Maalgudi Days

The film introduces Malgudi National Public School and its quirky winter calendar, which frames the kids' ordinary days as a backdrop for something gentler. Atheena carries the weight of her father’s death and begins seeing a psychiatrist, while Milan brings restless energy to the classroom. Together they start to inhabit the same small world of learning and play, despite their differences.

A flashback reveals Zephan’s past as an artist who lived with his wife and daughter. After a violent intrusion, he flees with guilt and fear. He finds shelter in an abandoned house behind the school, keeping his identity hidden.

Atheena and Milan first meet Zephan in the desolate house near the school. They bring him food, water, and medicine, showing unexpected kindness. Zephan shares glimpses of his world through origami-inspired art, which fascinates and softens his wary demeanor.

The principal announces the winter vacation, a pause that Zephan sees as a window to hide away and plot his escape. The children’s curiosity and growing empathy deepen as they sense a vulnerability beneath his tough exterior.

On the eve of departure, Atheena discovers her father’s spectacles are missing. She and Milan quietly slip away from the safety of the school and head toward the hostel to retrieve them.

The hostel doors are unexpectedly secured by a careless guard, and the bus carrying returning students pulls away, leaving the two children stranded. They confront fear as the world narrows to the hostel and its surroundings.

Forty-eight tense hours begin as thirst, hunger, and cold press in on the improvised camp of the three. Milan makes a bold escape attempt through a bathroom window but ends up tumbling to a lower roof and injuring himself. Zephan, hearing news reports of their disappearance, returns to the school to find them.

Zephan finds Milan on the roof and shouts to him, catching him as he slips again. They move toward the stairs that lead to the school office, a fragile path toward safety. The growing police presence adds pressure as the rescue efforts unfold.

Zephan heads to a nearby shop to fetch water, only to find it closed as authorities close in. The police presence thickens, underscoring the danger and pushing Zephan toward a difficult choice. The trio clings to each other as rescue appears increasingly likely.

Facing dwindling options, Zephan decides to surrender so authorities can locate and rescue the children. The trio is rescued and taken to a hospital, where families await and relief washes over them in shared exhaustion.

On the journey home, Atheena spots Zephan kneeling on a rock with police behind him. She pleads with her mother to intervene, but before help can come, the police shoot Zephan in the head, silencing the fragile hope he carried.

Zephan had asked the police to enroll his daughter Jenny in Malgudi School and to look after her, hoping two children would help care for her. The story closes with Atheena, Milan, and Jenny sharing a bench, a quiet, hopeful image born from hardship and the bonds formed in crisis.