ADGP Dhruv, a veteran officer tormented by a tragic past, is drawn into a convoluted investigation where each new clue reveals a deeper darkness. The trail leads to a mysterious swimmer, and Dhruv must race against time to apprehend a clever serial killer whose motives are rooted in hidden secrets.
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Read the complete plot breakdown of Maargan (2025), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.
Ramya is killed late at night by an injection of an intravenous chemical substance that turns her body numb and then completely black before death. Noticing similarities to a past case involving the death of former ADGP Dhruv Guvarak’s daughter, Priya, Dhruv comes from Mumbai to Chennai to unofficially take over the investigation aided by Inspector Shruthi and constable Kaali. Dhruv begins the investigation from Ramya’s boyfriend, Karthik, a photographer who is soon to work on a feature film directed by Rajesh. Dhruv discovers that a chain with a unique pendant gifted by Karthik to Ramya is missing after her murder. Karthik informs Dhruv that the pendant was gifted by a friend, but does not disclose much more information. When checking the surveillance cameras near the crime scene, they spot a young boy jogging in the late hours, but cannot see his face as it is covered by a hoodie.
Meanwhile, Dhruv spots the same design of Ramya’s pendant drawn on a dusty car and takes fingerprint samples. The forensic analysis leads to Tamilarivu, who was earlier booked in a drug smuggling case. Tamilarivu, a swimmer with an exceptional ability to hold his breath underwater for extended periods, is apprehended by Dhruv. They hold him in an isolated room, and as time passes, Tamilarivu becomes agitated, drinks surplus water, and begins chanting old hymns written by Kalangi Siddar. He demands the pills he has been consuming and becomes violent before fainting. After receiving first aid, Dhruv begins the inquiry. Tamilarivu reveals that he is taking pills to forget his memories of his ex-lover Ramya (who is different from the Ramya murdered), who ditched him after he refused to leave his sister Akhila behind and go to America along with Ramya to fulfill her desire. Tamilarivu claims to have no connection to the murder of Ramya, the one the police are investigating. Dhruv learns that Tamilarivu has an eidetic memory, which allows him to recall events from a very young age. Tamilarivu attributes his exceptional memory to the holy water from his ancestral temple in Kanjamalai, associated with Kalangi Siddar.
Dhruv pressures Tamilarivu about drawing the pendant of Ramya’s chain diagram. To retrieve his memories, Tamilarivu jumps into the water and holds his breath for an extended period, which is extremely risky. After resurfacing, he recalls seeing the pendant’s shadow in the water. With Tamilarivu’s hint, they retrieve CCTV footage from an aquarium shop owner near the crime scene, which confirms Tamilarivu’s innocence in the murder. Dhruv seeks Tamilarivu’s help in solving Ramya’s murder case, leveraging his exceptional photographic memory. Initially, Tamilarivu is hesitant to cooperate, but Dhruv shares his tragic past, about the murder of his daughter, Priya, like that of Ramya. Earlier, Priya was ragged by a convict named Sadiq, and Dhruv’s pursuit of justice was also marred by his poisoning, which left him with severe injuries. Moved by Dhruv’s story, Tamilarivu agrees to help. Dhruv arranges for Tamilarivu to safely rewind his memory while holding his breath underwater. Tamilarivu uses his ability to recall a location in Kovilambakkam, a suburban area, and mentions that an owl disturbed his memory, preventing him from seeing the killer’s face.
Dhruv and Kaali investigate further, seeking help from sanitary workers and a blind young girl who heard the sound of an owl. They suspect a team of North Indian drug dealers might be involved. Meanwhile, Tamilarivu’s sister Akhila goes missing, and he fears the killer might target her in revenge for his cooperation with the police. The next morning, Dr. Shalini, a cosmetologist, is killed. Tamilarivu is relieved that the victim is not his sister and Akhila soon returns home safely. To help further, Tamilarivu takes a risk and holds his breath underwater without safety measures, which leads to him fainting. He is rescued and hospitalized, but recovers quickly and even wins the swimming competition. During his time underwater, Tamilarivu recalls a face, which belongs to Vennila, who might be the next victim. Dhruv and his team rush to safeguard Vennila and catch the murderer. Shruthi has secretly installed a spy camera in Vennila’s outfit to monitor the situation. Vennila, a model, had undergone skin color-lightening treatments to land the lead role in a biopic film about P. V. Sindhu, as per Director Rajesh’s suggestion.
