Sridhar (Ajith Kumar) has been trying to become a music director for eight years. In spite of having earned an M.A., his only dream is to become a music director (he even calls the eight-year wait a "penance").

His family, consisting of his father (K. Vishwanath), his brother Shiva (Raghuvaran), his sister-in-law Shantha (Sitara) and his sister (Preitha Raghav), is fully supportive of him. He runs into Viji (Jyothika) and their friendship soon blossoms into love. She helps him get a foot in the door in the industry but bad luck spoils his chances.

When Viji's sister's marriage is finalised suddenly, Viji's father (Jaiganesh) asks her to get married too. But he is understandably worried when he learns that Sridhar is unemployed and following a dream that has not been realised for 8 years.Her father even offers a job to him also. But he refuses to do that since his primary goal is to become music director. The matters ends there when her father arranges marriage with some other. He fails in love.

Back in Sridhar's home, Shiva suffers a heart attack. To support his family he takes up a job. But he continues with hope that in future his dream may come true.

The film initially ended with Sridhar's hope lost and his future looking bleak but the climax was changed after release to a short clip is shown of a few years later of Sridhar living his dream, implying that it finally came true.

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