Kunguma Chimil

Plot

From Coimbatore to Chennai, via Kargudi, in 1985 ...

Two provincial orphans, companions, for each other in their misfortune (without money, unemployed and without place of residence), from the beginning of their first one and picturesque meeting (in the bus which brought them towards the Tamil capital), Ravi (Mogan) and Philomena (Ilavarasi) eventually fell, one thing leading to another, very loving.

He warms him his heart, with his harmonica, of a very beautiful small melody, Nilavu Thoongum Neram ...

She, practising catholic and nurse, was mistreated then threatened with death by her fatal foster home, because she surprised the man who raised her, spirit to swindle his partner in the affairs, very good and generous David (V.Gopalakrishnan). The businessman was vulnerable, deprived for a moment of his view, further to an operation.

He was warned in time by Philomena who paid a very high price for her honesty, because in reprisals, her family decided to eliminate her. It is at this very moment that Philomena fled, so escaping her murderer and came to take refuge with the bus where was already Ravi.

Together, thus, upon their arrival in Madras, they squat successively in an old railway goods wagon, hunted by the railroad authorities, they shelter in an immense ruined and neglected building.

Ravi, although awarded a diploma, find no employment in the big city. He resigns to become a driver of rickshaw...

One day, Philomena comes face to face on Ravi. She finds degrading that he is reduced to this job, for her, while he possesses all the qualities to obtain a more gratifying job and as high as his ambitions.

It is then, contrary to all expectations, that supervisor's post releases itself in the forest region of Kargudi, but it is subjected to a condition : the deposit of a strong sum of money (10 000 rupees), by Ravi and he has only, for it, of 72 hours. Ravi is distraught.

In the meantime, the hunger torments them again...

Ravi improvises in being discreetly embedded in a marriage of neighborhood, for the free food. Accompanied with Philomena, together, they are surprised and thrown manu militari by the guests.

This sad and distressing experience makes them the terrible precariousness of their situation understand. Philomena which feels guilty, decides to part from Ravi, during six months, considering herself, a burden, a dead weight for his beloved, the time when he finds serenely a decent job. She promises to him to return to him after this wholesome lapse of time, in the letter which she sent him before leaving him.

While being at it, Philomena, wanting to save a little girl, is knocked down by the biggest of the fates, by David's vehicle.

Whereas Ravi, aboard a bus, finds an enormous sum of money. After careful consideration, he decides to use the money found to pay the guarantee of his future work.

And there, committed, here he is left for Kargudi.

Upon his arrival, he gets acquainted with a strange character, Manikkum (Delhi Ganesh) which forces to him to take the hand of his daughter.

The man is mentally disturbed since the marriage of his unique daughter, Rukumani (Révathi) (also called Ruku) broke off, for lack of not having been able to honor the dowry, the sum of which it lost in a bus, recently.

It turns out that Ruku works for Ravi, as housewife of her house. She turns out to be very naive but especially to very awkward, causing enormous concerns to Ravi, who reprimands her severely every time.

In the capital, Philomena tells its setbacks to David. Together, they go to meet Ravi, but on the spot, they realize that the young man is not there anymore.

To Kargudi, Ruku, who is a kleptomaniac also, steals the harmonica of Ravi, which afterward, remembers itself, in the solitude of the forest, with tenderness and sadness, his beloved Philomena, who does the same from her part, through their song, Nilavu Thoongum Neram...

David has to leave to Kargudi for his business and leave only Philomena...

The fate wants that Ravi works in the David's forest domain. Both men meet and appreciate mutually. In the passage, David recommends expressly to Ravi to take back Ruku to his service department. Indeed, she was dismissed, some times previously, by Ravi, exceeded, by her clumsiness.

She who came to put back to Ravi, his wallet lost a little earlier, just catches up her, while she was seriously going to flop. The young woman succumbs to her rescuer.

Sekhar, (Chandrasekhar), son of big family, who passed by Kargudi, breaks down with its car. While he looks for some water, he meets Ruku and is in love with her in the first look. He went to the girl's chosen by his parents, whom he gives up definitively. On his return, he quarrels with his father who wants to disinherit him because of the refusal of the arranged marriage, Sekhar outstrips him by abandoning everything, for the beautiful eyes of Ruku and leave his cosy nest.

Following a new thoughtlessness of Ruku, Ravi the slap in front of his father, Manikkum. This one made sick of life, explains him his failures, in particular another time, when he lost an enormous sum of money in a bus, among others ...

Ravi makes the link with the sum which he found formerly, and deducts that he is bound to the misfortunes of Ruku and his father. He regrets bitterly his attitude past with them, in the point to express it to his boss, David.

The latter makes understand to Ravi, that he is not there, accidentally and that he could get married to Ruku, in repair, damages ...

But Ravi answers to him that another woman waits for him (by thinking of Philomena, of course!).

A little later, Ruku saves in turn Ravi, of the attack of an elephant. Chased by wild animal, they take refuge at the top of a watchtower, planned for that purpose, for a whole night. It is in the early hours that the pachyderm goes away.

Regrettably, the wrong languages already make good progress in the village further to this episode, to the point that Ravi has to get married to Ruku, avoid him the dishonor, as well as to his poor father, again.

Thus the preparations for the marriage are thrown ...

Sekhar sends to Rukku the congratulations of circumstances, with a lot of bitterness.

From his part, Ravi understands, almost too late, also, that the person that he conversed regularly by the telephone, was not other than its Philomena, thanks to words which she, only, usually pronounced: ... Oru Bhagavad Gita-laiyo, oru Quran-laiyo, oru Bible-laiyo, ippadithan oru sambavam nadakanuna adhu maaththu yaaraalum mudiyathu! ...

He warns immediately David who quite returned it, upset.

But Ravi is always anxious to get married to Ruku, but without the presence of Philomena (who was invited at the request of David, before the rich man knows about all the affair). Regrettably, Ruku who was there, hears everything.

And David who had to prevent Philomena from attending the marriage, is already heading for Kargudi, his plane lands in a few hours. In the car which returns her instead of the ceremony, she finds on the seat a file, forgotten the day before, by Ravi. She understands while the bridegroom is other than his Ravi.

Terrified, she asks to the driver to accelerate so that he arrives in time, so that she can prevent this union between Ravi and Ruku. Once there, it is with surprise that she notices that Ravi waited for her.

Indeed, Ruku decided otherwise and decided by mutual agreement, to get married, with the man who left quite behind him, for her, by love, Sekhar.

Whereas now married, also, for ever, Ravi and Philomena savors every second of their common existence...

... Oru Bhagavad Gita-laiyo, oru Quran-laiyo, oru Bible-laiyo, ippadithan oru sambavam nadakanuna adhu maaththu yaaraalum mudiyathu! ...

(...Whether in the Bhagavad Gita, whether in the Quran, whether in the Bible, if a situation of this kind has to take place, nobody can change it !...)

Cast

Soundtrack

Music composed by Ilayaraja. and lyrics written by Vaali and Gangaï Amaran.