Unmadham (2026) Movie Script
Listen.
Don't make the same mistake again.
Don't leave until you've made sure
whether he's dead or alive.
Slithering with the night...
A shadow-serpent
The world...
An enigma
Upon the tongue
Trembling...
A fleeting moth
Startled
And unaware
Clawing the soul...
Like a ploughing ox
Like a straining, ploughing ox
Through hidden nerves...
We'll carve our way
Through unseen crevices...
Let me seep into your flesh
Into skies of madness
With newfound wings
Like a dinosaur...
We soar!
We manifest and shift...
Through all things
Living and dead
We fall and perish...
In the deep trenches of a harsh destiny
Countless restless souls...
In borrowed flesh
Possessing...
Racing in wild anxiety
We'll roam this earth...
Forsaken!
Broken-tailed...
We wander!
Through unseen truths...
We'll crystallise at last
Into skies of madness
Wingless now
Like a dinosaur...
We'll vanish!
"UNMADHAM"
(Insanity)
Roll sound...
Sound rolling.
Start camera.
Camera rolling.
Action!
Camera tilt up.
Slowly.
Face entry.
Cut.
Move the van.
Move that land stand.
Kumar, please fix the light soon.
Bring the sand bag.
Take okay.
Sir, is this okay?
- How's this?
- Which one?
It's a good story.
But it's not really what I'm looking for.
Also, it feels a little too influenced
by English films.
That said... your writing, the characters,
their arcs and scenes are all really good.
- The shot is ready.
- Alright, let's begin.
Sir, you're in the police, right?
If you have a good police story...
- we can discuss it then.
- Alright.
What happened?
Let's go.
- Go turn on the tap.
- Okay.
You go with him too.
Don't cry...
It's okay, don't cry...
You!
You still don't know how to use that?
Mom, it sprayed all over me!
Yeah, right! Get inside.
Soumya, the tank's empty.
Can I turn on the pump?
Rimi, you've been sitting here all day.
It's not like you've got a job.
I just got back from work.
You can do it after I'm done.
You're the only one who goes to work.
Someone else was home all day
without working.
- Get inside!
- Come on, run!
- Dad!
- Yes.
A snake got into our school today.
- Dad, today my friend...
- Let me say it.
- No, let me...
- I wanna say it!
- No, I wanna say it!
- Why's your uniform wet?
Don't drip water everywhere. Go change.
Do I have to tell you too?
Go on, act smart.
You'll need me later.
Go on. Do it.
How did the meeting go?
He liked my writing...
the characters too.
But not the story.
He asked me to write another one.
He couldn't say your story was bad,
so he made an excuse.
Get it now, at least.
It's been over a year since
you stopped going to work
and started chasing cinema
without a paycheck.
Everyone struggles
before making it in films.
My father married me off
to a police officer...
not someone from the film industry.
You do your films.
Just let me go my way.
I'll raise my kids somehow.
I've suffered long enough.
My dear Soumya.
At least be kind, like your name.
- The whole block will hear.
- Rimi.
I've got other work to do.
Are there any more clothes?
No that's it.
I'll hang them out.
Oh, no need. I'll also come.
Let them hear.
I can't face anyone
in these quarters anymore.
People already blame me
for your foolishness.
If you keep chasing films,
I'll kill the kids and kill myself.
Only then will you learn your lesson.
- Give it here!
- No, it's mine!
Stop yelling!
If I come there,
both of you are in trouble.
Go change your uniform.
Or she'll never stop nagging.
- Go on. Get changed.
- Soumya is on fire.
Shelly is too nice.
I have to go to work
and do all the housework too.
Don't know what I did to end up with you.
Rimi, any more clothes?
Learn from Sumesh sir.
- Huh?
- He goes to work...
and still washes Rimi's undergarments
when he gets home.
That wasn't politically correct, was it?
Please stop shouting.
I'll stop everything.
I'll rejoin tomorrow.
If you'd tried acting instead of writing...
you'd have won an Oscar by now.
I'm not asking you to stop writing.
Can't you keep your job and write?
Everyone downstairs is watching.
Are they?
Why are you all standing there?
Is there a problem?
Come on, let's go.
Make sure you exercise in the morning.
Then you do the housework, sir.
- Were you on night duty, sir?
- Aren't you going to office?
Get your bag, let's go.
- Dad...
- Ready?
- Bye.
- Okay, bye.
If you're coming with me, get ready fast.
I have to report at the unit by eight.
My bike is in the workshop.
Otherwise, I wouldn't have bothered you.
It's not that.
I'm not used to being yelled at
like you are.
I have to get to work on time.
That temple was in ruins.
Menon restored it to its former glory.
His smile shines just as bright.
- Got any money on you?
- Huh?
If I find out
you used it to buy cigarettes...
Alright.
We need more officers this time
or it'll be a mess.
So many problems.
Everybody, come out.
Look who decided to show up.
Aha!
What's up?
Heard Mammootty and Mohanlal quit acting
because you didn't cast them in your film.
What a filmmaker!
Why don't you take five years' leave?
At least we can replace you.
He goes on medical leave
and we've got twice the work.
Take Sir's bag inside.
He must've forgotten the station limits.
Get in. Let's go for a ride.
Come on.
Shelly sir?
Don't forget what I told you.
About what?
About getting my daughter into films.
She'll get paid more for stage shows too.
That's why I asked him, sir.
He's written quite a few scripts.
He'll surely get her a role.
Listen, brother...
It's true I chased films for a while.
I really wanted it.
I tried hard but it didn't work.
I've given it all up.
I can't do it anymore.
For God's sake,
don't come to me with this again.
Down with the land-grabbing government!
Resign! Step down!
We protest! We protest!
Do you know...
Back in college,
I won Best Actor at university.
I tried films too. Didn't work out.
There's one thing I envy about you.
At least you're still chasing your dream.
Sir.
He loves doing all this.
It's just to show off in front of you. sir.
Hello.
Where are you?
Look, I'm at the unit itself.
Happy now?
I was just by the roadside.
Thought I'd call you.
I understood.
Which affair did you bust today?
Why'd you let them off, sir?
What do we gain
by breaking up two families?
Get in.
Shelly, we've got a complaint.
Neighbour dispute. Go check it out.
- Okay, sir.
- Let's go.
Dakshayiniamma?
I'm Dakshayiniamma, sir.
- There was a complaint?
- Yes, I gave the complaint.
It's just me and
my marriageable-age daughters here.
My husband passed away years ago.
The old man in that house,
comes up to this fence...
pees here and lifts his clothes.
My eyes can't take it anymore.
How are my kids and I supposed to sit here?
Sir, please go and check.
Who else is there?
He's got kids.
But they are all away.
With behaviour like that, no wonder.
- I'll go take a look.
- Yes please do.
- Sir...
- Hm?
Remove that metal sheet.
You can get through there.
- That way?
- There's a path through the trees.
You can cross.
Press it, sir. He's inside.
He's definitely inside.
Why are you going near that fence to pee?
Only women live there.
Sir, do I look capable of that?
They keep stealing coconuts from my yard.
So I filed a complaint against them.
This is payback for that.
Oh, no...
Brother... What happened?
Somebody help!
Brother...
Hey, Sister...
Brother...
Sister!
- Brother, open your eyes.
- Oh, dear...
Oh, no... He killed him!
Just because he had no one,
you think you can do anything?
Don't think we'll let this go.
Sir, don't argue.
He died because that
policeman tortured him.
The inquest is done.
There are no injuries on his body.
You all saw that yourselves.
Mental torture can cause a heart attack.
You must investigate.
Calm down. Wait for the postmortem report.
Then we'll see.
You can make
the postmortem report say anything.
This is nothing new for you.
Beating people up in custody.
The senior officers
are trying to prevent a clash.
What really happened, sister?
We thought he was
a community police officer
and that he'd be polite.
The way he questioned him...
would've scared
even a healthy man to death.
And that poor man, what can I say...
Soumya...
Mm?
Don't get angry.
I need to tell you something.
If it's about films, don't.
I will get angry.
I might get suspended tomorrow.
What happened?
I went to check a complaint.
An old man saw me, collapsed and died.
But why suspend you?
You didn't do anything wrong.
They're calling it police harassment.
The locals have formed an action council.
Didn't you say only policemen
who work get suspended?
Anyway, it's only six months.
You can write another story.
Who's it?
It's CI Sir.
Yes, sir?
Sir.
Sir.
Thank you, sir.
Sir.
The postmortem report came.
The cause of death was kidney failure.
So I'm cleared.
But I got a punishment transfer.
The SP did it to pacify the action council.
Anyway, that's good.
At least I won't have to hear
scriptwriter thrown at me anymore.
Since we're awake anyway,
shall we go to the other room?
Yes.
Which station did you get transferred to?
Kongad.
That's where your Joshy sir is, right?
Yes.
Listen... if you team up with him
take out a loan and make a short film...
I swear I'll kill you.
Oh, please don't ruin the mood.
Why weren't you answering your phone?
I was riding my bike.
Come.
Hold this for a second.
Are your father's funeral rites over?
No.
Who takes signed cheque leaves
from a friend before lending money?
Tell Sir the truth. Don't act smart.
Sir, they handed them over themselves,
saying it was only for security.
Let me see.
Sir, the cheque, it's in the lady's name.
Satheesh and his family
have been missing for a week.
I know all about the stunt you pulled
at their house with those goons.
If anything has happened
to Satheesh or his family...
you'll pay for it.
- You may leave.
- Move. Walk.
Sir, I've come to join duty.
- What's with the beard?
- Shaving rest, sir.
Sir, we're from the same batch.
Shelly has written screenplays too.
That road safety short film I acted in,
Shelly directed it.
I don't want cinema people in this station.
I need policemen who do their job.
We're already short-staffed here.
Don't come asking for leave
to work in films and all that.
- Give this to the writer.
- Sir...
For God's sake, stop advertising
my miserable film career.
Come on, man...
I only said it so he'd respect you.
Yeah, I got plenty of respect.
Give me that.
Sir...
Why a punishment transfer?
A man saw me and dropped dead, sir.
By seeing you? Really?
Which batch are you from?
2005 Palakkad batch.
And you didn't write the HC test?
No, sir.
If you want to survive in this station,
you'd better take the next test.
None of your tricks will work here.
We're so short-staffed,
we can't even do the GD entries.
Go get the bio-data register
from that cupboard.
Sir, this one?
Didn't I ask for that damn book?
Then why the hell did you touch that one?!
Just to drive me crazy?
Are you an idiot?
Can't you recognize a book?
We'd only just found some peace.
Do you know what happened
to everyone who touched that file?
We got rid of its curse
only after countless rituals.
Do you have any idea
what's going to happen now
- because of your stupidity?
- Sir,
there's been
a terrible accident outside.
Looks like the victim is dead.
My shift is already over.
You caused this mess.
Now deal with it.
Go!
What are you waiting for?
Stop crowding around here!
Happy now?
What a pain!
What are you staring at? Lift him!
He touched that file, and now he's frozen.
Why did you touch that file?
What did I even do?
How was I supposed to know
what was inside it?
Ever since I touched it,
everyone's been yelling at me.
Six years ago, a girl was found dead
on the railway tracks.
Since the investigation found
no signs of murder,
the case was closed under Section 174.
Ever since then, anyone who
touches that file lands in trouble.
Either policemen get suspended,
or a wave of unnatural deaths follows,
and if not that...
some cop's uniform in the station
ends up stained with blood.
Rajesh, I'm leaving.
Okay, sir
Hey, Writer Anil sir is looking for you.
What is it, sir?
Another 174 case has come in.
A four-day-old corpse.
Shelly, there's body-watch duty.
Take the Home Guard
and relieve the GD there.
Someone will relieve you by morning.
Sir, I joined only today.
I didn't even bring spare clothes.
You're the reason for all this.
Now go stand there.
Hold tightly.
Tie him up!
Sir...
The relatives and locals have all left.
The smell here is unbearable.
Shall we sit over there instead?
Come.
Sir...
What's that sound?
The kind of duty we get
in the middle of the night!
Sir...
There's a loud noise inside.
Probably a toddy cat, sir.
Really?
Sir...
The smell is unbearable.
We've run out of incense sticks.
There are some by the porch.
What? You want me to go to the porch?
Sir, don't go alone, sir.
Where did you serve in the army?
Mostly Kashmir.
You're scared of a dead body,
yet you guarded the border?
Sir, ghosts and spirits
aren't like human beings.
Oh, come on! Ghosts, my foot!
