Sakthivel "Sakthi" is a young boy who dreams of becoming a superhero, like Shaktimaan. After being ridiculed by his teacher and classmates for believing Shaktimaan is real, Sakthi tries to prove it by falling off the terrace of his school, injuring himself in the process. His father (Azhagam Perumal) tries to convince Sakthi that Shaktimaan is fictional by showing the disclaimer of actor Mukesh Khanna advising viewers that the events depicted in the show are purely fictitious, causing Sakthi to abandon his hopes of becoming a superhero.

Years later, Sakthi (Sivakarthikeyan) and Inbaraj "Ink" (Robo Shankar) are friends who earn their livelihood as educational brokers and run a xerox shop in their neighbourhood that houses a certificate forgery unit to help the needy secure their desired jobs at the expense of huge commissions. He bumps across Meera (Kalyani Priyadarshan), a social worker at an educational fair and falls in love with her. Meera happens to be the inspiration of Mathi (Ivana), a brilliant girl who aspires to become an engineer. Mathi devises an engine that runs on salt water as a measure to help her father (Elango Kumaravel) and many other thwart the problem of rising petrol prices. Meera soon learns of Sakthi's true profession and advises him to help Mathi secure an admission in an engineering college without any payment. Sakthi tries to secure an admission for Mathi, but to no avail. He learns that the only way to help Mathi secure a seat is to demonstrate the practical applications of her engine, which is rejected by Sathyamoorthy (Arjun), Mathi's teacher who runs a school for the academically weak but brilliant children. Sakthi bypasses his warnings and demonstrates the engine at an educational fair by attaching it to an autorickshaw. This attracts the attention of the henchman of Mahadev (Abhay Deol), in turn he promises a seat for Mathi with full scholarship. The next day, the autorickshaw is seized by the police and Mathi is arrested on grounds of patent violation. The court convicts her guilty of the charges, which distraughts her and she attempts suicide by falling off a running train. Sakthi takes her to the hospital, only for the doctors to delay her treatment and she eventually succumbs to her injuries. Sakthi and Ink are also convicted guilty and are placed on the wanted list for aiding Madhi.

Sakthi, on the run, decides that the only way to avenge Mathi's death and prove her innocence is to confront the company issuing the patents. Due to his experience in forging certificates, he easily fishes out the fact that the patent was forged by the company under Mahadev's orders but is attacked in the process, when he is rescued by Sathyamoorthy wearing a mask. Sathyamoorthy explains to him that Mahadev is a corrupt business tycoon whose aim is to wipe out innovation in work culture. He also subdues brilliant students and subjects them to "lobotomy", a medical procedure in which a drug is injected into their eye, rendering their frontal cortex unusable, therefore reducing them to his "puppets". He uses their innovations to sell them to foreign companies and earn profits. Sathyamoorthy, being an advocate of innovation, secretly nurtures such children away from Mahadev in his school. Sakthi decides to fight the system along with Sathyamoorthy and the children, donning the mantle of the "Mask."

Using the gadgets developed by the children and Sathyamoorthy's training, Sakthi fights through Mahadev's henchmen and eventually learns the truth. Sathyamoorthy sacrifices himself in the struggle, prompting Sakthi to telecast the innovative inventions of students and explaining to the audience that children should be given freedom to follow their passion and not be just mere bookworms. In the final fight, Mahadev's plans are foiled and Sakthi subjects him to lobotomy, disabling him permanently. Six months later, Sakthi, while still on the wanted list, runs the school along with Meera on the outskirts of the city. A police officer (Prem) approaches him and takes him in his jeep around the city, where Sakthi finds major developments in the city due to the innovations of Mathi and other brilliant students. The officer tosses away the documents relating to Sakthi's charges as he had opened his eyes about his child's dreams, and requests Sakthi to continue on with the mantle of the Mask.

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