Director: Sunder C.
Cast: Karthik, Divya Unni, Manthara, Manorama, Goundamani, Senthil, Radha Ravi, Ranjit, Kazan Khan.

Kannan (Karthik), an orphan, enters the household of Manorama who is eagerly awaiting the grandson she has never seen. In one of those temple festivals that are mandatory for any Tamil film with a rural setting, Manorama is conked on the head by disgruntled elements Radha Ravi and Kazan Khan. (She had been on her way to the temple to do the honours for the Goddess),. What exactly their enmity towards her is about, is never explained. Manorama goes into a coma. But the news of the arrival of her grandson makes the old woman jump out of her bed, defying all medical predictions.

Karthik, a poor sculptor, needs money to complete the work of a temple. Friend Goundamani, who is also Manorama's accountant, assures him that he would get the money, when the heir to the fortune, Ranjit, arrives. But Ranjit turns out to be unscrupulous, mean and avaricious. Infuriated by Ranjit's abusive comments about his grandma, Goundamani knocks him on the head while ferrying him across the stream to the village, Ranjit falls into the water and is left for dead. (But the audience knows for sure that he will return and he does in the end). Goundamani now persuades Karthik to step in as the grandson, 'for the sake of poor grandma's health'. Karthik agrees. For, having played imposter in most of his recent films, this was just a cakewalk for him!

Now for the household: Manorama is the grandma whose eyes become moist each time she looks at Karthik. There is Goundamani, the accountant; Goundamani, his twin brother, and Goundamani, their father, whose spirit appears often, chides the two warring brothers and tries to make peace between them. With all the three trading abuses, shouting, and creating chaos, it is only Senthil who manages to get some relieff, saved as he is from the abuse and bashing Goundamani normally reserves for him.

There is Divya Unni, the poor girl who is like a member of the household. Karthik had loved her before he became a part of the household. There is Manthara, returning to the Tamil screen after a long gap, making her buxom presence felt. So much so, that Karthik, who loves Divya, agrees to marry 'cousin' Manthara as per grandma's wish. Petite Divya Unni, the popular Malayalam actress, is given a raw deal here. But as though to compensate for her lacklustre role, the director tries to make amends by making her play the martyr in the end. She has her throat slit by villain Kazan Khan as she tries to protect Karthik.

At the yearly temple festival, Manorama once again arrives to do the honours, this time successfully. With Divya Unni out of the way, the path is cleared for Karthik to marry Manthara. Ranjit does make his appearance somewhere towards the fag end of the story to join hands with the villains.

Either director Sunder C .has exhausted all his ideas, or is never tired of repeating the same sequences and characters from film to film. 'Kannan Varuvan' is a film to be avoided like the plague.