If there's nothing to fear,
why are the policemen at the station
so terrified of that file?
There was a DYSP
who talked just like you.
Do you know what happened to him, sir?
[police drill commands]
How many LP warrants are pending?
Nineteen, sir.
Does anyone have
any duty-related grievances?
The entire force feels
we should conduct
a puja at the station.
A puja? At the station?
Sir, there's an old 174 case file here
from three years ago.
Whenever anyone touches it,
something unfortunate happens
at the station.
What do you think will happen?
Sir, officers get suspended.
And that's not all.
The station gets flooded with 174 cases.
At the very least, someone's uniform
ends up stained with blood.
Aren't you ashamed?
Dragging superstition
into the 21st century?
People like you
don't deserve to wear that uniform.
This isn't just my experience, sir.
You can ask anyone here.
Bring me that file.
Sir, I don't think that's a good idea.
Just bring me the file.
Go.
I can't touch that file today, sir.
Daksha...
Go get that file.
Sir...
[Crowd chanting anti-police slogans]
Long Live IFPA! Long Live IFPA!
Beware! Beware! Beware!
Police, beware!
That's the opening scene.
The opening scene is okay.
But where does the story go from there?
A policeman who dreams
of becoming a screenwriter
starts investigating this file
and tries to turn it into a story.
That's interesting.
Here's what you do.
Prepare a one-line synopsis.
We'll build it from there.
- Okay.
- Okay. Thank you.
Far... far beyond...
Could it be the fabled golden deer?
Through forests no one dared to roam
Along forbidden roads untrod
Yet when I finally draw near
Is she a helpless orphan...
Or a formless apparition?
Yet when I finally draw near
Is she a helpless orphan...
Or a formless apparition?
A tale no soul has ever spoken
A legend no realm has ever known
A whisper no ear has ever heard
A phantom veiled in the folds of night
Who knows where its roots begin
Or where its ending lies?
Is it nothing more than
a tangled riddle?
Far... far beyond...
Could it be the fabled golden deer?
Through forests no one dared to roam
Along forbidden roads untrod
The cook is waiting outside
for the payment.
Tell him we'll pay tomorrow.
You go tell him yourself.
The cook doesn't know
if the society bought our paddy or not.
After all, no one else
helps with the expenses.
The season of storms
Draws its veil across every eye
Smoke shrouds the earth
As fate quietly casts its nets
Somewhere,
Serpents keep their timeless watch
Is everything before us
Merely an illusion of the eye?
Yet when I finally draw near
Is she a helpless orphan...
Or a formless apparition?
A tale no soul has ever spoken
A legend no realm has ever known
A whisper no ear has ever heard
A phantom veiled in the folds of night
Who knows where its roots begin
Or where its ending lies?
Is it nothing more than
a tangled riddle?
Far... far beyond...
Could it be the fabled golden deer?
Through forests no one dared to roam
Along forbidden roads untrod
Spin the swing!
Enough?
No, not enough. Spin it faster!
Hey, you're in the inquest photos.
Isn't this the suicide case
you were guarding the other day?
It wasn't a suicide.
Three or four people killed him over a
property dispute
and staged it as a hanging.
Come on! The post-mortem report says
he had cancer.
He even left a suicide note saying
that's why he ended his life.
No wonder none of the directors
accept your stories.
You keep writing stories
with no logic at all.
Come on, let's go.
Sir isn't here. He's stepped out.
I'll check and let you know.
Hey...
I met Ratheesh Kumar
and told him
about our station's 174 case file.
Hey...
Let me finish!
He liked the story.
He asked me to come back
with a one-line as soon as possible.
Hey, that's a cursed case.
Don't get involved with it.
Everyone who went after that file
ended up paying the price.
- Isn't that just superstition?
- Oh, really?
First, we need to get our hands
on that file.
As if that'll ever happen.
Writer Anil locks it up
and hides the key before he leaves.
If he finds out we touched that file,
we're finished in this station.
- Hey, I--
- Shelly sir,
two people are here to see you.
Sir, we'll have only three months.
So let's begin pre-production
within a month.
That's fine. Sort everything out
before I leave.
Will do, sir.
This is Isaac sir, the producer.
- Hello.
- Hello.
We've got good news.
Sir loved your story.
He wants the shooting to begin
within four months.
Sir has Soubin Shahir's dates.
I narrated our story to him,
and he loved it too.
Sir is flying back to Canada today.
I may live in Canada,
but I'm a Kochi man at heart.
So before I leave,
I thought I'd hand over the advance.
Shall we?
Face east.
It's more auspicious.
Here.
- Shelly...
- Sir.
Come here for a moment.
All the best.
I'll call you.
What did you say happens
when someone touches that file?
Count the zeroes.
One lakh?!
Hey...
Sir.
Make a GD entry for this.
Mini still isn't here.
Okay, sir.
Sir, your tea.
- Sir, can I get you another cup of tea?
- No.
I'll take care of the rest, sir.
Don't you have anything to study?
Put that phone away.
I'm teaching you today.
Soumya, I bought some fruits.
What's that?
Gone, gone!
- Be quiet!
- Not gone!
- Give me that phone.
- Dad!
Go study.
Bring your books.
What a mess you've made!
Do you know how hard your mother works
to keep this place clean?
Go sit at the table.
Sit and study. I'll be right back.
K for key.
K for king.
K for kite.
K for kitten.
H for hat.
- H for hen.
- Sit and study.
H for house.
H for heart.
Soumya.
Got any more clothes to wash?
I for igloo.
I for ink.
J...
T for table.
T for tiger.
T for tree.
T for train. T for turtle.
So dusty.
Dad, I need to go potty.
Go.
Don't flush till I come see it.
Our kids are such tricksters, aren't they?
Not as bad as you.
If you've got something to say, say it.
Drop the act.
Teaching the kids, cleaning up...
Hey...
The director liked one of my stories.
He wants me to write it.
Is this where you burn your trash?
Where else should we burn it?
If the smoke bothers you,
just shut the window.
If you take leave for films again,
I'm leaving with the kids.
Argh!
What's this, Soumya?
You splashed dirty water all over me!
Where else should I throw it?
If it splashes on you, just step aside.
Soumya, don't be so cheap.
I'm coming up there!
Why are you just standing there?
Say something!
I'm sick of living in these quarters.
Every time I try to get us out,
you hold me back.
These struggles will never end.
Our life is about to change.
I wasn't lying.
Look at this.
My advance cheque.
Now don't go spending it.
If we have to repay this too,
we've got nothing left to mortgage.
I'll keep it.
I called you so many times.
Why didn't you answer?
What's the duty today?
To the DPO.
Need to collect some supplies
for the station store.
This could be useful to you too.
How?
Rajeev is there,
a guy I trained at the DCRB.
He promised to get us a copy
of the 174 case file.
- How's that?
- Seriously?
If this works out,
you'll land yourself
a killer role in my movie.
- Promise?
- Yes.
We're dealing with the biggest land scam
Kerala has ever seen.
Similar cases have been reported
in several other districts as well.
At present, six such cases
have been reported in Palakkad district.
A detailed investigation is underway.
Where are the complainants from, sir?
The first complaint came from farmers
in Chettur village.
Since receiving the complaint
six months ago,
a special police team has been...
Why isn't he answering his phone?
What if he is unable to get us the file?
Then he could've said so earlier.
Should we go check on him?
Open the door.
Watch the head. Careful.
That's Rajeev.
Get in.
Move in.
- Let's move.
- Sir!
What happened?
He fell down the staircase.
He's got a head injury.
Get going.
Listen...
You got the cheque, that's true.
But I think the writer
was right after all.
You're better off
staying away from this file.
In the film, 'Manichitrathazhu',
where you were the second unit director,
Sunny, played by Mohanlal,
is portrayed as a
world-renowned psychiatrist,
a leading expert in his field.
But in the same film,
Ganga's mental illness is treated and cured
not through scientific methods,
but through black magic, pujas,
chants and tantric rituals.
Why did you choose that approach?
If we'd used psychiatric techniques
and portrayed mental health realistically,
it would've been very difficult
for the average audience to understand.
In their minds,
the spirit had to get justice.
So our focus was on creating
a visual experience for the viewers.
So, visually...
- Let's go?
- Yes.
The invocation of the spirit,
the colourful, mystical setting,
the chants...
It was about bringing the spirit out and...
Listen, Delta One's on night duty.
Don't lose your job
watching that all night.
No, sir.
Here you go, sir.
Begin your night patrols.
Carry out your duties diligently. Over.
13... 13 Control.
13... 13 Control... 13.
Kongad PS Control.
13... 13 Control.
13 answering. Over.
Kerala Legislative Assembly query.
Send Sierra
details of every land fraud case
reported under your station limits
since this government came to power.
Over.
Message received, sir.
Will check and revert. Over.
Sir, there's a KLA enquiry.
They need the details right away.
That file is in the cupboard.
The key is under my cushion.
Okay, sir.
Attention all night patrol units.
Check all financial institutions,
places of worship and ATM kiosks.
Also check all locked houses.
Be thorough.
Check all suspicious vehicles.
Challenge any strangers.
All officers must sign the Station Diary.
Over.
Sierra 13 calling. Over.
Sierra answering.
Sir, regarding the KLA enquiry,
two cases were reported.
Roger. All clear.
13 Mobile.
13 Mobile Control.
P13 Mobile One answering.
The loco pilot has reported
a run-over at Adichira.
The location is railway marker 29/14. Over.
Message is clear, sir.
Over.
Sir, there's been a run-over.
What happened, sir?
Tonight's Panchami.
They say if someone dies on Panchami,
five more deaths will follow.
How many more untimely deaths
will we have to see?
And there have been all these bad omens.
Sir, this is marker 29/14.
Control P13 Mobile One calling.
Control answering.
Sir, the girl found on the railway track
is still alive.
She's bleeding badly.
We're taking her to the hospital. Over.
Message is clear. Over.
Come on, hurry!
Okay, sir.
Take that bag.
Did you check for a phone?
Sir, I only found this card.
It has a phone number.
Sir, what happened?
She was hit by a train.
We need to stabilise her first
and shift her for a CT scan.
Sir, any relatives?
We haven't identified her yet.
Sister, start Lorazepam 4 mg IV.
Hello?
Is this Karthika's house?
Yes, this is Karthika speaking.
Hello?
Hello?
Sir, why is there no power?
Lightning took the power out, sir.
Sir, he's the Ponnani IP.
- Sir.
- Where's GD?
He's out on night patrol, sir.
Staff shortage.
We brought someone in for questioning.
Bring him.
Why are you pulling away?
Go on!
- Walk!
- Stand over there.
Sir! I don't know anything.
I know you know.
- Sir, I don't know.
- You'll talk.
Tell us where he is.
Save yourself the trouble.
This is a POCSO case.
You won't be seeing daylight again.
I told you... I don't know, sir.
Let's see how long you hold out.
Hey, you.
Bring him here.
I'll make him talk.
- What, huh?
- I don't know, sir.
Come on...
She's just a schoolgirl and you...
His last call was to your number.
Both his phone and hers
last switched off
on the same tower location.
You better tell the truth.
- Drop the act.
- I don't know, sir.
Sir...
- Come on, say it.
- I will tell, sir...
I'll tell you, sir...
I'll tell you...
They're in Nenmara...
At Star Lodge...
Keep an eye on him.
We'll go get the other one.
Sir...
I need to use the toilet.
Do you want to go to the hospital?
Get up.
Hello.
Can you take a day off today?
I need to talk to you about something.
No, I can't take the day off today.
A truck is coming.
I have to load and dispatch 2,000 boxes.
What is it about?
Well...
I really need to see you.
Stop stomping around and open that door!
Are you sleeping
with the station locked up?
Sir, I had just gone to the toilet.
What's this blood?
Sir, it got stained when I took the man
in the cell to the bathroom.
Give that to me.
What's the case?
Has he been medically examined?
Sir, a squad from Ponnani brought him here.
Did you enter it in the sentry register?
Did anyone inform
the SHO or GD that he's here?
Did you inform them?
No, sir.
Are you a fool,
or are you pretending to be one?
Do you know
how many people could lose their jobs
if something happens to him?
Bloody useless!
You're not fit for this job.
You have no sense of responsibility,
right, Shelley?
How long have I been working like a dog?
You and your damn cinema!
The only reason I'm still chasing cinema
is to somehow get you and the kids out
from this hell.
I don't have any other way out.
I went back to this job only for you.
