Vedham Pudhithu

After Sankarapandi returns from the city, he meets Vaidehi in the village temple where they secretly connect. Despite the rigid caste divide, their feelings grow into a quiet, forbidden romance. The temple setting highlights the sacred yet prohibited nature of their bond. Their love becomes a central conflict driving the story.

Vaidehi is hidden by Balu after their night together is discovered. To atone for what is seen as his son's crime, Balu prostrates before the Brahmins. The act earns him grudging respect from some villagers but intensifies the caste tensions surrounding the couple. Balu's willingness to sacrifice for others becomes a defining trait.

Vaidehi reveals the romance to Neelakanta, her father and a Brahmin priest. He rejects the union and schemes to marry her off to another man in a neighboring village to preserve caste purity. He believes external alliances will secure his daughter's future and chastise Sankarapandi as a source of dishonor. This decision sets Vaidehi on a path of deception and escape.

To escape the forced marriage, Vaidehi fakes her own death and vanishes from sight. She finds shelter with a forest ranger who becomes aware of her predicament. The ranger promises to help reunite her with Sankarapandi and safeguard her from the village's wrath.

Neelakanta confronts Sankarapandi at a waterfall, accusing him of bringing misfortune. During the struggle, Sankarapandi slips but clings to a plant, and Neelakanta drowns in the effort to save him. Both men die, sealing the lovers' fate and escalating the tragedy for Vaidehi.

Sankara, now orphaned by the deaths of his father and grandfather figures, wanders the streets. Balu and Pechi take him in as their own son and vow to shelter him from caste prejudice. They even stop eating meat to avoid offending the vulnerable child.

Pechi resolves to educate Sankara in an English-medium school, aiming to open a different path for him beyond caste restrictions. Balu supports the plan, signaling a shift away from tradition toward reform. The decision marks a turning point in Sankara's upbringing.

Sankara faces ostracism from Brahmins for his upbringing in a lower-caste home, sparking a critique of caste rules. Balu himself confronts his own contradictions, noting his use of Thevar status while condemning caste. In a dramatic gesture, Balu immerses his weapons and renounces his caste name.

Vaidehi shares her love with the forest ranger, who promises to help reunite the lovers. He travels to the village to assess the situation and what the community has done to them. The plan sets in motion the events that will bring Vaidehi back toward Sankara.

The ranger returns and informs Vaidehi of what he has learned about the village and Sankara's fate. Vaidehi, moved by the updates, prepares for what comes next and contemplates her own path. The news breathes a sense of possibility into the fragile romance.

Vaidehi goes back to her village to face the consequences of the revelations. She asks Pechi to care for Sankara for the rest of his life and decides to depart. The act shows her resolve but also the pain of separation from her lover and family.

Krishna Iyer spreads the impression that Vaidehi's return is inauspicious for the village. He incites a mob and accuses Balu of transgressing sacred norms. Hay is set, and villagers converge on Balu's house, demanding that Vaidehi be expelled.

In the ensuing scuffle, Balu is stabbed and dies, fulfilling his hope that people would live in unity beyond caste. His last request is for the community to unite and see past caste divisions. The next day, Sankara removes his poonal and performs Balu's last rites, symbolically rejecting Brahminical orthodoxy.