The film opens with the narrator explaining that there are nine types of human behaviours (Navarasam) known as Wonder (Arputham), Fear (Bayam), Compassion (Karuna), Anger (Kobam), Equanimity (Saantham), Disgust (Aruvaruppu), Elegance (Singaram), Bravery (Veeram) and Bliss (Anandham) and that Sivaji Ganesan's nine roles represent one character per role.

Nalina feels cheated by Anand and attempts suicide, where she is stopped by a widower, Arputharaj.

Third Night (Compassion): After escaping from the brothel house, Nalina is caught by a patrol policeman for wandering into the road at unusual time.

The old aged lonely doctor Karunaagaran understands that Nalina is fine and is merely pretending in order to escape from cops, and so he helps her.

Nalina understands that the police are not looking for her, but looking for the man as he is a killer who killed a rich businessman as a revenge for his brother's death.

Fifth Night (Equanimity): Fed up with life, Nalina runs onto a track to attempt suicide.

A local priest visits their home and tells them that Nalina is possessed by a spirit in order to cheat them of money by performing some fake rituals.

Sixth Night (Disgust): Nalina meets an old aged leper, who once upon a time was a rich man.

Seventh Night (Elegance): Nalina feels very tired and asks for water from a house.

But the heroine had fallen sick and his whole troop are in critical position, in search of a replacement for the seventh day play, failing which will make them lose money and reputation in the village.

Eight Night (Bravery): Nalina disguises as a man and visits a house of a hunter Veerapan.

Nalina has left her home before her father knew that she is in love with a person and the lover is the same man he has arranged for his daughter.

Ninth Day (Bliss): Anand looks pale and dull after Nalina left her home.

Her wedding is attended by all the people she met during those days, except by the dead gunman of the fourth night.

[1][5] At the time of release, it held the record for the most number of characters played by a single actor in an Indian film.

[8][9] The song "Iravinil Aattam" was remixed by G. V. Prakash Kumar in Kadavul Irukaan Kumaru (2016).

[1] The Indian Express wrote on 14 November, "Director APN, with deft, imaginative touches that alternate with crudity and mere melodrama makes what might have been an outstanding picture just a good entertainer".

[11] Writing for Kalki, P. Kannan said the film could be watched multiple times of the performances of Ganesan and Savitri.

[14] Malathi Rangarajan of The Hindu wrote in 2007, " At a time when playing even three roles in a film was a wonder, you saw an actor handling nine with élan!