| Director | Dileesh Pothan |
|---|---|
| Runtime | 123 min |
| Country | India |
Joji, an engineering dropout, along with his elder brothers Jomon and Jaison, leads a life of fear under their dominating father, Kuttappan. The family also includes Jaison's wife, Bincy, and Jomon's teenage son, Popy. They live in a vast house in the middle of a sizable plantation in the high ranges of COVID-ridden Kerala. While Joji looks meek compared to his father and brothers, he appears to share a bond with Bincy and Popy.
Despite being 74, Kuttappan is well-built and very much in charge of family affairs. Jomon, a divorcee, aids him in agriculture on their vast estate, while Jaison manages their businesses in town. Joji runs unsuccessful ventures, the remains of which are a horse tied in their estate. He is financially dependent on Kuttappan, who physically abuses Joji. Bincy manages the household chores and is always shown to be occupied in the kitchen. A pond is maintained in the family yard by workers, including Gireesh and Sudhi. Kuttappan manages to pull out a heavy valve stuck in the mud as nobody else could handle it, but suffers a stroke in the process and is hospitalized. A close relative of the family, Dr. Felix, discusses with his fellow doctors and concludes that Kuttappan is paralyzed and there is little hope of improvement in his condition. Things look brighter even for Joji as he manages to sell his horse after showing it off to buyers in the family's yard.
However, Kuttappan returns home, bedridden and unable to speak. Jomon is visibly upset over his father's condition, while the others, at various levels, hope for Kuttappan's speedy death. Joji even visits his father in bed and mocks his paralyzed hand, which was used to abuse him. When Kuttappan shows further physical suffering, Jomon decides to sanction a risky surgery, which is fortunately successful. This brings a recovering Kuttappan back home, albeit in a wheelchair, getting everyone in the house back to their old ways.
As prompted by Bincy, Jaison asks his father for money to buy a new house in town but is rejected and ridiculed by Kuttappan. Kuttappan also manages to use a pen to sign a cheque, indicating his improved condition. An upset Bincy shares her frustration with Joji. Joji decides to stand up to his father and demands that he step down. However, the old man manages to choke Joji with his able left hand and ridicules him as well. Joji decides to kill Kuttappan and begins to secretly replace Kuttappan's daily medication with similar-looking pills. Bincy witnesses this but conceals the truth as she and Jaison also secretly wish for Kuttappan's death. Joji's plan works, and Kuttappan dies soon.
Jomon, already an alcoholic, sets off firecrackers at the funeral procession, claiming his father would not have wanted a depressing funeral. This leads the family into a scuffle with the church priest, Father Kevin. Not long after the funeral, the family meets, presided over by Dr. Felix, to partition the dead man's estate. Jomon objects to the partition, saying it would be disrespectful to Kuttappan's spirit. Jomon and Jaison enter into a heated argument. Joji rises to the occasion and proposes a solution that both his brothers agree to, impressing everyone.
Meanwhile, rumors begin to spread about Kuttappan's death. Joji has nightmares of his father and tries to destroy the evidence by burning all the medicine strips that were used in the gruesome act. But this leads to a fire near the pond. Jomon notices the sign of the fire the next morning. Joji manages to escape and lies to Jomon that he doesn't visit the pond at all. Jomon is upset over rumors about Kuttappan's death and is suspicious that someone in the family is behind it. Jomon wants to confront Thotta Sudhi, who was loud about Joji's apathetic walking toward the house as Bincy was crying out when Kuttappan died. Joji joins Jomon in searching for Sudhi in the plantations. They find Sudhi working alone on the plantation, making thotta (a crude explosive used in breaking stones). When confronted, he runs away after a heated exchange with the brothers, but not before spilling some beans which makes Jomon suspect Joji. Realizing Joji is hiding something, Jomon attacks him, and Joji subdues him using Popy's air gun, after which he throws Sudhi's explosives at him, killing Jomon instantly. Joji provides a statement to the police, framing Sudhi for Jomon's death.
Over the next few days, Jaison notices weird changes in Joji's behavior, including him becoming overtly religious, as Bincy begins to question the possibility of Joji's involvement in Jomon's murder as well. During the autopsy, the police find the pellets from the gun in Jomon's body, and Popy realizes that Joji was the only other person who knew of the gun, which was purchased with money stolen from Kuttappan. The family confronts Joji, who continues to deny these claims. Realizing that he will not get away, Joji tries to blackmail Jaison, stating that unless he stands with Joji, he will be implicated as a co-conspirator in the murders. Realizing the true colors of Joji, Jaison categorically refuses this. Bincy confesses to Jaison that she knew about some of Joji's acts. Having no way out, Joji attempts suicide by shooting himself in the head with the air gun. He also sends a suicide note to the remaining family members blaming society for all his acts.
In the mid-credits scene, it is shown that Joji survives and awakens in the hospital, paralyzed. When the police officer asks a bedridden Joji to confess to his crimes by blinking his eyes, Joji forcefully does not blink.