Highway (2022) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

D was originally an ordinary ambulance driver who began killing after his lover left him for a wealthier man. He discovered perverse pleasure in death and transitioned from transporting the dying to deliberately causing deaths. The breakdown of his relationship fundamentally altered his psychology, turning him into someone who preys on vulnerable young women.

• serial killer motive
• backstory
• ambulance driver
• d broken heart

D believes Tulasi is particularly vulnerable because she is alone with no family or friends nearby to help her. He specifically seeks out isolated women who lack protection, viewing their vulnerability as an opportunity for his crimes. This predatory logic drives his choice of victims.

• tulasi
• victim selection
• vulnerable women
• predator

Vishnu enlists the help of DHDC, a courier network, to track Tulasi down. A DHDC driver locates D and Tulasi traveling in an ambulance and relays their location to Vishnu. This information allows Vishnu and Asha's team to pursue the abductor.

• dhdc courier
• ambulance
• rescue pursuit
• location tracking

A tiger suddenly emerges from the forest and attacks D during the final confrontation. This unexpected event turns the situation from certain doom for Vishnu and Tulasi into salvation. The tiger kills D just as he is about to harm them, providing a dramatic deus ex machina resolution.

• tiger attack
• forest climax
• deus ex machina
• climax resolution

When D attempts to kill another young woman but fails, he kills a small boy who worked for that girl in his frustration. This act escalates the case and intensifies the investigation, showing D's escalating violence and lack of regard for innocent lives.

• boy killed
• escalation
• d brutality
• case intensifies

After a man attempts to harass Tulasi near the Mangalore bus stop, D presents himself as a Good Samaritan who intervenes to help her. His act of stopping the harasser builds her trust, making her believe he is genuinely trying to assist her. This deception allows him to kidnap her under the guise of helping.

• tulasi kidnapping
• deception
• trust
• kidnapper disguise

Vishnu's car breaks down while traveling to Bangalore for a wedding shoot, leading him and his friend Samudram to stop at a Dhaba. There they encounter Tulasi, who missed her bus after being locked in a washroom by a deaf old woman. They feel an instant connection, and Vishnu's aunt Jaya asks him to escort Tulasi to Mangalore.

• dhaba meeting
• chance encounter
• vishnu
• tulasi first meeting

D tries to kill another young woman but fails in his attempt. This failed murder forces him to escalate his violence, leading him to kill the small boy who worked for the girl out of frustration. The failure also pushes Asha and her team closer to catching him as the investigation intensifies.

• failed murder
• investigation
• serial killer
• escalation

Asha retrieves a crucial clue, a portrait of the serial killer D, from a lodge owner she had previously met during her investigation. This portrait helps sharpen the police pursuit and provides a visual identification of the killer, bringing Asha's team closer to apprehending him.

• portrait
• lodge owner
• police investigation
• clue

When Asha and her assistant locate D with Tulasi in an ambulance, D overpowers them during the confrontation. He shoots Asha's assistant and wounds Asha himself, turning the arrest attempt into a disaster. This allows D to escape with Tulasi while the police are incapacitated.

• asah team defeated
• ambulance
• police shootout
• d escapes

Vishnu regrets leaving Tulasi behind at the Mangalore bus stop. When he learns she may be in danger, his friend Samudram urges him to return. Vishnu's regret transforms into renewed determination to rescue her, prompting him to seek help from the DHDC courier network to track her down.

• vishnu regrets
• rescue decision
• samudram
• return to tulasi

Vishnu must return to Bangalore to complete his wedding photography job. He deposits Tulasi near the Mangalore bus stop, gives her a phone for emergencies, and urges her to stay hopeful. Despite his feelings for her, professional obligations force him to depart, setting up the chain of events that leads to her abduction.

• vishnu departs
• bus stop
• obligation
• separation

Jaya, the Dhaba owner who shelters Tulasi for the night, is revealed to be Vishnu's aunt. This family connection explains why Jaya feels comfortable asking Vishnu to drop Tulasi to Mangalore. There is also a lingering childhood spark between Samudram and Jaya, adding a romantic undertone to that subplot.

• jaya
• vishnu aunt
• family connection
• dhaba owner