However, Rajesh replaces her with Sana Trivedi, the film’s producer’s daughter, leaving Vennila heartbroken. The new lead actress, Sana, invites Vennila to a party at Mahabalipuram, and Dhruv’s team follows her to ensure her safety. Meanwhile, Tamilarivu is surveilling Vennila’s house on Dhruv’s instructions. Suspecting something amiss, Tamilarivu breaks into the house, only to be injected with a chemical, knocked unconscious, and hidden in a water tub. At the party, Dhruv meets Karthik, who reveals that he discovered Vennila at a pharmacy and introduced her to Rajesh, who was impressed by Vennila’s powerful eyes and dark skin tone, promising to cast her in the film. Also, Karthik did not reciprocate Vennila’s romantic advances and instead gifted the chain she gave him to his lover Ramya. Karthik also mentions that, on Rajesh’s advice, Vennila underwent skin-lightening treatments with Dr. Shalini, who was recently murdered. Dhruv discovers the truth about Vennila’s identity and her connection to the murders. Tamilarivu regains consciousness and overpowers the men in Vennila’s house, discovering that Vennila is the killer.
Vennila, whose real name is Megha, had killed Priya due to past trauma when her boyfriend, Sadiq, mocked her for her dark skin tone, comparing her unfavorably to Priya. After killing Sadiq, Megha assumed the identity of Vennila and moved to Chennai. When Karthik chose Ramya over her, Vennila killed Ramya, believing Karthik rejected her due to her dark skin tone. Vennila’s next target was Sana Trivedi, who had replaced her due to her fairer skin tone.She then kills Dr.Shalini since she mocked her with the advertisement describing about Vennila’s skin transformation.After killing her she dumped her and posted ad in social media after injecting her with drug she created. Dhruv intervenes just in time and shoots Vennila, preventing her from harming Sana. Karthik mourns Vennila’s death, lamenting that the industry’s preference for fair skin ultimately led to her tragic end.
Last Updated: August 20, 2025 at 13:05
Still wondering what the ending of Maargan (2025) really means? Here’s a spoiler-heavy breakdown of the final scene, major twists, and the deeper themes that shape the film’s conclusion.
Maargan ends with the relentless hunt finally catching its prey. After losing his daughter Priya to the same mysterious drug that turned her body black, ADGP Dhruv Guvarak refuses to be sidelined and drags himself into the murder case, using contacts and his own desperation to stay on the team. His breakthrough comes from the unusual swimmer Arivu, whose uncanny memory and ability to project his consciousness while holding his breath let the police glimpse the killer’s hidden lair. Inside the black‑painted apartment Arivu sees a notebook of victims and a Time‑magazine cover that points to a young actress named Vennila.
When Dhruv follows the trail, he discovers that Vennila is not a random target but the perpetrator herself. The film reveals her motive: a deep‑seated fury over constant racial humiliation—first when Sadiq, the college bully, mocked Dhruv’s dark‑skinned daughter, then when photographers and a doctor treated her as an object and used her image without consent. Each slight drives her to exact revenge on those she blames for the prejudice, from college student Ramya to cosmologist Dr. Shalini, and she is poised to kill a producer’s daughter next.
In the climactic moment, Vennila prepares to inject the next victim with the lethal cocaine‑melatonin concoction, but Dhruv intervenes, firing a shot that mortally wounds her. As she falls, the cycle of killings ends, giving Dhruv a grim form of closure for Priya’s death. The final scenes leave the audience with the uneasy truth that while the murderer is dead, the societal biases that fueled her rage remain‑—a sobering reminder that justice alone cannot erase the deeper wounds of discrimination.
Last Updated: August 19, 2025 at 19:40
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