Varnajalam is a 2004 Indian Tamil-language mystery thriller film written and directed by Nagulan Ponnusamy. The film stars Srikanth, Sadha, and Kutti Radhika, while Nassar, Riyaz Khan, and Karunas play supporting roles. The music was composed by Vidyasagar and editing done by K. Palanivel and cinematography by B. Balamurugan. The film was released on 13 February 2004 and was declared 'hit' at the box office due to its unique story and action sequences. The film was later dubbed in Hindi as Aankhein.
Plot
Devanathan IPS (Nassar), the Commissioner of Chennai Police, retires and begins a new life with his family, which includes his brother Shekar (Thalaivasal Vijay), sister-in-law Viji (Kanchana Mendis), and their children. Devanathan buys two large tea estates in Ooty and moves in with his family there. Devanathan's daughter Anitha (Kutty Radhika) is a teenager who wants to become a sincere IPS officer like her father, and his son Ashwin (Anand Samy) is a brilliant, yet troubled and antisocial young man. One morning, a young man named Daniel (Srikanth) arrives with a recommendation letter from a recently dead priest, Father Andrews, who is a schoolmate of Devanathan, to apply for a job as a tea estate manager. Daniel slowly becomes a favorite of the family with his good nature, music skills, and along with the fact that he saves Devanathan's life from criminals, and wins the family's heart.
One night, Ashwin scares Devanathan by dressing himself as a stalker. Ashwin got chased by Devanathan and revealed his identity to him, while laughing insanely and madly at Devanathan. The next day, Ashwin drives too fast, almost kills the family from getting hit by a train, frightening them. He then gets into an argument with Devanathan and goes to Daniel's office. Daniel, while acting insanely, inflicts wounds on himself and blames it on Ashwin. Ashwin attempts to confront Daniel over this scene at the hospital that Daniel is recovering from. Daniel created a scene that fabricated Ashwin attempting to murder Daniel for presumably having an affair with Anitha. Ashwin was captured by the ward boys and guarded in the hospital. Daniel was discharged and stayed alone at Devanathan's house. Ashwin escapes his hospital room by locking Shekar, who was guarding him in the washroom, and confronts Daniel again at his home. Daniel starts a fire in the cabin, where all of Devanathan's awards and medals, blaming all of that on Ashwin. Ashwin attempted to stop and expose Daniel but was unsuccessful and is taken to a mental hospital. Daniel disguises himself as Devanathan by wearing his cap and black coat while spying on Viji when she is bathing. She thinks it was Devanathan, and the friction between the brothers starts, which grows to an end level when Shekar leaves the house with his family.