Uttarayanam came out of the group of modernist artists based in Kozhikode. Drawn from a work by writer Pattathuvila Karunakaran, who also produced the film, and co-scripted by playwright Thikkodiyan, Uttarayanam is about Ravi, an unemployed young man, who has to face a series of encounters during his search for a job. Ravi reflects on the past struggles of the anti-British freedom fighters he has learned about from his paralyzed father. He eventually meets Gopalan Muthalaly, a leader of Quit India movement, but now a corrupt contractor.