C. Prem Kumar is known for 96, his 2018 romantic drama that instantly connected with many. The drama was about yearning, love and loss, conversations, and childhood memories. Somehow, these same themes appear in Meiyazhagan, when two members of the same family meet after a long time. While one remembers everything, the other has trouble identifying this person. A lot is conveyed through conversations, and eventually, a bond is formed. This forms the crux of Meiyazhagan.
Spoilers Ahead
Why was Arul leaving his home in Thanjavur?
The movie began with a distraught Arul, along with his father and mother, being forced to leave their ancestral home and move to Chennai. It was assumed that Arul’s father had a property dispute with his family over this home, and that he’d lost the case. Several family and friends of Arul’s father were heartbroken and wept hard over familial bonds breaking. Arul was having a tough time dealing with the news as he’d spent most of his life in this home and town. Arul left his bicycle to his distant uncle and had to part with his youngest cousin Bhuvana, and making this transition was the hardest pill to swallow.
Was Arul interested in going back to his hometown?
Many years later, Arul was now in his forties, living with his parents, wife, and daughter in Chennai. He was planning to head to Thanjavur for his cousin Bhuvana’s wedding, whom he stayed in touch with but never met ever since they left Thanjavur. Arul was not ready to meet the family who threw them out of their ancestral home, but he was making an appearance only for the sake of Bhuvana and her father. On reaching Thanjavur, he was overwhelmed by the memories of the town he grew up in.
What happened on reaching the pre-wedding festivities?
On reaching the venue of the pre-wedding festivities, Arul ran into his old relatives but was ignored by the people who snatched his family home. Arul met a cousin younger than him, but he had a hard time placing him. Arul also shared the wrong phone number with his cousin to avoid being contacted by him or any other family member from Thanjavur. Arul played along because this cousin knew everything about him and was treating him like an older brother. During the pre-wedding function of his favorite cousin Bhuvana, he offered a small box full of jewelry, which she insisted on wearing right away. Since Arul and Bhuvana were meeting after a long time, this moment was an emotional one.
Did Arul miss his bus back to Chennai?
Arul wanted to leave for Chennai, as he was not planning to attend the wedding. His cousin offered to drop him at the bus stop, and he kept conversing and listening to stories without even knowing who this cousin was. He was offered a local specialty tea before boarding the bus, but unfortunately, because of this detour, Arul missed his bus, and as expected, he was angry at his cousin. His cousin wanted to offer solutions, but Arul asked him to drop him off at a local lodge for the night. His cousin wouldn’t have it and convinced him to come back to his place. His cousin was very generous, as he offered Arul his home to sleep at, where he could freshen up as well.
Where did his cousin take him?
Arul was slowly beginning to enjoy his cousin’s company, but he was having a hard time figuring out how his kin knew such details about his family. His cousin, however, was under the impression Arul knew him well and spoke nonstop and shared many stories about his life. The cousin shared the story of how he’d purchased a sickly bull and turned him into a healthy animal that won accolades at the Jallikattu, now a banned festival in Tamil Nadu. The cousin also shared the story of the home, which belonged to his kind wife Nandhini. Just like Arul’s father, Nandhini fought for her current home, which belonged to her parents. After a long legal battle, she got custody of it, with things turning out well for him and Nandhini. The cousin spoke explicitly about the bicycle, which many years ago had belonged to Arul. Arul remembers giving it away, but the cousin reveals it was his father who took it and was very happy with it. Arul was surprised to find his cousin still had the bicycle, and they went out riding in the middle of the night. His cousin’s company and conversations got more and more interesting by the minute.
What did his cousin advise?
As night went on, Arul shared his distress and the sadness he carries with him ever since he and his family were forced to leave their home. Arul could not bring himself to get over the tragedy, as his father, grandfather, and ancestor were born and raised in that house. His cousin, who had spent most of the evening talking, kept quiet as Arul kept speaking his heart out about his past. On reaching home, the cousin revealed that he was planning to name his future son/daughter Arul. This was his way to proclaim his love and respect for Arul, and he was overwhelmed by his gesture. Arul’s cousin advised him not to curse his relatives as he was a good man, and it would severely affect the people who wronged them. His cousin was right since he genuinely believed Arul and his family were good people and probably should not take the route their families took.