I didn't get suspended on purpose.
What if something had happened to that boy?
What would've become of us?
If it were up to me,
I'd have dismissed you.
The producer has rented a flat in Kochi.
He wants me to stay there.
Can't you write from the quarters?
Isn't that enough?
Come out already. I'm getting late.
There you are.
I've kept food for you
and for the kids this evening.
Pick both of them up
when the school bus arrives.
And give them food
before sending them to tuition.
Don't forget while you're busy
smoking and daydreaming.
- Don't you need the key?
- Oh no!
Soumya, I moved your scooter
because I'm washing the car.
Shelley sir is under suspension, right?
Well, unlike Sumesh sir,
his job isn't carrying
the SP's briefcase around.
He works in a local station.
Besides, aren't you the ones who always say
suspension is part
of a policeman's life, sir?
That was so unnecessary!
Hello.
Hey, I found the address
of Narayanan Sharma,
who investigated the 174 case.
That's great.
I've been digging through old newspapers.
- Didn't find a thing.
- I'll WhatsApp you the address.
- Take a look.
- Okay.
Name and birth star?
Shelley.
I'm a policeman.
Birth star?
Sir, I didn't come here
for an astrology reading.
Back when you were at Kongad Station,
didn't you investigate
the case of a woman found dead
on the railway tracks?
I came to learn more about that case.
That station is still
plagued by trouble, isn't it?
Yes, sir.
The soul of the deceased
hasn't found peace.
The death happened
under the Pooruruttathi star.
And on a Panchami day.
Ordinary funeral rites
won't be enough.
Special rituals are required.
See, it's true.
Do you believe all this?
Sir, what made you so sure
it was murder?
Listen, I was the one
who carried that girl.
The only injury she had
was a wound on her head,
as though someone had struck her
with an iron rod.
If she had jumped from a moving train,
shouldn't her body be covered in abrasions?
There were no other injuries.
Someone deliberately struck her
on the head with an iron rod
and dumped her on the tracks.
She must've still had
a faint bit of consciousness left,
so she rolled aside
before the train hit her.
Sir, you once said the deceased herself
answered your call that day.
Hey, my dad is calling you inside.
The girls were twins.
Karthika and Keerthana.
They worked at the same place.
It was Keerthana who died.
That day, she'd accidentally taken
her sister's ID card.
That's why
I ended up calling Karthika.
Since the deceased girl's phone
was missing,
I pulled its cell tower records.
Comparing them
with her previous locations,
I found she usually boarded trains
from a station near Coimbatore.
But that day,
she never boarded a train.
Instead,
she boarded a bus somewhere
between Coimbatore and Walayar.
Her phone was switched off
at the Palakkad bus stand.
When I checked the CCTV footage
from the bus stand,
I became suspicious
and began investigating
what happened there that night.
Yes, sir. I took that girl
from here to the station.
What happened, sir?
Didn't you hear she was found dead
on the railway tracks?
No, sir.
Wasn't it you
who dumped her on the tracks?
No, sir. I didn't.
The last place her phone was switched off
was right here.
And the phone is missing.
Tell me the truth.
You were the last person seen with her.
Sir, there's a wretched woman
named Swapna.
I saw her bump into that girl yesterday.
She must be the one who stole the phone.
Where can I find her?
I don't know where she lives, sir.
But she'll be there by 8:00 or 8:30 p.m.
- Get in.
- How many of you are in the car?!
- Sit still.
- Let go of my hand!
- Hey! Let go!
- Don't move. Sit still!
Let go of my hand!
Let go of me!
Didn't I tell you to not move?
Stop the vehicle!
Sir, it was an accidental death.
No doubt about it.
The forensic and post-mortem reports
confirm it.
Close the case immediately.
Sir...
- Let go of me!
- Don't make a sound.
- Let go of my hand. I'll get down myself.
- Don't create a scene in here.
Let go of my hand, you!
What's going on here?
Sir, last night I suspected
the girl's death
might've been a murder.
So I brought her in for questioning.
Who told you it was murder?
Did I assign you that case?
No, right?
After reading a few detective novels,
you think you're Sherlock Holmes?
Even if it was murder,
you can't bring a woman to the station
at night without a woman officer.
The government doesn't pay you
to solve cases with horoscopes
and fortune-telling.
Send her away immediately.
Or you'll lose your job.
So you never investigated after that?
Then the woman filed a complaint.
All four of us were suspended.
By the time I was reinstated,
I'd already retired.
Who investigated it then?
CI Sathyajith closed the case.
Sir, I'm writing
a story based on this file.
If I could get your case diary,
it'd really help.
What's your birth star and age?
Vishakham.
I'm forty-one.
You're going through a bad phase.
Be careful pursuing this.
Hello.
When?! Where?!
- No, no, no! It's over!
- I've got you!
- It's over.
- It's over. It's over.
It's over. You're alright.
Where the hell have you been all this time?
I...
went to meet someone about the story.
You and your damn movie!
Didn't I tell you a hundred times
to bring the kids home on time?
Didn't I?!
Hey, lower your voice.
If anything had happened to my child...
People are listening!
Let everyone hear!
Instead of going to work,
- he runs around chasing cinema like a clown
- Dear...
- I've kept this bottled up for years.
- Dear...
Do you know how much debt
he's piled up?
Dear... enough.
Aren't you the ones
who saddled me with him?
Hey, this is a hospital.
Don't create a scene.
Sir...
Dad...
I was watching her.
But she slipped away and ran off.
It's okay.
Go sit with Mom.
I'll be outside.
Go on.
Don't take what she said personally.
Let it go.
How's the pain?
You'll be fine soon.
Dad...
Soumya, I've brought the car.
Soumya...
Please.
I'm falling apart.
I just want some peace of mind.
Please don't make this harder for me.
Seeing the hanging body's feet
touching the floor,
a police officer,
said aloud in front of the locals
that it was murder.
Even after it was scientifically proven
to be suicide...
people still believe it was murder.
And that the police buried the case.
What I want to tell you is this.
When you're at a crime scene
during an investigation,
don't say careless things
in front of the public.
Class over.
Class rise.
Attention.
Sir, I'm Shelly.
Your producer had called me.
It's about the 174 case
from Kongad station, right?
Yes, sir.
You could just pull the file and check.
Sir, no one dares touch that file.
They believe that if you touch it
the girl's spirit gets officers suspended,
stains their uniforms with blood
and brings more unnatural deaths.
Tell me...
which station is free of unnatural deaths,
suspensions,
or blood on uniforms?
If that were true,
I should've been the first to suffer.
I investigated and closed that case.
Sir, I've a doubt.
If she fell from a moving train,
shouldn't there be
more injuries on her body?
But in this case,
there was only one wound,
as if struck by an iron rod.
The dead girl's house
was just a hundred metres from the scene.
The train had stopped there
waiting for the signal
when she tried to get off.
Just as she reached the door,
the train suddenly started moving...
the door hit her and she fell.
She died after hitting her head
on the concrete block near the track.
The forensic evidence supported that.
Sir, I met Narayana Sharma,
the officer who first handled the case.
He said she had a fight
with a woman at the bus stand.
He says it may be connected to her death.
That woman was a local prostitute.
When they bumped into each other...
the girl's phone ended up with her.
She handed it over immediately
to a policeman there.
Sir, she usually takes the train
from Coimbatore after work.
But that day,
she came by bus to Palakkad stand.
Doesn't that seem unusual?
She went shopping after work,
got late and missed the train.
So she took a bus.
What's unusual about that?
The first questions you ask in a case are
who, when, where, how and why.
None of those raised
any suspicion in this case.
It was that astrologer
and his nonsense about spirits
that turned it into a mess.
The first questions you ask in a case are
who, when, where, how and why.
If she jumped off a train,
shouldn't her body be covered in abrasions?
But there were no other injuries.
Someone deliberately struck her
on the head with an iron rod
and dumped her on the tracks.
She died after hitting her head
on the concrete block near the track.
The forensic evidence supported that.
Want one?
No.
Those of us in the film industry...
our lives aren't what people think.
The funny thing is,
you'd think at least
your family would understand.
But no.
Whatever people think of those in films...
our families think the same.
Once you get into cinema,
don't expect peace at home.
All we can do
is support them financially
whenever we can.
That's about all we can do.
If you carry all this inside...
you'll never make a film.
It's already been three weeks.
Don't take this the wrong way.
The producer's putting money into this
because he trusts me.
Sir...
That's not the reason...
I'm just confused
about one part of the story.
Then why don't we bring in
someone experienced to write with you?
Sir, please give me a little more time.
Let me try once more.
Three days max.
After that, I don't want any excuses.
Or I'm out.
She died after hitting her head
on the concrete block near the track.
The forensic evidence supported that.
Three days max.
After that, I don't want any excuses.
Dad, look, my wounds have healed.
Dad, where are you?
I...
...am in Ernakulam.
Dad, is your work over?
Is your work over, Dad?
Give me the phone!
- Let me talk.
- I will ask.
Let go of the phone.
- Where's Mom?
- She's here.
Soumya...
Soumya...
I can't live without you all.
Can I come back?
Come home.
What happened?
You didn't even finish your dinner.
You can deposit that cheque.
Did you finish the story?
No.
I don't think I can do it...
The director is very worried.
They're bringing in another writer...
to finish it.
I'll still get story credit.
It's okay.
At least you got your break in films.
So many people don't get even that.
I need to get back on duty soon.
I'll speak to Sumesh sir...
and meet the SP.
You were right.
Maybe I'm just not good enough.
P13... P13 Control.
Kongad PS... Kongad PS Control.
Answering. Over.
Kongad PS answering. Over.
P13 Control.
Control P13 Mobile calling.
Control answering.
The girl found on the railway track
is still alive.
She's bleeding badly.
We're taking her to the hospital. Over.
Message is clear. Over.
Control P13 Mobile calling.
Control answering.
Sir, the girl who was hit by the train
was taken to the hospital.
But she passed away.
She's been identified.
Her name is Keerthana.
Shelly...
What's wrong?
Shelly!
What happened?
Go away...
Shelly... It's me...
Don't touch me!
Go!
Go!
Shelly...
- Mom...
- Shelly...
Mom...
- Dad...
- Mom!
Mom...
- It's nothing...
- Mom...
- Mom...
- Soumya.
Open the door, Soumya.
Open up...
- What happened?
- Mom...
I think he had a bad dream and got scared.
Shelly...
Shelly...
Shelly...
Hold out your hands.
Some things that happen in real life
can leave us deeply stressed.
And the dissonance
that comes from unanswered questions...
the mind struggles to accept it.
It won't settle until it finds a solution.
When you drift away from the real world
and move through dreams,
the mind starts trying
to make sense of it all.
This is a state bordering on delusion.
I'll go get the medicine.
Shelly...
- When he wakes from the dream,
- Shelly...
the separation between
what's real and unreal...
becomes hard to tell apart.
It can feel like
the frightening moments from the dream
are happening in real life too.
If we don't control this now,
it could progress further.
I've taken two days off.
Shall we go somewhere with the kids?
Take the medicine regularly.
And the relaxation techniques
I told you about...
Be sure to practise them regularly.
We can slowly overcome this condition.
Here.
It's getting late. I'll go get the kids.
What happened?
There was a lizard in it.
- Lizard?
- Yeah...
There wasn't anything in it
when I brought it.
Are you saying I imagined it?
That's not what I meant.
Isn't that what the doctor said too?
That's why he prescribed these medicines.
Are you saying I'm crazy?
There was a lizard in it.
This isn't what the doctor
was talking about.
Everyone at that station...
went through the same thing.
That dead girl's spirit...
is trying to tell me something
through that lizard.
This won't change with medicine alone.
This isn't about the film.
I need to know what happened to that girl.
Only then will I have peace.
I'll call you back, okay?
- What's it?
- A girl named Keerthana...
she was found dead on the tracks
around six years ago.
Her family lived here, right?
Which house was theirs?
That's the house, sir.
We bought that land from them.
They're in Coimbatore now.
Do you have their details?
Sir, smoking isn't allowed here.
She had a boyfriend.
She'd gone to his birthday party that day.
She'd told us she'd be late.
So we assumed her phone was switched off.
Do the shadowed forests deepen
Along these lonely woodland trails?
Where twisted trails of lies
and countless borders meet
In the heart of the unknown
Are you still searching
For the fabled golden deer
That wanders through
the forests of dreams?
As your gaze reaches
into distant horizons
She slips away, that doe-eyed beauty!
