Metro (2016) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Mathi joins the gang after his classmate Ganesh introduces him to Guna's group. Mathi becomes curious about how Ganesh earns money after seeing him spend casually, and he wants a bike for his girlfriend. The delay in getting the bike and his desire for quick money push him toward crime. He initially works with the gang but later insists on doing crimes alone without sharing commission with Guna.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, Mathi pressures his family to buy him a bike, showing his growing materialism before he turns to crime.

• mathi
• chain snatching
• guna
• gang
• crime
• motivation

Mathi returns home one night to retrieve stolen chains and gadgets he hid from his parents. He finds his mother among the stolen items and a heated argument erupts. In a fit of rage, Mathi pushes his mother, causing her to fall and die. This tragic accident shatters the family and sets Arivu on his path of vengeance.

Foreshadowing: The family tension about the bike and Mathi's secret criminal activities creates the underlying conflict that leads to this moment.

• mathi mother death
• push
• accident
• family tragedy

After discovering their mother dead and learning she was killed by Mathi during an argument over stolen goods, Arivu vows to avenge her death. He teams up with Kumar and begins hunting down the criminals, starting with torturing a house breaker to gather information. His quest for revenge leads him to the black market where he finds his mother's chain among stolen items, confirming the chain snatchers are responsible.

Foreshadowing: Arivu's vow to avenge his mother's loss directly triggers his transformation from a peaceful writer to a violent vigilante.

• arivu
• vigilante
• revenge
• mother death
• avenge

When Arivu takes the bag of stolen gold chains (23 kilograms) to a black market buyer, he unexpectedly finds his mother's chain among the stolen items. This confirms that the chain snatchers killed his mother during their crimes. The discovery fuels his determination to make the gang pay for their crimes.

Foreshadowing: The mother's death earlier is directly connected to the criminal activities of the chain snatching gang.

• mother chain
• black market
• gold
• discovery
• clue

Mathi injects Guna with a drug that drives him insane as part of a plan to eliminate competition and take control of the criminal operations. This act shows Mathi's ruthless side as he eliminates rivals within the gang to operate independently. The drug causes Guna to lose control, weakening the original gang structure.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, Mathi insisted on doing crimes alone without sharing commission with Guna, showing his growing ambition to dominate the gang.

• mathi
• guna
• drug
• insane
• eliminate
• rivalry

Yes, during the final confrontation, Mathi removes his helmet and reveals himself to be one of the combatants. When Mathi pleads for mercy, Arivu kills him. This is the tragic climax where Arivu, despite recognizing his brother, chooses to end the violence and the cycle of crime, though it means killing his own sibling.

Foreshadowing: The earlier revelation that Mathi killed their mother sets up this impossible choice for Arivu between family loyalty and justice.

• arivu
• mathi
• kill
• brother
• death
• confrontation

After the violent confrontation where Arivu kills Mathi and several gang members, Arivu and Kumar reveal the truth to their father and choose to surrender to the police the next day. The surrender marks the grim finale where the family must face the consequences of the violence and crime that destroyed their lives.

Foreshadowing: The entire cycle of revenge and violence leads to this inevitable conclusion where no one wins.

• arivu
• kumar
• surrender
• police
• father
• consequences

Arivu's revenge is triggered when he and their father arrive home to find their mother dead. Learning that Mathi accidentally killed her during an argument over stolen chain snatching loot, Arivu makes a vow to avenge her death. This personal tragedy transforms him from a peaceful journalist into a ruthless vigilante hunting down the criminals.

Foreshadowing: The peaceful family setup at the beginning makes this sudden tragedy more devastating and explains Arivu's extreme response.

• arivu
• revenge
• mother death
• trigger
• vigilante

Mathi's demand for a bike to impress his girlfriend sets the tragic events in motion. The delay in getting the bike makes him curious about how others earn money quickly. This curiosity leads him to Ganesh and Guna's chain snatching gang. His descent into crime eventually brings stolen items home, leading to the argument where he pushes his mother to death.

Foreshadowing: The family initially hesitates about the bike, but eventually agrees, not knowing this decision will destroy their family.

• bike
• money
• crime
• family
• tragedy
• trigger