to a sense of duty they had not anticipated. The situation catches up with them when Deepak’s father, [Sethu Vinayagam], tracks his son’s letters with difficulty, arriving to confront the group with a heavier weight than any courtroom bribe could ever carry. His grief—he mourns his son’s death and blames the remaining youths for the tragedy—shadows the house and tests their will to go on. The group’s initial plan to die is hastily reconsidered as they witness the impact of loss and the stark consequences of their choices.
What follows is a revelation: Pasupathy’s death is faked, orchestrated to shock and awaken the remaining friends. He and his father arrange for the child to be placed with an orphanage, a move designed to force the youths to reassess the point of their own lives. The film then introduces encounters with people living with disabilities who show that a full life can still be rich, meaningful, and joyful. The two paths—death and life—collide with renewed energy, and the five youths, inspired by the resilience and courage they meet, choose to live. They decide to embrace a long, brave life, drawing strength from the hardships they have faced and the humanity they have seen in those around them, including the courage of the disabled individuals they meet along the way. The journey concludes with a hard‑won sense that hope can outshine despair, and that a future built on care, responsibility, and solidarity is within reach for those willing to fight for it.
Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 11:17
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