Bro, is this the girl?
Where is he?
To weave the verses
Of stories still untold
Come on, let's go.
Sir...
Like never before
He was a member of Kaali's gang.
People say he ran off
with the gang leader's money.
Something must've happened to him, sir.
If he were alive,
he'd have called me at least once.
Where have your footsteps led?
Where does your spirit dwell?
When truth breaks through
All emptiness falls away
White waves of light arise
Where are you?
Why aren't you answering your phone?
Is this a dream in motion
Or a mysterious command
decreed by nature?
To weave the verses
Of stories still untold
To lose yourself
In an ecstasy
Like never before
Do the shadowed forests deepen
Along these lonely woodland trails?
Where twisted trails of lies
and countless borders meet
Hey, is your dad up?
- Is Dad up?
- Dad?
Tomorrow morning at 11 sharp,
I'll be at your office.
I want ten lakh rupees.
Otherwise, every piece of evidence I have
will go straight to the media
and the court.
Didn't I tell you?
That girl's spirit
was trying to tell me something.
Not just her.
Three more people were murdered.
This isn't just a hunch.
Believe me now, at least.
Haven't you seen the news?
About the land mafia?
They're behind all this.
When I went to Coimbatore
to investigate Keerthana's case,
the girl who died,
I found out she had a boyfriend there.
A guy named Mahesh.
When I started looking into him,
his friend told me that on the very day
Keerthana was murdered,
Mahesh and his Malayali grandparents
went missing.
He's from Palakkad, sir.
But he's lived here all his life, sir.
His grandparents were all he had.
No one knows where they went
after he disappeared, sir.
Keerthana would leave work,
travel from the textile shop to Coimbatore
and take the train home from there.
But according to Cyber Cell records,
on the day she died,
she and her boyfriend Mahesh
went to a Formiq Group construction site.
What happened?
Nothing.
My grandfather owns a small piece
of land in Palakkad.
A new party wants to buy it.
Once that's done, Grandpa and I
will come to your house
and ask for your hand.
They're calling me to sign some papers.
After that, I'll drop you at the station.
That's where his phone
was last switched off.
From there, she took a bus to Palakkad
and later an auto-rickshaw
to Palakkad Railway Station.
That day, a few men followed her
from Coimbatore
all the way to Palakkad Railway Station.
Later, Keerthana was found
injured near the railway tracks
close to her house.
It all began with the three-and-a-half-acre
plot in Meenakshipuram
that was in Mahesh's grandfather
Padmanabhan Nair's name.
His family had no idea it even existed.
A builders' group that bought
the adjoining land
discovered the property and its legal heirs
while processing land records
at the village office.
This is the notice
the Village Office sent
to inform the legal heirs about it.
The adjoining land had been bought
by a builders' group.
When we surveyed it,
we found
more land than what was listed in the deed.
To regularize the records,
they needed consent
from the adjoining landowners.
This is the notice sent
to the current heirs
informing them about it.
Did the heirs come here?
No, sir.
Right after sending the notice,
the company bought
Padmanabhan Nair's 3.5 acres too
and completed the transfer.
Padmanabhan Nair had no idea about
of his ancestral property.
Formiq, a builders' group, seized it
using forged documents.
None of the money from the land deal
ever reached his bank account.
Four or five days after he got the notice,
the entire family disappeared
without a trace.
Cyber Cell phone records showed
that Keerthana was at the same location
where Mahesh's and his grandfather's phones
were last switched off.
At Formiq Builders' construction site.
When you connect all the dots,
what happened that day...
Hey, stop!
Hey...
You two, follow her.
Hey...
- Palakkad.
- Where?
Palakkad?
Take the vehicle to the bus stand.
Watch where you're going!
Are you blind?
- Sorry.
- Bloody brat!
To Town Railway Station
Please, hurry!
Faster! Go faster!
This is the ladies' compartment.
Go sit over there.
Wait till the train stops.
We'll grab her then.
Just wait.
Drag her over here!
Put her there.
Sit there, you!
Sit.
But this case was closed
six years ago, right?
How are we going to prove it now?
Weren't you the one who said
everyone who looked into this
ended up in trouble?
If we present evidence in court
that this crime was committed,
the court itself will reopen the case.
Just wait and see.
By 11 tomorrow,
the evidence will be in my hands.
- Tell me, Bobby.
- John...
Take it up only if you can
handle it properly.
Otherwise, I'll handle it myself.
Bobby, don't do anything rash.
Just find out what evidence he has.
That's all we need.
I'm looking into him as well.
Just remember one thing.
Even a suspended cop is still a cop.
What evidence do you have?
The originals are safe with me.
If anything happens to me...
all of this will go public.
So, can I take this?
Over there... Come...
Sir... please listen to me.
Please cooperate.
I didn't come here to blackmail anyone.
Sir, I came here to collect
evidence for a case.
Sir... Please listen to me.
Sir, please don't do this.
I've got evidence against them...
Sir, please listen to me...
Please don't do this, sir...
Sir... please just listen...
Let me go.
I didn't do anything wrong.
I came here only to collect evidence...
A suspended police officer
has been arrested
by the Vigilance Department
in a bribery case.
Shelly, a Civil Police Officer
attached to Kongad Police Station,
was taken into custody
by the Vigilance team.
These are visuals of Shelly being
taken to the Palakkad Vigilance Office
for further questioning.
After being caught in the Vigilance trap,
Shelly was forcibly detained by the team.
Vigilance acted on
confidential information that
Shelly had demanded a bribe from builders.
The trap was laid following a complaint
filed by Bobby Kurian, MD of Formiq Group.
The footage just shown
before this Hon'ble Court
was recorded by my client
using a pen camera.
The purpose of this sting operation was
to investigate Keerthana's death
that occurred six years ago
and establish before this Court that
it was not an accident, but a murder.
My client sought money from the builders
only to gather evidence for that purpose.
Considering my client's
bona fide intentions,
I humbly request that he be acquitted.
Objection, Your Honour.
The accused fabricated a murder case
to blackmail a company and extort money.
That was his sole intention.
In case he ever got caught,
this so-called sting operation
was his escape plan.
The accused is no ordinary person.
The Court must bear in mind
that he is a police officer
well-versed in the law and its loopholes.
What made you believe
Keerthana's death was a murder?
Three acres of land
belonging to Padmanabhan Nair
were acquired by this company
using forged documents.
When Padmanabhan Nair, his wife,
and their grandson Mahesh
started looking into the land scam,
the company had them killed.
Keerthana, who witnessed the crime,
was also murdered.
They made her death look like an accident.
Your Honour,
if the Hon'ble Court examines these deeds,
it will be clear that his claims
are purely speculative.
The company lawfully purchased the land
after paying the amount
stated in these documents.
This is Padmanabhan Nair's bank passbook.
A review of these records will show
that none of the money in question
was ever credited to Nair's account.
As Nair was facing bank attachment
after defaulting on a loan,
he received the money through
his grandson Mahesh's account
to prevent it from being seized.
They've fabricated these documents.
If the Court orders an investigation
by a central agency,
it will reveal the truth.
It wasn't just one murder.
Including Keerthana,
there were four victims.
Only when everyone responsible
is brought to justice
will that girl's soul find peace.
This Court believes the matter should
be considered by the Magistrate Court.
So, we shall transfer it.
If this Hon'ble Court transfers the case
based on mere speculation,
the company will suffer huge losses
on its upcoming housing projects,
including crores in investments
and its goodwill.
I humbly request
the Court for a little more time.
The company has filed a habeas corpus
petition before the Coimbatore Court
to trace the missing
Padmanabhan Nair and his family.
I request permission
to question the accused.
Please proceed.
How did you investigate
and uncover these alleged murders?
Tell me.
It was Keerthana's soul,
still seeking justice,
that led me to these murders.
Oh...
So it was the dead girl's spirit
that guided you?
That's fascinating.
A former Chief Justice once claimed
he spoke to his late wife's spirit.
Is that so?
Do you doubt that?
No.
A dead girl's spirit
summoned by a tantric,
helped solve a case.
A former DGP said so.
- Oh, really?
- Do you doubt that too?
Not at all.
The soul of a girl
who was wrongfully killed
is seeking justice here.
The Court must order an investigation.
Okay, okay.
I humbly request permission
to examine one more witness.
Yes, proceed.
Is he your patient, Doctor?
Yes.
Shelly has been my patient
for the past four years.
What condition was he receiving
treatment for?
Because of the many
extramarital affair cases
he encountered in police work,
he began to suspect
his wife was having one too.
That suspicion gradually became a delusion.
The death of his father,
the pressure of writing scripts
and dealing with their failures,
worsened his delusional disorder,
eventually leading to
paranoid schizophrenia.
Your Honour...
Please believe me.
They're trying to portray me
as mentally ill
so this case won't be reopened.
That's why they've paid this doctor
to testify against me.
What's more important?
The company's goodwill
or the lives of four people?
Those innocent people deserve justice.
Please...
Shelly.
What exactly is paranoid schizophrenia,
Doctor?
Can you explain it in detail?
A person suffering from
paranoid schizophrenia
may lose touch with reality
and become trapped in their delusions.
They begin to live
within that imagined reality.
They may also experience
auditory hallucinations,
hearing voices that others cannot hear.
They may see things that do not exist
and feel as though those experiences
are happening to them.
Their thoughts and actions eventually
revolve around those delusions.
That's all, Your Honour.
It is unlawful for a person
of unsound mental health
to continue in the police force.
Therefore, the Court directs
the District Superintendent of Police
to have the accused medically examined
and submit a report.
Thank you, Your Honour.
If you brand me as crazy...
the truth behind four murders
will never come out.
- Shelly!
- Stop it. This is a courtroom.
- Don't think you can call me crazy...
- Shelly...
- and get away with this case!
- Silence!
I don't care what the court says
or if you lock me up...
The accused is remanded
for 14 days for medical examination.
The case is adjourned to the next hearing.
Handcuff him.
- I won't let any of you get away with this.
- Lock it.
- I'll make sure all of you go to jail.
- Shelly
- Calm down, Shelly.
- I have proof...
- Stay still.
- I'm not crazy!
I'm not crazy...
Please believe me.
I'm not crazy...
- Shelly, stay still.
- Let me go!
Don't fight back.
They can't brand me crazy
and make this case go away.
Shelly... listen to me.
I'll make sure every one of them
goes to prison. Let me go.
Soumya...
Tell them I'm not crazy.
Please just tell... I'm not crazy.
Soumya...
Soumya...
Say I'm not crazy...
Please don't do this to me.
I...
Don't worry, Soumya.
Go back to the quarters.
I'll call you if there's anything.
There may be some truth
to what he's saying.
It makes no sense to bring in
a High Court lawyer
for a simple bribery case.
You can go.
Hey... Joshy...
Take these off. My hands hurt.
Just lie there, Shelly.
Let the doctor see you tomorrow.
You brought this on yourself.
Do you think I'm crazy too?
Then why did you do that in court?
If everyone was trying
to paint you as crazy,
what would you have done
in my place?
They trapped me
to stop the case from being reopened.
Just give me a little more time.
I have all the evidence.
Or they'll brand me as crazy,
and I'll lose my job.
I know where
those three are buried.
Shelly...
I know this will get you into trouble.
My life is in your hands.
You're the only one
who can help me.
It's only a Vigilance case.
At worst,
I'll be suspended for six months.
I can live with that.
Get up, man!
Stand still!
Sir, this is a very old case,
and all the victims are from Kerala.
Then suddenly,
the Tamil Nadu Police steps in
and cracks the case.
How did that happen, sir?
Did you receive any secret information?
Nothing like that.
It was a lead from
an ordinary policeman from Kerala
that helped Tamil Nadu Police
solve this case.
Sir, this was ruled
an accidental death years ago.
How did you conclude
it was linked to multiple murders
and that this is where
the bodies were buried?
She brought me here.
The spirit of the girl who died.
Cut.
- Thank you.
- If you'd like a place to write,
we have a property in Dubai.
And one in Wayanad as well.
If you'd prefer somewhere else,
just let us know.
No, I'll stay here and write.
I'm comfortable here.
Okay.
Let's go?
It'd be great if we could get
the first draft in a month.
Sure.
Okay, then.
Sir.
I'm a new recruit, sir.
Are you into writing stories?
No, sir.
Mm.
Give it to the writer.
Enter your details in that biodata book.
Okay, sir.
And one more thing...
see that box?
For God's sake, please don't touch it.
There's a file inside.
