Plot Explained Spoilers guaranteed!
Plot Explained

Browse by genre

Keshava (2017) movie poster

Plot Summary

Keshava (2017) Plot Summary Explained

Release, runtime and language
2017 · 116 mins · Telugu
Loading streaming availability…
Directed by
Sudheer Varma
Starring
Vennela Kishore, Ajay, Raja Ravindra, Nikhil Siddhartha, Jeeva, Rao Ramesh

A law college student embarks on a vengeful quest to find and eliminate those responsible for his family's tragic death in a devastating accident. As he carries out a series of murders, a dedicated special officer is assigned to investigate the crimes. The story follows Keshava as he evades the police while seeking retribution, aided by Satyabhama.

On this page (5)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 What happens: full plot
  3. 3 Plot questions answered
  4. 4 Movie threads
  5. 5 Every angle
Loading streaming availability…

Full plot summary · contains spoilers

What Happens in Keshava: Full Plot Summary

The whole story of Keshava (2017) explained, from the opening scene to the final frame: every key event, every twist and what it all adds up to. Read it as a quick recap before the sequel, to check a scene you missed, or to finally understand what really happened.

A family travelling in a car is struck by a police jeep and left for dead. Keshava Sharma wakes up in the hospital to learn that his parents are killed and his younger sister loses her legs. Keshava, now a youngster, wanders along a desolate forest road and asks a biker for a lift. When the biker briefly stops to attend nature’s call, Keshava stabs him to death. A fisherman later discovers the biker’s body hanging from a tree and informs the police. The authorities identify the victim as a police officer, setting off a chain of tense investigations.

Sathyabama attends the same college as Keshava and slowly realizes that he is her childhood friend, though he keeps brushing her off and avoids her. With the police stymied by a lack of clues, the police commissioner brings in Sharmila Mishra, a sharp special-branch officer, to lead the case. Keshava is seen sipping tea in front of a police station and recognizes another officer as someone who tried to kill him and his sister in hospital. He pursues the officer on his bike and quietly ends his life in a secluded place. Sharmila discovers a body hanging from a construction crane and connects the dots, deducing that both murders share a single perpetrator.

As the investigation progresses, Sharmila confirms that the killer is left-handed. Sathyabama notices Keshava writing with his left hand, recalling the same habit from their childhood. She trails him to the library and sees him poring over articles about the murders. She manages to obtain the attendance register and learns that Keshava was absent on both murder days. She goes to his home and persuades him to admit that he is her childhood friend. Together with his friends, Keshava, Sathyabama, and the group head to Annavaram to volunteer at a temple program. There, Keshava encounters another officer and recognizes him as the same man who abandoned his family after the accident. A fierce fight ensues, and Keshava kills the officer, but a watchman spots him and clubs him from behind, leaving him with a painful head injury.

Back at the accommodation, Keshava’s friends urge him to come clean about his actions. He shares his memories, explaining the events that led him to kill several people, and his friends rally around him, helping him seek treatment for his head injury from a local doctor who later informs the police after spotting the murder news on TV. The next day, Sharmila tracks Keshava down to Visakhapatnam, where she interrogates him; he denies the charges, and his friends work to erase any incriminating evidence.

Meanwhile, Krishna Murthy, a retired officer, is reportedly attacked by a person matching the killer’s description. Keshava is released and meets Krishna Murthy, who reveals that he was part of the network responsible for his parents’ death. He explains that Nakul, who was driving intoxicated during the accident, was supposed to have been protected by certain colleagues, but the truth is far darker: the police returned and ran over Keshava’s parents to erase witnesses.

Keshava then tracks down Bheemeswar and kills him in broad daylight. Nakul attempts to locate Keshava but fails. Sharmila grows suspicious of Krishna Murthy and confronts him, only to be knocked out. Keshava is kidnapped by Nakul’s henchmen, but he escapes and kills Nakul. In a dramatic confrontation, Krishna Murthy finally confesses that he drove the jeep during the original accident and was the main orchestrator, planning to let Keshava finish Nakul to gain control of benami properties. A chase ends with Krishna Murthy crashing his car; Keshava warns him never to drink and drive again in life, then sets the burning vehicle ablaze. Sharmila closes the file, treating the whole saga as an accident, and Keshava begins a new life with his sister and Sathyabama, choosing a path of healing and quiet resolve.

