| Director | Prithviraj Sukumaran |
|---|---|
| Budget | ₹30 crore |
| Box office | ₹129 crore |
At Interpol's headquarters in Lyon, officer Robert McCarthy reviews reports on the Khureshi Ab'raam nexus, a notorious secret society involved in global trade. A message from the CIA links the syndicate to African warlords and includes a surveillance image taken in Istanbul in April 2006. Realizing the significance, McCarthy identifies the figure as Khureshi Ab'raam. In Kerala, Chief Minister P. K. Ramdas ("PKR"), leader of the Indian Union Front (IUF), dies while being treated at a hospital owned by the opposition leader's daughter. Acting Chief Minister Mahesha Varma exploits the situation by inciting unrest outside the hospital ahead of the coming election. During the chaos, activist Govardhan livestreams accusations that PKR had become a puppet of a powerful financial syndicate controlling Indian politics. He names five possible successors: Priyadarshini "Priya" Ramdas, Jathin Ramdas, Bimal "Bobby" Nair, Mahesha Varma, and Stephen Nedumpally, whom he calls the most dangerous of them all — Lucifer.
Priya and Jathin are PKR's children. Priya is married to Bobby, a secretive drug lord involved in real estate, Hawala operations, and narcotics trafficking, though she is unaware of his crimes. Stephen, a mysterious ally favoured by PKR, has ties to post-war reconstruction in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as gold smuggling from Dubai to Kerala. Govardhan questions why PKR trusted him so completely. After PKR's death, Bobby plans to seize control of the IUF by financing it with drug money. Partnering with Abdul and international drug boss Fyodor, he arranges a deal to flood Kerala with narcotics in exchange for political protection. Stephen opposes the plan and threatens Bobby, prompting Bobby to launch a smear campaign through the IUF-backed news channel NPTV. Govardhan provides evidence linking Bobby to criminal activities and alleges that the Khureshi Ab'raam nexus backs financier Manappattil Chandy. Bobby retaliates by abducting Govardhan. Meanwhile, Stephen violently prevents Bobby's men from using a sealed timber factory for drug production. Bobby's mole Aloshy later manipulates an orphan named Aparna into falsely accusing Stephen of sexual abuse at his shelter, Ashrayam. Public outrage leads to Stephen's arrest.
While imprisoned, Stephen contacts his loyal deputy Zayed Masood, leader of an international mercenary force. Zayed sabotages Fyodor's drug shipments and forces Bobby to secure Stephen's release. At the same time, Priya discovers Bobby has abused her daughter Jhanvi and was responsible for the deaths of both Jayadevan and PKR. Desperate, she turns to Stephen for protection. Stephen's men kill the corrupt commissioner Mayilvahanam and help Priya gain control of NPTV. Aparna publicly confesses that her allegations were false, and Priya and Jathin expose Bobby's criminal empire during a press conference. Bobby is later captured in Mumbai by Fyodor's men, but Zayed rescues him so Stephen can personally execute him. Murugan, revealed to be Stephen's spy, kills Aloshy. Govardhan is freed and reunited with his family, while Jathin becomes the new Chief Minister. In a post-credits scene, Stephen meets Zayed at an undisclosed location in Russia. During a call from the gold smuggler Sanghani, Stephen reveals that he himself is Khureshi Ab'raam, confirming his control over powerful secret societies worldwide.