The last person who touched it
lost both his job and his mind.
Don't make the same mistake again.
Don't leave until you've made sure
whether he's dead or alive.
Slithering with the night...
A shadow-serpent
The world...
An enigma
Upon the tongue
Trembling...
A fleeting moth
Startled
And unaware
Clawing the soul...
Like a ploughing ox
Like a straining, ploughing ox
Through hidden nerves...
We'll carve our way
Through unseen crevices...
Let me seep into your flesh
Into skies of madness
With newfound wings
Like a dinosaur...
We soar!
We manifest and shift...
Through all things
Living and dead
We fall and perish...
In the deep trenches of a harsh destiny
Countless restless souls...
In borrowed flesh
Possessing...
Racing in wild anxiety
We'll roam this earth...
Forsaken!
Broken-tailed...
We wander!
Through unseen truths...
We'll crystallise at last
Into skies of madness
Wingless now
Like a dinosaur...
We'll vanish!
"UNMADHAM"
(Insanity)
Roll sound...
Sound rolling.
Start camera.
Camera rolling.
Action!
Camera tilt up.
Slowly.
Face entry.
Cut.
Move the van.
Move that land stand.
Kumar, please fix the light soon.
Bring the sand bag.
Take okay.
Sir, is this okay?
- How's this?
- Which one?
It's a good story.
But it's not really what I'm looking for.
Also, it feels a little too influenced
by English films.
That said... your writing, the characters,
their arcs and scenes are all really good.
- The shot is ready.
- Alright, let's begin.
Sir, you're in the police, right?
If you have a good police story...
- we can discuss it then.
- Alright.
What happened?
Let's go.
- Go turn on the tap.
- Okay.
You go with him too.
Don't cry...
It's okay, don't cry...
You!
You still don't know how to use that?
Mom, it sprayed all over me!
Yeah, right! Get inside.
Soumya, the tank's empty.
Can I turn on the pump?
Rimi, you've been sitting here all day.
It's not like you've got a job.
I just got back from work.
You can do it after I'm done.
You're the only one who goes to work.
Someone else was home all day
without working.
- Get inside!
- Come on, run!
- Dad!
- Yes.
A snake got into our school today.
- Dad, today my friend...
- Let me say it.
- No, let me...
- I wanna say it!
- No, I wanna say it!
- Why's your uniform wet?
Don't drip water everywhere. Go change.
Do I have to tell you too?
Go on, act smart.
You'll need me later.
Go on. Do it.
How did the meeting go?
He liked my writing...
the characters too.
But not the story.
He asked me to write another one.
He couldn't say your story was bad,
so he made an excuse.
Get it now, at least.
It's been over a year since
you stopped going to work
and started chasing cinema
without a paycheck.
Everyone struggles
before making it in films.
My father married me off
to a police officer...
not someone from the film industry.
You do your films.
Just let me go my way.
I'll raise my kids somehow.
I've suffered long enough.
My dear Soumya.
At least be kind, like your name.
- The whole block will hear.
- Rimi.
I've got other work to do.
Are there any more clothes?
No that's it.
I'll hang them out.
Oh, no need. I'll also come.
Let them hear.
I can't face anyone
in these quarters anymore.
People already blame me
for your foolishness.
If you keep chasing films,
I'll kill the kids and kill myself.
Only then will you learn your lesson.
- Give it here!
- No, it's mine!
Stop yelling!
If I come there,
both of you are in trouble.
Go change your uniform.
Or she'll never stop nagging.
- Go on. Get changed.
- Soumya is on fire.
Shelly is too nice.
I have to go to work
and do all the housework too.
Don't know what I did to end up with you.
Rimi, any more clothes?
Learn from Sumesh sir.
- Huh?
- He goes to work...
and still washes Rimi's undergarments
when he gets home.
That wasn't politically correct, was it?
Please stop shouting.
I'll stop everything.
I'll rejoin tomorrow.
If you'd tried acting instead of writing...
you'd have won an Oscar by now.
I'm not asking you to stop writing.
Can't you keep your job and write?
Everyone downstairs is watching.
Are they?
Why are you all standing there?
Is there a problem?
Come on, let's go.
Make sure you exercise in the morning.
Then you do the housework, sir.
- Were you on night duty, sir?
- Aren't you going to office?
Get your bag, let's go.
- Dad...
- Ready?
- Bye.
- Okay, bye.
If you're coming with me, get ready fast.
I have to report at the unit by eight.
My bike is in the workshop.
Otherwise, I wouldn't have bothered you.
It's not that.
I'm not used to being yelled at
like you are.
I have to get to work on time.
That temple was in ruins.
Menon restored it to its former glory.
His smile shines just as bright.
- Got any money on you?
- Huh?
If I find out
you used it to buy cigarettes...
Alright.
We need more officers this time
or it'll be a mess.
So many problems.
Everybody, come out.
Look who decided to show up.
Aha!
What's up?
Heard Mammootty and Mohanlal quit acting
because you didn't cast them in your film.
What a filmmaker!
Why don't you take five years' leave?
At least we can replace you.
He goes on medical leave
and we've got twice the work.
Take Sir's bag inside.
He must've forgotten the station limits.
Get in. Let's go for a ride.
Come on.
Shelly sir?
Don't forget what I told you.
About what?
About getting my daughter into films.
She'll get paid more for stage shows too.
That's why I asked him, sir.
He's written quite a few scripts.
He'll surely get her a role.
Listen, brother...
It's true I chased films for a while.
I really wanted it.
I tried hard but it didn't work.
I've given it all up.
I can't do it anymore.
For God's sake,
don't come to me with this again.
Down with the land-grabbing government!
Resign! Step down!
We protest! We protest!
Do you know...
Back in college,
I won Best Actor at university.
I tried films too. Didn't work out.
There's one thing I envy about you.
At least you're still chasing your dream.
Sir.
He loves doing all this.
It's just to show off in front of you. sir.
Hello.
Where are you?
Look, I'm at the unit itself.
Happy now?
I was just by the roadside.
Thought I'd call you.
I understood.
Which affair did you bust today?
Why'd you let them off, sir?
What do we gain
by breaking up two families?
Get in.
Shelly, we've got a complaint.
Neighbour dispute. Go check it out.
- Okay, sir.
- Let's go.
Dakshayiniamma?
I'm Dakshayiniamma, sir.
- There was a complaint?
- Yes, I gave the complaint.
It's just me and
my marriageable-age daughters here.
My husband passed away years ago.
The old man in that house,
comes up to this fence...
pees here and lifts his clothes.
My eyes can't take it anymore.
How are my kids and I supposed to sit here?
Sir, please go and check.
Who else is there?
He's got kids.
But they are all away.
With behaviour like that, no wonder.
- I'll go take a look.
- Yes please do.
- Sir...
- Hm?
Remove that metal sheet.
You can get through there.
- That way?
- There's a path through the trees.
You can cross.
Press it, sir. He's inside.
He's definitely inside.
Why are you going near that fence to pee?
Only women live there.
Sir, do I look capable of that?
They keep stealing coconuts from my yard.
So I filed a complaint against them.
This is payback for that.
Oh, no...
Brother... What happened?
Somebody help!
Brother...
Hey, Sister...
Brother...
Sister!
- Brother, open your eyes.
- Oh, dear...
Oh, no... He killed him!
Just because he had no one,
you think you can do anything?
Don't think we'll let this go.
Sir, don't argue.
He died because that
policeman tortured him.
The inquest is done.
There are no injuries on his body.
You all saw that yourselves.
Mental torture can cause a heart attack.
You must investigate.
Calm down. Wait for the postmortem report.
Then we'll see.
You can make
the postmortem report say anything.
This is nothing new for you.
Beating people up in custody.
The senior officers
are trying to prevent a clash.
What really happened, sister?
We thought he was
a community police officer
and that he'd be polite.
The way he questioned him...
would've scared
even a healthy man to death.
And that poor man, what can I say...
Soumya...
Mm?
Don't get angry.
I need to tell you something.
If it's about films, don't.
I will get angry.
I might get suspended tomorrow.
What happened?
I went to check a complaint.
An old man saw me, collapsed and died.
But why suspend you?
You didn't do anything wrong.
They're calling it police harassment.
The locals have formed an action council.
Didn't you say only policemen
who work get suspended?
Anyway, it's only six months.
You can write another story.
Who's it?
It's CI Sir.
Yes, sir?
Sir.
Sir.
Thank you, sir.
Sir.
The postmortem report came.
The cause of death was kidney failure.
So I'm cleared.
But I got a punishment transfer.
The SP did it to pacify the action council.
Anyway, that's good.
At least I won't have to hear
scriptwriter thrown at me anymore.
Since we're awake anyway,
shall we go to the other room?
Yes.
Which station did you get transferred to?
Kongad.
That's where your Joshy sir is, right?
Yes.
Listen... if you team up with him
take out a loan and make a short film...
I swear I'll kill you.
Oh, please don't ruin the mood.
Why weren't you answering your phone?
I was riding my bike.
Come.
Hold this for a second.
Are your father's funeral rites over?
No.
Who takes signed cheque leaves
from a friend before lending money?
Tell Sir the truth. Don't act smart.
Sir, they handed them over themselves,
saying it was only for security.
Let me see.
Sir, the cheque, it's in the lady's name.
Satheesh and his family
have been missing for a week.
I know all about the stunt you pulled
at their house with those goons.
If anything has happened
to Satheesh or his family...
you'll pay for it.
- You may leave.
- Move. Walk.
Sir, I've come to join duty.
- What's with the beard?
- Shaving rest, sir.
Sir, we're from the same batch.
Shelly has written screenplays too.
That road safety short film I acted in,
Shelly directed it.
I don't want cinema people in this station.
I need policemen who do their job.
We're already short-staffed here.
Don't come asking for leave
to work in films and all that.
- Give this to the writer.
- Sir...
For God's sake, stop advertising
my miserable film career.
Come on, man...
I only said it so he'd respect you.
Yeah, I got plenty of respect.
Give me that.
Sir...
Why a punishment transfer?
A man saw me and dropped dead, sir.
By seeing you? Really?
Which batch are you from?
2005 Palakkad batch.
And you didn't write the HC test?
No, sir.
If you want to survive in this station,
you'd better take the next test.
None of your tricks will work here.
We're so short-staffed,
we can't even do the GD entries.
Go get the bio-data register
from that cupboard.
Sir, this one?
Didn't I ask for that damn book?
Then why the hell did you touch that one?!
Just to drive me crazy?
Are you an idiot?
Can't you recognize a book?
We'd only just found some peace.
Do you know what happened
to everyone who touched that file?
We got rid of its curse
only after countless rituals.
Do you have any idea
what's going to happen now
- because of your stupidity?
- Sir,
there's been
a terrible accident outside.
Looks like the victim is dead.
My shift is already over.
You caused this mess.
Now deal with it.
Go!
What are you waiting for?
Stop crowding around here!
Happy now?
What a pain!
What are you staring at? Lift him!
He touched that file, and now he's frozen.
Why did you touch that file?
What did I even do?
How was I supposed to know
what was inside it?
Ever since I touched it,
everyone's been yelling at me.
Six years ago, a girl was found dead
on the railway tracks.
Since the investigation found
no signs of murder,
the case was closed under Section 174.
Ever since then, anyone who
touches that file lands in trouble.
Either policemen get suspended,
or a wave of unnatural deaths follows,
and if not that...
some cop's uniform in the station
ends up stained with blood.
Rajesh, I'm leaving.
Okay, sir
Hey, Writer Anil sir is looking for you.
What is it, sir?
Another 174 case has come in.
A four-day-old corpse.
Shelly, there's body-watch duty.
Take the Home Guard
and relieve the GD there.
Someone will relieve you by morning.
Sir, I joined only today.
I didn't even bring spare clothes.
You're the reason for all this.
Now go stand there.
Hold tightly.
Tie him up!
Sir...
The relatives and locals have all left.
The smell here is unbearable.
Shall we sit over there instead?
Come.
Sir...
What's that sound?
The kind of duty we get
in the middle of the night!
Sir...
There's a loud noise inside.
Probably a toddy cat, sir.
Really?
Sir...
The smell is unbearable.
We've run out of incense sticks.
There are some by the porch.
What? You want me to go to the porch?
Sir, don't go alone, sir.
Where did you serve in the army?
Mostly Kashmir.
You're scared of a dead body,
yet you guarded the border?
Sir, ghosts and spirits
aren't like human beings.
Oh, come on! Ghosts, my foot!
