Mathilukal

Vaikom Muhammed Basheer is imprisoned on charges of sedition. He is unlike other inmates—curious, sardonic, and quick with wit. His charisma earns him the warmth and preferential treatment of Warden Thilakan and jailor Sreenath.

Basheer forms a unique friendship with Warden Thilakan and jailor Sreenath. Their camaraderie leads to privileges and easier treatment within the prison walls. He becomes an unusual favorite among the inmates due to his charisma.

His literary works are valued by the policemen, who supply him with papers to finish his stories. The papers and the respect from guards help him write with relative ease. The atmosphere around him grows less hostile as a result.

Inmates admire his charisma and push him to join a vegetable garden project in front of the neighboring women's prison. Basheer volunteers and becomes a focal point for the makeshift community effort. The idea gives him purpose during confinement.

Basheer falls in love with a woman in the neighboring prison compound. The two are separated by a high wall, forcing them to communicate from opposite sides. Their feelings remain intense, though they can never meet in person.

To stay connected, they exchange packages by throwing them over the wall. Narayani is represented by a voice rather than appearing in person, adding a sense of distance and mystery. The exchanges are described as raw, unhinged, and unfiltered.

Narayani devises a plan for a meeting and suggests they rendezvous at the hospital a few days later. The plan shows how far their bond has progressed despite the barrier. Basheer looks forward with a mix of hope and reluctance.

News arrives that all political prisoners will be pardoned and released. Basheer's optimism grows as he imagines freedom ahead. The atmosphere in the prison shifts toward anticipation.

In a cruel twist, Basheer's name is missing from the pardon list. The news shatters the temporary hope, replacing joy with unease. The sense of impending gloom begins to take hold.

The eerie solitude of the prison complex intensifies Basheer's depression. He wrestles with the absence of the freedom he longed for and the loneliness that accompanies it. His friends and fellow inmates try to lift his spirits.

Basheer is released earlier than expected, catching everyone by surprise. Although he had hoped for freedom, the sudden exit carries a mix of relief and reluctance. He is not eager to revisit the life outside.

In the moment of release, Basheer cannot convey his feelings to Narayani and is overwhelmed. He exits the jail in tears, looking back at the walls that bound him. The relationship with Narayani remains a note in his memories, unseen but profoundly felt.