Last updated: October 09, 2025 at 15:52

Was this helpful?

Plot questions answered

Keshava Plot Explained: Your Questions Answered

The questions people ask most about Keshava (2017): what happens in the confusing scenes, why the characters do what they do, the twists, hidden details and what the ending means. Each answer contains spoilers.

Q1

Why did Keshava kill the biker who gave him a lift?

Keshava killed the biker because he discovered the man was a police officer who had been involved in the hit-and-run that killed his parents. After waking up from his coma and learning of his family's tragedy, Keshava was wandering in a daze when he accepted a lift. Once he realized the biker's identity, he attacked him in a moment of rage and grief, marking the beginning of his revenge mission.

  • keshava
  • killer
  • biker
  • police officer
  • forest road
  • revenge
Q2

Why did the police deliberately kill Keshava's parents?

The police did not originally intend to kill Keshava's parents, they were trying to eliminate witnesses after Nakul, who was driving intoxicated, crashed into the family car. However, when Keshava's father survived and tried to get help, the officers returned and deliberately ran over him and his wife to ensure no witnesses would remain. This cover-up was orchestrated by Krishna Murthy, who wanted to protect Nakul and control certain benami properties.

Foreshadowing: Krishna Murthy later reveals he drove the jeep during the original accident and planned the cover-up.

  • keshava parents
  • police cover-up
  • krishna murthy
  • nakul
  • witnesses
  • hit and run
Q3

How did Sharmila Mishra identify Keshava as the killer?

Sharmila connected the murders by identifying key patterns: all victims were police officers, and the killer was left-handed. During the investigation, Sathyabama noticed Keshava writing with his left hand and recalled their shared childhood. She also obtained attendance records showing Keshava was absent on both murder days. When Sharmila confronted these clues, she pieced together that the quiet law student was behind the killings.

  • sharmila mishra
  • keshava
  • killer identity
  • left handed
  • sathyabama
  • investigation
Q4

What was Krishna Murthy's involvement in the original accident?

Krishna Murthy was the retired officer who orchestrated the entire cover-up. He was the one driving the police jeep during the original accident that killed Keshava's parents. Rather than reporting the incident properly, he coordinated with other officers to run over Keshava's parents again to eliminate witnesses, while also planning to benefit financially from benami properties through Nakul's connections.

Foreshadowing: The timeline establishes early that a retired officer matching the killer's description is attacked, hinting at Krishna Murthy's deeper involvement.

  • krishna murthy
  • jeep accident
  • cover-up
  • retired officer
  • benami properties
Q5

Why did Sharmila close the case as an accident instead of pursuing murder charges?

Sharmila closed the case as an accident because she lacked sufficient evidence to prove the broader conspiracy. Although she knew Keshava was responsible for the killings, the chain of events traced back to the original hit-and-run that the police themselves had covered up. With no way to legally connect all the dots and no surviving witnesses to testify, Sharmila chose to treat the entire saga as a tragic accident rather than pursue charges that would never hold up in court.

  • sharmila mishra
  • case closed
  • accident
  • conspiracy
  • justice
  • evidence
Q6

What is dextrocardia and why does it matter in the story?

Dextrocardia is a rare medical condition where the heart is positioned on the right side of the chest, limiting the person's physical capacity for strenuous activity. The movie reveals Keshava has this condition, which explains why he moves carefully and maintains control over his actions. It also adds to the tragedy of his character, he survives a violent attack but is physically limited, yet still manages to carry out his revenge mission through sheer determination.

  • dextrocardia
  • heart condition
  • keshava
  • medical
  • physical limitation
Q7

What were the benami properties and why did Krishna Murthy want them?

Benami properties are assets held under a false name, typically to hide the true owner's identity or illegally acquire wealth. Krishna Murthy orchestrated the cover-up to protect Nakul, who was driving drunk during the accident, but his deeper motivation was to gain control of benami properties linked to Nakul's network. By letting Keshava kill Nakul as revenge, Krishna Murthy expected to inherit these properties and consolidate his illegal wealth.

  • benami properties
  • krishna murthy
  • nakul
  • money
  • motive
  • corruption
Q8

How did Sathyabama figure out Keshava was behind the murders?

Sathyabama realized Keshava was her childhood friend after noticing he writes with his left hand, a trait she remembered from their past. She also observed him researching the murders at the library and obtained attendance records showing he was absent on both murder days. These clues convinced her he was connected to the killings, leading her to confront him at his home, where he eventually admitted the truth.