If there's nothing to fear,
why are the policemen at the station
so terrified of that file?
There was a DYSP
who talked just like you.
Do you know what happened to him, sir?
[police drill commands]
How many LP warrants are pending?
Nineteen, sir.
Does anyone have
any duty-related grievances?
The entire force feels
we should conduct
a puja at the station.
A puja? At the station?
Sir, there's an old 174 case file here
from three years ago.
Whenever anyone touches it,
something unfortunate happens
at the station.
What do you think will happen?
Sir, officers get suspended.
And that's not all.
The station gets flooded with 174 cases.
At the very least, someone's uniform
ends up stained with blood.
Aren't you ashamed?
Dragging superstition
into the 21st century?
People like you
don't deserve to wear that uniform.
This isn't just my experience, sir.
You can ask anyone here.
Bring me that file.
Sir, I don't think that's a good idea.
Just bring me the file.
Go.
I can't touch that file today, sir.
Daksha...
Go get that file.
Sir...
[Crowd chanting anti-police slogans]
Long Live IFPA! Long Live IFPA!
Beware! Beware! Beware!
Police, beware!
That's the opening scene.
The opening scene is okay.
But where does the story go from there?
A policeman who dreams
of becoming a screenwriter
starts investigating this file
and tries to turn it into a story.
That's interesting.
Here's what you do.
Prepare a one-line synopsis.
We'll build it from there.
- Okay.
- Okay. Thank you.
Far... far beyond...
Could it be the fabled golden deer?
Through forests no one dared to roam
Along forbidden roads untrod
Yet when I finally draw near
Is she a helpless orphan...
Or a formless apparition?
Yet when I finally draw near
Is she a helpless orphan...
Or a formless apparition?
A tale no soul has ever spoken
A legend no realm has ever known
A whisper no ear has ever heard
A phantom veiled in the folds of night
Who knows where its roots begin
Or where its ending lies?
Is it nothing more than
a tangled riddle?
Far... far beyond...
Could it be the fabled golden deer?
Through forests no one dared to roam
Along forbidden roads untrod
The cook is waiting outside
for the payment.
Tell him we'll pay tomorrow.
You go tell him yourself.
The cook doesn't know
if the society bought our paddy or not.
After all, no one else
helps with the expenses.
The season of storms
Draws its veil across every eye
Smoke shrouds the earth
As fate quietly casts its nets
Somewhere,
Serpents keep their timeless watch
Is everything before us
Merely an illusion of the eye?
Yet when I finally draw near
Is she a helpless orphan...
Or a formless apparition?
A tale no soul has ever spoken
A legend no realm has ever known
A whisper no ear has ever heard
A phantom veiled in the folds of night
Who knows where its roots begin
Or where its ending lies?
Is it nothing more than
a tangled riddle?
Far... far beyond...
Could it be the fabled golden deer?
Through forests no one dared to roam
Along forbidden roads untrod
Spin the swing!
Enough?
No, not enough. Spin it faster!
Hey, you're in the inquest photos.
Isn't this the suicide case
you were guarding the other day?
It wasn't a suicide.
Three or four people killed him over a
property dispute
and staged it as a hanging.
Come on! The post-mortem report says
he had cancer.
He even left a suicide note saying
that's why he ended his life.
No wonder none of the directors
accept your stories.
You keep writing stories
with no logic at all.
Come on, let's go.
Sir isn't here. He's stepped out.
I'll check and let you know.
Hey...
I met Ratheesh Kumar
and told him
about our station's 174 case file.
Hey...
Let me finish!
He liked the story.
He asked me to come back
with a one-line as soon as possible.
Hey, that's a cursed case.
Don't get involved with it.
Everyone who went after that file
ended up paying the price.
- Isn't that just superstition?
- Oh, really?
First, we need to get our hands
on that file.
As if that'll ever happen.
Writer Anil locks it up
and hides the key before he leaves.
If he finds out we touched that file,
we're finished in this station.
- Hey, I--
- Shelly sir,
two people are here to see you.
Sir, we'll have only three months.
So let's begin pre-production
within a month.
That's fine. Sort everything out
before I leave.
Will do, sir.
This is Isaac sir, the producer.
- Hello.
- Hello.
We've got good news.
Sir loved your story.
He wants the shooting to begin
within four months.
Sir has Soubin Shahir's dates.
I narrated our story to him,
and he loved it too.
Sir is flying back to Canada today.
I may live in Canada,
but I'm a Kochi man at heart.
So before I leave,
I thought I'd hand over the advance.
Shall we?
Face east.
It's more auspicious.
Here.
- Shelly...
- Sir.
Come here for a moment.
All the best.
I'll call you.
What did you say happens
when someone touches that file?
Count the zeroes.
One lakh?!
Hey...
Sir.
Make a GD entry for this.
Mini still isn't here.
Okay, sir.
Sir, your tea.
- Sir, can I get you another cup of tea?
- No.
I'll take care of the rest, sir.
Don't you have anything to study?
Put that phone away.
I'm teaching you today.
Soumya, I bought some fruits.
What's that?
Gone, gone!
- Be quiet!
- Not gone!
- Give me that phone.
- Dad!
Go study.
Bring your books.
What a mess you've made!
Do you know how hard your mother works
to keep this place clean?
Go sit at the table.
Sit and study. I'll be right back.
K for key.
K for king.
K for kite.
K for kitten.
H for hat.
- H for hen.
- Sit and study.
H for house.
H for heart.
Soumya.
Got any more clothes to wash?
I for igloo.
I for ink.
J...
T for table.
T for tiger.
T for tree.
T for train. T for turtle.
So dusty.
Dad, I need to go potty.
Go.
Don't flush till I come see it.
Our kids are such tricksters, aren't they?
Not as bad as you.
If you've got something to say, say it.
Drop the act.
Teaching the kids, cleaning up...
Hey...
The director liked one of my stories.
He wants me to write it.
Is this where you burn your trash?
Where else should we burn it?
If the smoke bothers you,
just shut the window.
If you take leave for films again,
I'm leaving with the kids.
Argh!
What's this, Soumya?
You splashed dirty water all over me!
Where else should I throw it?
If it splashes on you, just step aside.
Soumya, don't be so cheap.
I'm coming up there!
Why are you just standing there?
Say something!
I'm sick of living in these quarters.
Every time I try to get us out,
you hold me back.
These struggles will never end.
Our life is about to change.
I wasn't lying.
Look at this.
My advance cheque.
Now don't go spending it.
If we have to repay this too,
we've got nothing left to mortgage.
I'll keep it.
I called you so many times.
Why didn't you answer?
What's the duty today?
To the DPO.
Need to collect some supplies
for the station store.
This could be useful to you too.
How?
Rajeev is there,
a guy I trained at the DCRB.
He promised to get us a copy
of the 174 case file.
- How's that?
- Seriously?
If this works out,
you'll land yourself
a killer role in my movie.
- Promise?
- Yes.
We're dealing with the biggest land scam
Kerala has ever seen.
Similar cases have been reported
in several other districts as well.
At present, six such cases
have been reported in Palakkad district.
A detailed investigation is underway.
Where are the complainants from, sir?
The first complaint came from farmers
in Chettur village.
Since receiving the complaint
six months ago,
a special police team has been...
Why isn't he answering his phone?
What if he is unable to get us the file?
Then he could've said so earlier.
Should we go check on him?
Open the door.
Watch the head. Careful.
That's Rajeev.
Get in.
Move in.
- Let's move.
- Sir!
What happened?
He fell down the staircase.
He's got a head injury.
Get going.
Listen...
You got the cheque, that's true.
But I think the writer
was right after all.
You're better off
staying away from this file.
In the film, 'Manichitrathazhu',
where you were the second unit director,
Sunny, played by Mohanlal,
is portrayed as a
world-renowned psychiatrist,
a leading expert in his field.
But in the same film,
Ganga's mental illness is treated and cured
not through scientific methods,
but through black magic, pujas,
chants and tantric rituals.
Why did you choose that approach?
If we'd used psychiatric techniques
and portrayed mental health realistically,
it would've been very difficult
for the average audience to understand.
In their minds,
the spirit had to get justice.
So our focus was on creating
a visual experience for the viewers.
So, visually...
- Let's go?
- Yes.
The invocation of the spirit,
the colourful, mystical setting,
the chants...
It was about bringing the spirit out and...
Listen, Delta One's on night duty.
Don't lose your job
watching that all night.
No, sir.
Here you go, sir.
Begin your night patrols.
Carry out your duties diligently. Over.
13... 13 Control.
13... 13 Control... 13.
Kongad PS Control.
13... 13 Control.
13 answering. Over.
Kerala Legislative Assembly query.
Send Sierra
details of every land fraud case
reported under your station limits
since this government came to power.
Over.
Message received, sir.
Will check and revert. Over.
Sir, there's a KLA enquiry.
They need the details right away.
That file is in the cupboard.
The key is under my cushion.
Okay, sir.
Attention all night patrol units.
Check all financial institutions,
places of worship and ATM kiosks.
Also check all locked houses.
Be thorough.
Check all suspicious vehicles.
Challenge any strangers.
All officers must sign the Station Diary.
Over.
Sierra 13 calling. Over.
Sierra answering.
Sir, regarding the KLA enquiry,
two cases were reported.
Roger. All clear.
13 Mobile.
13 Mobile Control.
P13 Mobile One answering.
The loco pilot has reported
a run-over at Adichira.
The location is railway marker 29/14. Over.
Message is clear, sir.
Over.
Sir, there's been a run-over.
What happened, sir?
Tonight's Panchami.
They say if someone dies on Panchami,
five more deaths will follow.
How many more untimely deaths
will we have to see?
And there have been all these bad omens.
Sir, this is marker 29/14.
Control P13 Mobile One calling.
Control answering.
Sir, the girl found on the railway track
is still alive.
She's bleeding badly.
We're taking her to the hospital. Over.
Message is clear. Over.
Come on, hurry!
Okay, sir.
Take that bag.
Did you check for a phone?
Sir, I only found this card.
It has a phone number.
Sir, what happened?
She was hit by a train.
We need to stabilise her first
and shift her for a CT scan.
Sir, any relatives?
We haven't identified her yet.
Sister, start Lorazepam 4 mg IV.
Hello?
Is this Karthika's house?
Yes, this is Karthika speaking.
Hello?
Hello?
Sir, why is there no power?
Lightning took the power out, sir.
Sir, he's the Ponnani IP.
- Sir.
- Where's GD?
He's out on night patrol, sir.
Staff shortage.
We brought someone in for questioning.
Bring him.
Why are you pulling away?
Go on!
- Walk!
- Stand over there.
Sir! I don't know anything.
I know you know.
- Sir, I don't know.
- You'll talk.
Tell us where he is.
Save yourself the trouble.
This is a POCSO case.
You won't be seeing daylight again.
I told you... I don't know, sir.
Let's see how long you hold out.
Hey, you.
Bring him here.
I'll make him talk.
- What, huh?
- I don't know, sir.
Come on...
She's just a schoolgirl and you...
His last call was to your number.
Both his phone and hers
last switched off
on the same tower location.
You better tell the truth.
- Drop the act.
- I don't know, sir.
Sir...
- Come on, say it.
- I will tell, sir...
I'll tell you, sir...
I'll tell you...
They're in Nenmara...
At Star Lodge...
Keep an eye on him.
We'll go get the other one.
Sir...
I need to use the toilet.
Do you want to go to the hospital?
Get up.
Hello.
Can you take a day off today?
I need to talk to you about something.
No, I can't take the day off today.
A truck is coming.
I have to load and dispatch 2,000 boxes.
What is it about?
Well...
I really need to see you.
Stop stomping around and open that door!
Are you sleeping
with the station locked up?
Sir, I had just gone to the toilet.
What's this blood?
Sir, it got stained when I took the man
in the cell to the bathroom.
Give that to me.
What's the case?
Has he been medically examined?
Sir, a squad from Ponnani brought him here.
Did you enter it in the sentry register?
Did anyone inform
the SHO or GD that he's here?
Did you inform them?
No, sir.
Are you a fool,
or are you pretending to be one?
Do you know
how many people could lose their jobs
if something happens to him?
Bloody useless!
You're not fit for this job.
You have no sense of responsibility,
right, Shelley?
How long have I been working like a dog?
You and your damn cinema!
The only reason I'm still chasing cinema
is to somehow get you and the kids out
from this hell.
I don't have any other way out.
I went back to this job only for you.
I didn't get suspended on purpose.
