Manohar (Karthik) is a schoolteacher in a local town. He is a bachelor living along with his friends (Nassar, Junior Balaiah and Charlie). Manohar has had a troubled love life, having lost his lover, Kasthuri (Suchitra) in a car accident. His friends are wastrels who roam about the town, flirting with the local girls. During one such dalliance with an army officer's (V. K. Ramasamy) daughter Kalyani (Bhanupriya), they are put behind bars for a few days. Manohar also gets peeved with their behavior and reprimands them for their uncouth behavior.

Humiliated, the friends decide to wreak their revenge on Manohar. They collude with a clerk (Janagaraj) in a local bank, and attempt to trick Manohar into believing Kalyani is in love with him. A few anonymous letters later, the plan comes out successful.

In the meantime, during the course of a few accidental events, Manohar comes across to Kalyani as a brave and resourceful hero. Impressed, she seeks his hand in marriage through the help of her father. This sudden development takes his scheming friends aback. They cook up evidences to convince Manohar that Kalyani is a whore. The gullible hero believes the subterfuge and cancels the plans of marriage.

Despondent after the twin love failures in his life, Manohar attempts suicide in a hotel. Thinking he is dead, the friends flee the town to avoid police confrontations. It is finally revealed to the viewers that Manohar was rescued by the police later and had reunited with Kalyani, after the foul play was decoded. Manohar pardons the friends as they had played some role in developing a love with his wife and invites them to a banquet at his new house atop a hill.

• Karthik as Manohar
• Bhanupriya as Kalyani
• Suchitra as Kasthuri
• Nassar as Manohar's friend
• Janagaraj as Bank Clerk
• Charle as Manohar's friend
• Junior Balaiah as Manohar's friend
• V. K. Ramasamy as Kalyani's father
• Nagesh
• Sukumari as Manohar's mother
• Poornam Vishwanathan
• Mohanlal as the Accordionist in the song "Keladee En" (Cameo appearance)

Malayalam director Priyadarshan was to have made his Tamil debut with the film Chinnamanikkuyile, which never saw a theatrical release. As a result, Gopura Vasalile became his Tamil debut.

The original score and six original songs for the movie were composed by maestro Ilayaraja and the lyrics by Vaali and Piraisoodan.^[3]

• Kadhal Kavithaigal - S. P. Balasubramaniam, K. S. Chitra
• Keladee En - S. P. Balasubramaniam
• Naatham - K. J. Yesudas, S. Janaki
• Priyasagi - Mano, S. Janaki
• Dhevadhai Poloru - Malaysia Vasudevan, Mano, Deepan Chakravarthy, S. N. Surendar
• Thalattum Poongkaatru - S. Janaki