The protagonist of the movie is born with a divine grace of Lord Shiva (Prakash Raj) and the boy's parents are advised to name him as Mallikarjuna as he is destined to accomplish a great work. During his childhood, Mallikarjuna faces a great tragedy as his parents and grandparents are killed by a huge feline creature when they are returning from Kashi. This incident leaves his younger sister, Sailu (Abhinaya (actress)) paralyzed from the waist and hence renders her lame (Sailu had a talent for dancing before this incident). Malli then develops strong hatred towards Lord Shiva.