Why did Arul leave without letting his cousin know?
Arul and his cousin were drunk by the end of the night. While dozing off, his cousin stated Arul should take their names the next day before leaving for Chennai. His cousin did not find anything weird about the way Arul had somehow not uttered his cousin’s name throughout the night. It was probably his wish to get blessings from Arul, who put him on a pedestal right from his childhood. The cousin had probably waited for many years to meet Arul, and he made sure to shower his older brother with a lot of grateful hospitality. Arul was overwhelmed again as he was unable to figure out his cousin’s name. He was feeling guilty for taking advantage of his cousin and his home. Arul was feeling ashamed to have neglected a wonderful person like his cousin, who went out of their way to make him feel comfortable.
Arul wanted to get out of Thanjavur as soon as possible, but it was his cousin who made his night memorable by sharing some heartfelt stories; one of them included his old bicycle. Out of pure shame, Arul left his cousin’s home in the middle of the night without informing anybody. He assumed explaining the scenario would not be easy, which led to him making a split-second decision to leave Thanjavur.
Did Arul recognize the stranger he was with?
On reaching Chennai, Arul shared the story of his cousin and his caring behavior towards him. Arul overcomes bittersweet pain as he is unable to fathom a person like his cousin could exist. Arul’s life was marred by the memories of his family betraying his father. He never believed there was anyone else other than a handful of people who he could trust, including the cousin he met during his stay at Thanjavur. Arul knew in his heart his cousin was genuinely a kind person, and he felt embarrassed about the way the night ended.
Days later, Arul’s daughter came across the mysterious cousin’s number, dialed him, and made her father talk to him. His daughter also wanted her father to rekindle his old familial relationship and face them. Arul was not sure how to react, but he was forced to converse with his cousin, who was surprised to hear from him. Arul’s cousin was elated to have heard from him and revealed the number he’d left was not working. An embarrassed Arul confessed to having given him the wrong number and said he did not remember his name. Arul had to come clean because he realized there was no reason to keep his cousin away from what was going on in his mind. His cousin was upset and heartbroken on learning Arul had never recognized him or remembered his name throughout the night. For him, it was a memorable night with his cousin he’d met after a long time. He wanted to give Arul a nostalgic trip down memory lane in the same town that left him with unpleasant memories. After having apologized to his cousin for not being honest with him from the start, he showed gratitude and thanked him for giving him the memory of a lifetime. His teary-eyed cousin began to explain the story of how he had met Arul. The cousin was very young, and Arul was in his teens and was a wonderful older brother to him and all the cousins who visited him.
The cousin did not disclose his name, which was a playful way to pester Arul because he had no memory of it. It seems Arul had suppressed a lot of his memories from Thanjavur, and now he was slowly recollecting them. As his cousin kept describing their meeting and his time spent at Arul’s home, the latter finally had a eureka moment when he remembered he used to call his cousin “Potato.” Arul felt relieved to have had a heartfelt conversation with his cousin, whose name he finally figured out but refused to refer to by his name on the phone. Arul wanted a moment with his cousin, and that could only happen if he visited Thanjavur. He’d never wanted to go back to his hometown, but now he found a reason to visit,to meet his long-lost cousin and finally call him by his name. Arul had his doubts about his hometown because of the awful memories from the past, but thanks to his cousin “Potato,” he could finally look forward to making good memories and happily connect with his past.
Meiyazhagan ended with Arul reaching his hometown and offering prayers to the temple in his cousin’s name, which was not revealed at this point. This was a big setup, but a good one to know the name of the man who over a few hours changed Arul’s perspective of his past. On reaching his cousin’s house, Arul finally utters the name, which was “Meiyazhagan,” the title of the film. Meiyazhagan finally opens the door happily which is his way of showing love to his cousin who finally recognizes him. It was smart of the filmmaker to have revealed his identity in the end and smartly presented the story where none of the characters took his name. Nevertheless, the cousins were reunited. Arul finally found a friend in his cousin Meiyazhagan.