  • sathyabama
  • keshava
  • childhood friend
  • left hand
  • attendance
  • murders
Q9

What happened to Keshava's sister after the accident?

Keshava's younger sister survived the police jeep crash but lost both her legs as a result of the accident. She appears briefly at the beginning when Keshava wakes up in the hospital and learns of the tragedy. By the end of the movie, she is living with Keshava and Sathyabama as they begin a new life together, suggesting she has recovered with their support.

  • keshava sister
  • legs lost
  • hospital
  • accident
  • family
Q10

Why did Keshava let Krishna Murthy live instead of killing him?

Instead of killing Krishna Murthy, Keshava set his burning car ablaze after warning him never to drink and drive again. This choice represents Keshava's decision to break the cycle of violence, he refused to become a murderer like those who killed his parents. By leaving Krishna Murthy to face the consequences of his own actions (the car crash) rather than committing another killing, Keshava chooses a path of healing and moves toward closure.

  • keshava
  • krishna murthy
  • spare life
  • cycle of violence
  • revenge
  • closure
Q11

How did Keshava survive the police jeep crash?

Keshava survived the crash because he was sitting in the back seat of the family car and the impact, while severe, left him unconscious rather than killing him outright. He woke up in the hospital after a prolonged coma, only to discover his parents had died and his sister lost her legs. His survival, combined with his dextrocardia condition, becomes the foundation for his entire revenge journey.

  • keshava
  • crash
  • survive
  • coma
  • hospital
  • injury
Q12

Who is Nakul and what was his role in the conspiracy?

Nakul was the drunk driver who caused the original accident that killed Keshava's parents. He belonged to a corrupt police network that included Krishna Murthy and other officers. Rather than facing justice for the drunk driving, Nakul was protected by his colleagues who helped cover up the incident. Keshava eventually tracked down and killed Nakul as part of his revenge mission, though Nakul had also ordered Keshava's kidnapping before being killed.

  • nakul
  • drunk driver
  • accident
  • conspiracy
  • police corruption

Movie threads

More Movies Like Keshava, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Keshava tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Methodical revenge thrillers like Keshava

Stories of precise vengeance where meticulous planning drives a high-stakes pursuit. If you liked Keshava, you'll enjoy these movies about meticulous vengeance. This thread collects similar action-thrillers where a methodical protagonist carries out a calculated revenge plot, leading to tense pursuits and morally complex stories with high emotional stakes.

  • vengeful
  • methodical
  • tense
  • gripping
  • determined
  • suspenseful
  • Tone: dark, tense
  • Pacing: fast, driven
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative follows a linear, goal-oriented path as the protagonist systematically targets those responsible for a past injustice. The plot is often structured around the execution of a plan, with escalating tension arising from the risk of discovery and the psychological toll of the quest.

Why they belong together: Movies in this thread are grouped by their shared focus on a calculated, step-by-step revenge arc. They create a cohesive experience through high tension, a dark tone, fast pacing, and a protagonist whose determination is both compelling and unsettling.

Movies about trauma and bittersweet justice like Keshava

Emotionally heavy journeys where achieving justice comes at a profound personal cost. Find movies similar to Keshava that explore the emotional cost of revenge. This thread features dramatic thrillers and action films where characters seek justice after a trauma, leading to a conclusion that is satisfying yet somber, acknowledging the heavy toll of their journey.

  • somber
  • grieving
  • determined
  • emotionally heavy
  • thought-provoking
  • cathartic
  • Tone: somber, bittersweet
  • Pacing: steady, emotional
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative begins with a devastating inciting incident that fuels the protagonist's quest. The journey toward retribution is cathartic but also corrosive, and the resolution provides a form of closure that is undercut by the losses and moral compromises made along the way.

Why they belong together: These films are united by their exploration of trauma and the ambiguous nature of justice. They share a heavy emotional weight, a dark or bittersweet tone, and an ending that resonates with complexity rather than simple triumph.

Every angle

Keshava (2017) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Keshava in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

Coming soon on iOS and Android

The Plot Explained Movie Summary App

Plot summaries, endings explained and timelines on your phone. Catch up on any movie in minutes, save your favorites and never miss a twist again.

Be the first to know when we launch. Your email stays private, always.

Learn more about the app