What if something had happened to that boy?
What would've become of us?
If it were up to me,
I'd have dismissed you.
The producer has rented a flat in Kochi.
He wants me to stay there.
Can't you write from the quarters?
Isn't that enough?
Come out already. I'm getting late.
There you are.
I've kept food for you
and for the kids this evening.
Pick both of them up
when the school bus arrives.
And give them food
before sending them to tuition.
Don't forget while you're busy
smoking and daydreaming.
- Don't you need the key?
- Oh no!
Soumya, I moved your scooter
because I'm washing the car.
Shelley sir is under suspension, right?
Well, unlike Sumesh sir,
his job isn't carrying
the SP's briefcase around.
He works in a local station.
Besides, aren't you the ones who always say
suspension is part
of a policeman's life, sir?
That was so unnecessary!
Hello.
Hey, I found the address
of Narayanan Sharma,
who investigated the 174 case.
That's great.
I've been digging through old newspapers.
- Didn't find a thing.
- I'll WhatsApp you the address.
- Take a look.
- Okay.
Name and birth star?
Shelley.
I'm a policeman.
Birth star?
Sir, I didn't come here
for an astrology reading.
Back when you were at Kongad Station,
didn't you investigate
the case of a woman found dead
on the railway tracks?
I came to learn more about that case.
That station is still
plagued by trouble, isn't it?
Yes, sir.
The soul of the deceased
hasn't found peace.
The death happened
under the Pooruruttathi star.
And on a Panchami day.
Ordinary funeral rites
won't be enough.
Special rituals are required.
See, it's true.
Do you believe all this?
Sir, what made you so sure
it was murder?
Listen, I was the one
who carried that girl.
The only injury she had
was a wound on her head,
as though someone had struck her
with an iron rod.
If she had jumped from a moving train,
shouldn't her body be covered in abrasions?
There were no other injuries.
Someone deliberately struck her
on the head with an iron rod
and dumped her on the tracks.
She must've still had
a faint bit of consciousness left,
so she rolled aside
before the train hit her.
Sir, you once said the deceased herself
answered your call that day.
Hey, my dad is calling you inside.
The girls were twins.
Karthika and Keerthana.
They worked at the same place.
It was Keerthana who died.
That day, she'd accidentally taken
her sister's ID card.
That's why
I ended up calling Karthika.
Since the deceased girl's phone
was missing,
I pulled its cell tower records.
Comparing them
with her previous locations,
I found she usually boarded trains
from a station near Coimbatore.
But that day,
she never boarded a train.
Instead,
she boarded a bus somewhere
between Coimbatore and Walayar.
Her phone was switched off
at the Palakkad bus stand.
When I checked the CCTV footage
from the bus stand,
I became suspicious
and began investigating
what happened there that night.
Yes, sir. I took that girl
from here to the station.
What happened, sir?
Didn't you hear she was found dead
on the railway tracks?
No, sir.
Wasn't it you
who dumped her on the tracks?
No, sir. I didn't.
The last place her phone was switched off
was right here.
And the phone is missing.
Tell me the truth.
You were the last person seen with her.
Sir, there's a wretched woman
named Swapna.
I saw her bump into that girl yesterday.
She must be the one who stole the phone.
Where can I find her?
I don't know where she lives, sir.
But she'll be there by 8:00 or 8:30 p.m.
- Get in.
- How many of you are in the car?!
- Sit still.
- Let go of my hand!
- Hey! Let go!
- Don't move. Sit still!
Let go of my hand!
Let go of me!
Didn't I tell you to not move?
Stop the vehicle!
Sir, it was an accidental death.
No doubt about it.
The forensic and post-mortem reports
confirm it.
Close the case immediately.
Sir...
- Let go of me!
- Don't make a sound.
- Let go of my hand. I'll get down myself.
- Don't create a scene in here.
Let go of my hand, you!
What's going on here?
Sir, last night I suspected
the girl's death
might've been a murder.
So I brought her in for questioning.
Who told you it was murder?
Did I assign you that case?
No, right?
After reading a few detective novels,
you think you're Sherlock Holmes?
Even if it was murder,
you can't bring a woman to the station
at night without a woman officer.
The government doesn't pay you
to solve cases with horoscopes
and fortune-telling.
Send her away immediately.
Or you'll lose your job.
So you never investigated after that?
Then the woman filed a complaint.
All four of us were suspended.
By the time I was reinstated,
I'd already retired.
Who investigated it then?
CI Sathyajith closed the case.
Sir, I'm writing
a story based on this file.
If I could get your case diary,
it'd really help.
What's your birth star and age?
Vishakham.
I'm forty-one.
You're going through a bad phase.
Be careful pursuing this.
Hello.
When?! Where?!
- No, no, no! It's over!
- I've got you!
- It's over.
- It's over. It's over.
It's over. You're alright.
Where the hell have you been all this time?
I...
went to meet someone about the story.
You and your damn movie!
Didn't I tell you a hundred times
to bring the kids home on time?
Didn't I?!
Hey, lower your voice.
If anything had happened to my child...
People are listening!
Let everyone hear!
Instead of going to work,
- he runs around chasing cinema like a clown
- Dear...
- I've kept this bottled up for years.
- Dear...
Do you know how much debt
he's piled up?
Dear... enough.
Aren't you the ones
who saddled me with him?
Hey, this is a hospital.
Don't create a scene.
Sir...
Dad...
I was watching her.
But she slipped away and ran off.
It's okay.
Go sit with Mom.
I'll be outside.
Go on.
Don't take what she said personally.
Let it go.
How's the pain?
You'll be fine soon.
Dad...
Soumya, I've brought the car.
Soumya...
Please.
I'm falling apart.
I just want some peace of mind.
Please don't make this harder for me.
Seeing the hanging body's feet
touching the floor,
a police officer,
said aloud in front of the locals
that it was murder.
Even after it was scientifically proven
to be suicide...
people still believe it was murder.
And that the police buried the case.
What I want to tell you is this.
When you're at a crime scene
during an investigation,
don't say careless things
in front of the public.
Class over.
Class rise.
Attention.
Sir, I'm Shelly.
Your producer had called me.
It's about the 174 case
from Kongad station, right?
Yes, sir.
You could just pull the file and check.
Sir, no one dares touch that file.
They believe that if you touch it
the girl's spirit gets officers suspended,
stains their uniforms with blood
and brings more unnatural deaths.
Tell me...
which station is free of unnatural deaths,
suspensions,
or blood on uniforms?
If that were true,
I should've been the first to suffer.
I investigated and closed that case.
Sir, I've a doubt.
If she fell from a moving train,
shouldn't there be
more injuries on her body?
But in this case,
there was only one wound,
as if struck by an iron rod.
The dead girl's house
was just a hundred metres from the scene.
The train had stopped there
waiting for the signal
when she tried to get off.
Just as she reached the door,
the train suddenly started moving...
the door hit her and she fell.
She died after hitting her head
on the concrete block near the track.
The forensic evidence supported that.
Sir, I met Narayana Sharma,
the officer who first handled the case.
He said she had a fight
with a woman at the bus stand.
He says it may be connected to her death.
That woman was a local prostitute.
When they bumped into each other...
the girl's phone ended up with her.
She handed it over immediately
to a policeman there.
Sir, she usually takes the train
from Coimbatore after work.
But that day,
she came by bus to Palakkad stand.
Doesn't that seem unusual?
She went shopping after work,
got late and missed the train.
So she took a bus.
What's unusual about that?
The first questions you ask in a case are
who, when, where, how and why.
None of those raised
any suspicion in this case.
It was that astrologer
and his nonsense about spirits
that turned it into a mess.
The first questions you ask in a case are
who, when, where, how and why.
If she jumped off a train,
shouldn't her body be covered in abrasions?
But there were no other injuries.
Someone deliberately struck her
on the head with an iron rod
and dumped her on the tracks.
She died after hitting her head
on the concrete block near the track.
The forensic evidence supported that.
Want one?
No.
Those of us in the film industry...
our lives aren't what people think.
The funny thing is,
you'd think at least
your family would understand.
But no.
Whatever people think of those in films...
our families think the same.
Once you get into cinema,
don't expect peace at home.
All we can do
is support them financially
whenever we can.
That's about all we can do.
If you carry all this inside...
you'll never make a film.
It's already been three weeks.
Don't take this the wrong way.
The producer's putting money into this
because he trusts me.
Sir...
That's not the reason...
I'm just confused
about one part of the story.
Then why don't we bring in
someone experienced to write with you?
Sir, please give me a little more time.
Let me try once more.
Three days max.
After that, I don't want any excuses.
Or I'm out.
She died after hitting her head
on the concrete block near the track.
The forensic evidence supported that.
Three days max.
After that, I don't want any excuses.
Dad, look, my wounds have healed.
Dad, where are you?
I...
...am in Ernakulam.
Dad, is your work over?
Is your work over, Dad?
Give me the phone!
- Let me talk.
- I will ask.
Let go of the phone.
- Where's Mom?
- She's here.
Soumya...
Soumya...
I can't live without you all.
Can I come back?
Come home.
What happened?
You didn't even finish your dinner.
You can deposit that cheque.
Did you finish the story?
No.
I don't think I can do it...
The director is very worried.
They're bringing in another writer...
to finish it.
I'll still get story credit.
It's okay.
At least you got your break in films.
So many people don't get even that.
I need to get back on duty soon.
I'll speak to Sumesh sir...
and meet the SP.
You were right.
Maybe I'm just not good enough.
P13... P13 Control.
Kongad PS... Kongad PS Control.
Answering. Over.
Kongad PS answering. Over.
P13 Control.
Control P13 Mobile calling.
Control answering.
The girl found on the railway track
is still alive.
She's bleeding badly.
We're taking her to the hospital. Over.
Message is clear. Over.
Control P13 Mobile calling.
Control answering.
Sir, the girl who was hit by the train
was taken to the hospital.
But she passed away.
She's been identified.
Her name is Keerthana.
Shelly...
What's wrong?
Shelly!
What happened?
Go away...
Shelly... It's me...
Don't touch me!
Go!
Go!
Shelly...
- Mom...
- Shelly...
Mom...
- Dad...
- Mom!
Mom...
- It's nothing...
- Mom...
- Mom...
- Soumya.
Open the door, Soumya.
Open up...
- What happened?
- Mom...
I think he had a bad dream and got scared.
Shelly...
Shelly...
Shelly...
Hold out your hands.
Some things that happen in real life
can leave us deeply stressed.
And the dissonance
that comes from unanswered questions...
the mind struggles to accept it.
It won't settle until it finds a solution.
When you drift away from the real world
and move through dreams,
the mind starts trying
to make sense of it all.
This is a state bordering on delusion.
I'll go get the medicine.
Shelly...
- When he wakes from the dream,
- Shelly...
the separation between
what's real and unreal...
becomes hard to tell apart.
It can feel like
the frightening moments from the dream
are happening in real life too.
If we don't control this now,
it could progress further.
I've taken two days off.
Shall we go somewhere with the kids?
Take the medicine regularly.
And the relaxation techniques
I told you about...
Be sure to practise them regularly.
We can slowly overcome this condition.
Here.
It's getting late. I'll go get the kids.
What happened?
There was a lizard in it.
- Lizard?
- Yeah...
There wasn't anything in it
when I brought it.
Are you saying I imagined it?
That's not what I meant.
Isn't that what the doctor said too?
That's why he prescribed these medicines.
Are you saying I'm crazy?
There was a lizard in it.
This isn't what the doctor
was talking about.
Everyone at that station...
went through the same thing.
That dead girl's spirit...
is trying to tell me something
through that lizard.
This won't change with medicine alone.
This isn't about the film.
I need to know what happened to that girl.
Only then will I have peace.
I'll call you back, okay?
- What's it?
- A girl named Keerthana...
she was found dead on the tracks
around six years ago.
Her family lived here, right?
Which house was theirs?
That's the house, sir.
We bought that land from them.
They're in Coimbatore now.
Do you have their details?
Sir, smoking isn't allowed here.
She had a boyfriend.
She'd gone to his birthday party that day.
She'd told us she'd be late.
So we assumed her phone was switched off.
Do the shadowed forests deepen
Along these lonely woodland trails?
Where twisted trails of lies
and countless borders meet
In the heart of the unknown
Are you still searching
For the fabled golden deer
That wanders through
the forests of dreams?
As your gaze reaches
into distant horizons
She slips away, that doe-eyed beauty!
Bro, is this the girl?
Where is he?
