| Director | Koratala Siva |
|---|---|
| Genre | action film, thriller film |
| Runtime | 178 min |
| Country | India |
| Budget | ₹250 crore |
| Box office | ₹380 crore |
In 1996, a high-level meeting is held concerning security threats to the 1996 Cricket World Cup in India from arms dealer Daya and his brother, Yethi.
The police capture Yethi's henchman and interrogate him. They learn Yethi was going to see Muruga, a smuggler in the Ratnagiri mountains. Going undercover as smugglers, the police led by Officer Shivam head to Ratnagiri to find Yethi. They approach DSP Tulasi, who tells them that Muruga is dead, and to visit the Red Sea villages. They visit Bhaira, chief of one of the villages, and threaten him to smuggle goods, only to be violently rejected by him. They find Singappa, who takes them offshore in a boat. Shivam tries to make an offer to him by showing off a diamond ring which is abruptly thrown into the sea by Singappa. As Shivam dives in to retrieve the ring, he finds human skeletons on the seabed, terrifying him. Singappa starts narrating the story which begins 12 years earlier.
In 1984, the villagers are smugglers in the night, bringing cargo for Muruga from the merchant ships. Devara, the chieftain of one of the villages, is one of the smuggling leaders, along with Bhaira. Unbeknownst to them, the cargo is illegal arms which are used in robberies, and one such incident occurs near their villages. During a smuggling expedition, they are caught by the coast guard and the commander of the vessel, Irfan, reveals the items they were smuggling, which indirectly led to the death of one of Devara's villagers.
Devara has a change of heart and decides to cease their smuggling operations, which is not liked by the other chieftains, including Bhaira. They hatch plans to kill him but fail. Devara stops the villagers from entering the seas for smuggling. He disappears after an attempt on his life and leaves a warning that he would continue to stop those who venture into the sea for smuggling. Years pass, and everyone adopts fishing to earn their livelihood as Devara stops those smuggling, while remaining invisible to the villagers. His son, Vara, grows up to be timid and soft-spoken, unlike his father, and tells the women in his family that Devara abandoned them. Vara's childhood friend, Thangam, is in love with him, but wishes he was more like Devara.
On the other hand, Bhaira trains a private army to kill Devara. Tulasi and Muruga again offer an opportunity to Bhaira to smuggle for them along with killing Devara, the biggest thorn in their operations. When Bhaira's men harass Vara's sister, he beats them up in a drunken fury. The following morning, he is accused of killing one of the men, but Vara pleads to Bhaira that he is not responsible. Bhaira tells him to prove it by joining the smuggling operation with his men. He later reveals that he killed his own injured man to get Vara to join them so that he can draw out Devara at sea.
Meanwhile, Devara's wife learns of the smuggling operation and asks Singappa to stop Vara, or Devara will kill him. However, Singappa reveals that Devara has been long dead, and the person who has been attacking the smugglers is actually Vara. He built a facade and story so that everyone would think that Devara is still alive. Meanwhile, Vara attacks Bhaira's men at sea and brings the injured men back to the shore. To instill even more fear in the villagers, Vara also injures himself, in front of Singappa and Devara's loyal aides, as he "went against his father".
When Shivam asks Singappa about Devara's killer, a flashback reveals that he was killed by Vara on the day he supposedly disappeared.