The story concerns Muthu, a charismatic, well-respected and loyal servant and charioteer of Raja Malayasimman, a wealthy zamindar. While Muthu and Raja's exploits lead them to fall in love with the same woman, an actress and dancer named Ranganayaki, Raja's materal uncle Ambalathar is keen on assuming control of the family's property.
The plot revolves around the wrong conviction of a business man and the efforts taken by the protagonist, a lawyer, to find the truth. The portrayal of the characters is similar in many ways to Malayalam cinema's investigative thrillers. The suspense is well maintained until the climax with little clue to the audience on the identity of the real culprit. The arguments in court were mostly inspired from 12 Angry Men (1957).
Gopalsamy, a poor graduate, travels to Madras to financially provide for his mother's eye surgery. Struggling to earn money, he encounters a Brahmin priest who coaxes him to impersonate a Brahmin to sell food in the neighboring agraharam. Being a non-Brahmin from a backward caste, Gopal finds it morally reprehensible to wear the sacred thread, but with no other options in sight, he sets off to perform Ganapati homam with three other priests...
Johnny loves Archana, a popular singer, but their lives are disrupted when Johnny's lookalike kills his lover and tries to pin the blame on Johnny.