To weave the verses
Of stories still untold
Come on, let's go.
Sir...
Like never before
He was a member of Kaali's gang.
People say he ran off
with the gang leader's money.
Something must've happened to him, sir.
If he were alive,
he'd have called me at least once.
Where have your footsteps led?
Where does your spirit dwell?
When truth breaks through
All emptiness falls away
White waves of light arise
Where are you?
Why aren't you answering your phone?
Is this a dream in motion
Or a mysterious command
decreed by nature?
To weave the verses
Of stories still untold
To lose yourself
In an ecstasy
Like never before
Do the shadowed forests deepen
Along these lonely woodland trails?
Where twisted trails of lies
and countless borders meet
Hey, is your dad up?
- Is Dad up?
- Dad?
Tomorrow morning at 11 sharp,
I'll be at your office.
I want ten lakh rupees.
Otherwise, every piece of evidence I have
will go straight to the media
and the court.
Didn't I tell you?
That girl's spirit
was trying to tell me something.
Not just her.
Three more people were murdered.
This isn't just a hunch.
Believe me now, at least.
Haven't you seen the news?
About the land mafia?
They're behind all this.
When I went to Coimbatore
to investigate Keerthana's case,
the girl who died,
I found out she had a boyfriend there.
A guy named Mahesh.
When I started looking into him,
his friend told me that on the very day
Keerthana was murdered,
Mahesh and his Malayali grandparents
went missing.
He's from Palakkad, sir.
But he's lived here all his life, sir.
His grandparents were all he had.
No one knows where they went
after he disappeared, sir.
Keerthana would leave work,
travel from the textile shop to Coimbatore
and take the train home from there.
But according to Cyber Cell records,
on the day she died,
she and her boyfriend Mahesh
went to a Formiq Group construction site.
What happened?
Nothing.
My grandfather owns a small piece
of land in Palakkad.
A new party wants to buy it.
Once that's done, Grandpa and I
will come to your house
and ask for your hand.
They're calling me to sign some papers.
After that, I'll drop you at the station.
That's where his phone
was last switched off.
From there, she took a bus to Palakkad
and later an auto-rickshaw
to Palakkad Railway Station.
That day, a few men followed her
from Coimbatore
all the way to Palakkad Railway Station.
Later, Keerthana was found
injured near the railway tracks
close to her house.
It all began with the three-and-a-half-acre
plot in Meenakshipuram
that was in Mahesh's grandfather
Padmanabhan Nair's name.
His family had no idea it even existed.
A builders' group that bought
the adjoining land
discovered the property and its legal heirs
while processing land records
at the village office.
This is the notice
the Village Office sent
to inform the legal heirs about it.
The adjoining land had been bought
by a builders' group.
When we surveyed it,
we found
more land than what was listed in the deed.
To regularize the records,
they needed consent
from the adjoining landowners.
This is the notice sent
to the current heirs
informing them about it.
Did the heirs come here?
No, sir.
Right after sending the notice,
the company bought
Padmanabhan Nair's 3.5 acres too
and completed the transfer.
Padmanabhan Nair had no idea about
of his ancestral property.
Formiq, a builders' group, seized it
using forged documents.
None of the money from the land deal
ever reached his bank account.
Four or five days after he got the notice,
the entire family disappeared
without a trace.
Cyber Cell phone records showed
that Keerthana was at the same location
where Mahesh's and his grandfather's phones
were last switched off.
At Formiq Builders' construction site.
When you connect all the dots,
what happened that day...
Hey, stop!
Hey...
You two, follow her.
Hey...
- Palakkad.
- Where?
Palakkad?
Take the vehicle to the bus stand.
Watch where you're going!
Are you blind?
- Sorry.
- Bloody brat!
To Town Railway Station
Please, hurry!
Faster! Go faster!
This is the ladies' compartment.
Go sit over there.
Wait till the train stops.
We'll grab her then.
Just wait.
Drag her over here!
Put her there.
Sit there, you!
Sit.
But this case was closed
six years ago, right?
How are we going to prove it now?
Weren't you the one who said
everyone who looked into this
ended up in trouble?
If we present evidence in court
that this crime was committed,
the court itself will reopen the case.
Just wait and see.
By 11 tomorrow,
the evidence will be in my hands.
- Tell me, Bobby.
- John...
Take it up only if you can
handle it properly.
Otherwise, I'll handle it myself.
Bobby, don't do anything rash.
Just find out what evidence he has.
That's all we need.
I'm looking into him as well.
Just remember one thing.
Even a suspended cop is still a cop.
What evidence do you have?
The originals are safe with me.
If anything happens to me...
all of this will go public.
So, can I take this?
Over there... Come...
Sir... please listen to me.
Please cooperate.
I didn't come here to blackmail anyone.
Sir, I came here to collect
evidence for a case.
Sir... Please listen to me.
Sir, please don't do this.
I've got evidence against them...
Sir, please listen to me...
Please don't do this, sir...
Sir... please just listen...
Let me go.
I didn't do anything wrong.
I came here only to collect evidence...
A suspended police officer
has been arrested
by the Vigilance Department
in a bribery case.
Shelly, a Civil Police Officer
attached to Kongad Police Station,
was taken into custody
by the Vigilance team.
These are visuals of Shelly being
taken to the Palakkad Vigilance Office
for further questioning.
After being caught in the Vigilance trap,
Shelly was forcibly detained by the team.
Vigilance acted on
confidential information that
Shelly had demanded a bribe from builders.
The trap was laid following a complaint
filed by Bobby Kurian, MD of Formiq Group.
The footage just shown
before this Hon'ble Court
was recorded by my client
using a pen camera.
The purpose of this sting operation was
to investigate Keerthana's death
that occurred six years ago
and establish before this Court that
it was not an accident, but a murder.
My client sought money from the builders
only to gather evidence for that purpose.
Considering my client's
bona fide intentions,
I humbly request that he be acquitted.
Objection, Your Honour.
The accused fabricated a murder case
to blackmail a company and extort money.
That was his sole intention.
In case he ever got caught,
this so-called sting operation
was his escape plan.
The accused is no ordinary person.
The Court must bear in mind
that he is a police officer
well-versed in the law and its loopholes.
What made you believe
Keerthana's death was a murder?
Three acres of land
belonging to Padmanabhan Nair
were acquired by this company
using forged documents.
When Padmanabhan Nair, his wife,
and their grandson Mahesh
started looking into the land scam,
the company had them killed.
Keerthana, who witnessed the crime,
was also murdered.
They made her death look like an accident.
Your Honour,
if the Hon'ble Court examines these deeds,
it will be clear that his claims
are purely speculative.
The company lawfully purchased the land
after paying the amount
stated in these documents.
This is Padmanabhan Nair's bank passbook.
A review of these records will show
that none of the money in question
was ever credited to Nair's account.
As Nair was facing bank attachment
after defaulting on a loan,
he received the money through
his grandson Mahesh's account
to prevent it from being seized.
They've fabricated these documents.
If the Court orders an investigation
by a central agency,
it will reveal the truth.
It wasn't just one murder.
Including Keerthana,
there were four victims.
Only when everyone responsible
is brought to justice
will that girl's soul find peace.
This Court believes the matter should
be considered by the Magistrate Court.
So, we shall transfer it.
If this Hon'ble Court transfers the case
based on mere speculation,
the company will suffer huge losses
on its upcoming housing projects,
including crores in investments
and its goodwill.
I humbly request
the Court for a little more time.
The company has filed a habeas corpus
petition before the Coimbatore Court
to trace the missing
Padmanabhan Nair and his family.
I request permission
to question the accused.
Please proceed.
How did you investigate
and uncover these alleged murders?
Tell me.
It was Keerthana's soul,
still seeking justice,
that led me to these murders.
Oh...
So it was the dead girl's spirit
that guided you?
That's fascinating.
A former Chief Justice once claimed
he spoke to his late wife's spirit.
Is that so?
Do you doubt that?
No.
A dead girl's spirit
summoned by a tantric,
helped solve a case.
A former DGP said so.
- Oh, really?
- Do you doubt that too?
Not at all.
The soul of a girl
who was wrongfully killed
is seeking justice here.
The Court must order an investigation.
Okay, okay.
I humbly request permission
to examine one more witness.
Yes, proceed.
Is he your patient, Doctor?
Yes.
Shelly has been my patient
for the past four years.
What condition was he receiving
treatment for?
Because of the many
extramarital affair cases
he encountered in police work,
he began to suspect
his wife was having one too.
That suspicion gradually became a delusion.
The death of his father,
the pressure of writing scripts
and dealing with their failures,
worsened his delusional disorder,
eventually leading to
paranoid schizophrenia.
Your Honour...
Please believe me.
They're trying to portray me
as mentally ill
so this case won't be reopened.
That's why they've paid this doctor
to testify against me.
What's more important?
The company's goodwill
or the lives of four people?
Those innocent people deserve justice.
Please...
Shelly.
What exactly is paranoid schizophrenia,
Doctor?
Can you explain it in detail?
A person suffering from
paranoid schizophrenia
may lose touch with reality
and become trapped in their delusions.
They begin to live
within that imagined reality.
They may also experience
auditory hallucinations,
hearing voices that others cannot hear.
They may see things that do not exist
and feel as though those experiences
are happening to them.
Their thoughts and actions eventually
revolve around those delusions.
That's all, Your Honour.
It is unlawful for a person
of unsound mental health
to continue in the police force.
Therefore, the Court directs
the District Superintendent of Police
to have the accused medically examined
and submit a report.
Thank you, Your Honour.
If you brand me as crazy...
the truth behind four murders
will never come out.
- Shelly!
- Stop it. This is a courtroom.
- Don't think you can call me crazy...
- Shelly...
- and get away with this case!
- Silence!
I don't care what the court says
or if you lock me up...
The accused is remanded
for 14 days for medical examination.
The case is adjourned to the next hearing.
Handcuff him.
- I won't let any of you get away with this.
- Lock it.
- I'll make sure all of you go to jail.
- Shelly
- Calm down, Shelly.
- I have proof...
- Stay still.
- I'm not crazy!
I'm not crazy...
Please believe me.
I'm not crazy...
- Shelly, stay still.
- Let me go!
Don't fight back.
They can't brand me crazy
and make this case go away.
Shelly... listen to me.
I'll make sure every one of them
goes to prison. Let me go.
Soumya...
Tell them I'm not crazy.
Please just tell... I'm not crazy.
Soumya...
Soumya...
Say I'm not crazy...
Please don't do this to me.
I...
Don't worry, Soumya.
Go back to the quarters.
I'll call you if there's anything.
There may be some truth
to what he's saying.
It makes no sense to bring in
a High Court lawyer
for a simple bribery case.
You can go.
Hey... Joshy...
Take these off. My hands hurt.
Just lie there, Shelly.
Let the doctor see you tomorrow.
You brought this on yourself.
Do you think I'm crazy too?
Then why did you do that in court?
If everyone was trying
to paint you as crazy,
what would you have done
in my place?
They trapped me
to stop the case from being reopened.
Just give me a little more time.
I have all the evidence.
Or they'll brand me as crazy,
and I'll lose my job.
I know where
those three are buried.
Shelly...
I know this will get you into trouble.
My life is in your hands.
You're the only one
who can help me.
It's only a Vigilance case.
At worst,
I'll be suspended for six months.
I can live with that.
Get up, man!
Stand still!
Sir, this is a very old case,
and all the victims are from Kerala.
Then suddenly,
the Tamil Nadu Police steps in
and cracks the case.
How did that happen, sir?
Did you receive any secret information?
Nothing like that.
It was a lead from
an ordinary policeman from Kerala
that helped Tamil Nadu Police
solve this case.
Sir, this was ruled
an accidental death years ago.
How did you conclude
it was linked to multiple murders
and that this is where
the bodies were buried?
She brought me here.
The spirit of the girl who died.
Cut.
- Thank you.
- If you'd like a place to write,
we have a property in Dubai.
And one in Wayanad as well.
If you'd prefer somewhere else,
just let us know.
No, I'll stay here and write.
I'm comfortable here.
Okay.
Let's go?
It'd be great if we could get
the first draft in a month.
Sure.
Okay, then.
Sir.
I'm a new recruit, sir.
Are you into writing stories?
No, sir.
Mm.
Give it to the writer.
Enter your details in that biodata book.
Okay, sir.
And one more thing...
see that box?
For God's sake, please don't touch it.
There's a file inside.
The last person who touched it
lost both his job and his mind.