Aarkkariyam (2021) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Itty killed Augustine because of his cruel behavior toward Shirley after she gave birth. When Augustine returned after months of disappearance, he mocked Shirley's pregnancy and the baby in a heartless way. This, combined with Augustine's history of vanishings and mistreatment, led Itty to murder him and bury the body on the family property. Itty rationalized the crime as something ordained by God rather than a deliberate act.

Foreshadowing: Earlier scenes show Itty's quiet, controlling nature and his deep protective instincts toward Shirley, hinting at how far he would go to shield her.

• ittyavira
• augusine
• murder
• shirley
• justification
• kerala

Itty wants to exhume and burn Augustine's remains because he fears the new property owner might discover the bones during construction or renovation. The sale would transfer ownership to outsiders who could unknowingly uncover the buried skeleton, potentially exposing the decades-old murder. Itty prefers to take control of the past rather than let it surface unexpectedly.

Foreshadowing: Itty's decision to sell the estate is driven by practical concerns about aging and finances, but his insistence on handling this "matter" before the sale hints at something buried deeper than just memories.

• exhume
• skeleton
• estate sale
• property
• evidence
• burial

Augustine was Shirley's first husband. He disappeared for months before returning home on the eve of Shirley giving birth to their child. When he returned, he callously mocked Shirley about her pregnancy and the baby, revealing his cruel and irresponsible nature before Itty killed him.

Foreshadowing: The timeline references Augustine's pattern of disappearances, establishing him as an unstable figure who left Shirley vulnerable.

• augustine
• shirley
• first husband
• marriage
• disappearance

Itty keeps the murder secret from Shirley because he believes some truths are better left unspoken. He tells Roy that everything happens according to God's will, suggesting he views the crime as fated rather than something to confess. Itty also seems to protect Shirley from the traumatic knowledge that her own father murdered her husband, preferring to let her believe Augustine simply vanished.

Foreshadowing: Throughout the film, Itty maintains control over family narratives, deciding what information Shirley receives about her past.

• itty
• secret
• confession
• shirley
• truth
• silence

Roy becomes complicit when Itty reveals the murder and asks for help exhuming the bones. Initially shocked and morally troubled, Roy ultimately assists Itty in digging up the remains and burning them. This act makes Roy an accomplice to both the original crime's concealment and the destruction of evidence, binding him to the family secret.

Foreshadowing: Roy's financial desperation creates pressure that makes him more willing to help, as he depends on Itty's generosity for his family's survival.

• roy
• itty
• complicity
• exhumation
• burning bones
• secret

After helping exhume and burn Augustine's remains, Itty moves to a new apartment and begins showing signs of dementia. His memory and grip on reality deteriorate significantly, possibly accelerated by the psychological burden of his secret and the physical toll of the crime's concealment. The dementia also means he can no longer clearly recall or confess the truth.

Foreshadowing: Itty's age and health concerns were mentioned early in the film, and the stressful events of the plot appear to hastens his mental decline.

• itty
• dementia
• memory loss
• aging
• apartment
• decline

Shirley never identifies Augustine's body because she never knew he was murdered. She believed he simply vanished, as he had done before. When a decomposed body was found years later, it was identified by Augustine's mother rather than Shirley. Shirley admits in the final narration that she never identified the body herself and only learned of its discovery through others.

Foreshadowing: The film establishes that Shirley was a young, dependent mother when Augustine disappeared, with no reason to suspect anything other than abandonment.

• shirley
• body identification
• augusine mother
• never identified
• closure

The COVID-19 lockdown serves as the backdrop that forces Shirley and Roy to stay in Pala with Itty, creating the circumstances for the story to unfold. The lockdown emphasizes Itty's isolation and the tension of being confined together with secrets. It also adds to the film's atmosphere of entrapment and claustrophobia, mirroring the characters' emotional imprisonment.

Foreshadowing: The opening establishes Itty's solitary life during lockdown, showing how the pandemic disrupts his routine and brings his family closer.

• covid lockdown
• 2020
• pala
• isolation
• backdrop
• pandemic

At the end of the film, Roy carries the crushing burden of knowing the truth about Itty's crime. Unlike Shirley, who remains unaware, Roy now knows that her first husband was murdered by her own father. He must live with this knowledge forever, unable to tell Shirley without destroying the family. The film ends with Roy bearing this secret like a cross he will carry to his grave.

Foreshadowing: Roy's complicity in exhuming the bones seals his fate as a keeper of the family's darkest secret.

• roy
• secret
• burden
• grave
• knowledge
• guilt
• complicity

Itty decides to sell his sprawling family estate to help Roy, who is facing serious financial difficulties. The sale would provide enough money to steady Roy's failing business while still leaving sufficient funds for Itty to downsize and live more simply in an apartment. Age and declining health also motivate his decision to let go of the large property.

Foreshadowing: Itty's willingness to sell his home to help his daughter reflects his long-standing pattern of making sacrifices for family.

• estate sale
• financial trouble
• roy
• itty
• property
• downsizing