Pathaam Valavu

Sethu, a 43-year-old SI, is eager to take leave for his wife Suja’s delivery, as the tension at home mounts with the memory of two complicated pregnancies. On the day his leave is set to begin, his superior commands him to find and capture Solomon, a beloved figure who has slipped away on parole and hasn’t returned by the designated date. Sethu traces Solomon to his home, but the charismatic wanderer slips out of sight before the law can lay hands on him. The same day, Solomon lashes out at some local men, who defend themselves and leave him beaten. Sethu arrives, intervenes, and ends up taking Solomon into custody, setting into motion a tense return to the police station with a heavy cloud of unresolved pasts hanging over them.

As they move, Solomon opens up to Sethu, recounting a life that has altered many fates. He speaks of his early days as an orphan who found warmth in a village that cherished him, and of a forbidden love that changed everything. He fell for a Hindu girl, Seetha, and they ran away together, starting a fragile family with a baby girl, Lachumol. Their happiness is shattered at a church festival when Lachumol vanishes, and the next day her body is discovered. A postmortem indicates a brutal crime: Lachumol was raped before death. The villagers immediately suspect Head Constable Varadhan, a man who had once hoped to marry Seetha and whose actions in the festival crowd seemed connected to the tragedy.

In a harsh twist of conscience, Varadhan withdraws from his official stance and chooses to investigate unofficially. He uncovers a deeper truth: the culprits are two young drug addicts who committed the crime under the influence. Varadhan confronts Antony with a troubling realization—that his own confrontation with Solomon during the festival may have unintentionally propelled Seetha away from Lachumol. He acknowledges the guilt of role and responsibility for Lachumol’s death, and the court ultimately frees the accused due to insufficient evidence, aided by a reluctant police force.

Seetha’s grief hardens into a desire for justice; she urges that the culprits be killed. Solomon, torn between vengeance and restraint, kills one of the culprits in front of the court, but is then overwhelmed by his kin and friends, who pull him away and see him sent to prison. Years pass, and Solomon is released on parole with a vow to avenge the wrongs of the past; he tells Sethu that this is his last chance for revenge, while Sethu tries to calm him and leads him toward the station for safety. Meanwhile, Suja delivers a baby girl, adding another thread to the complex mix of family, duty, and consequence that shapes the men around them.

When Sethu returns from leave, he goes to the jail to see Solomon and speaks softly of letting go of revenge, presenting him with news of a fatal car accident that claimed the life of the youngster and, in Solomon’s words, could be the sign his prayers have been answered—if a father of a girl could find a kind of justice in the world. Sethu steps back, and in a powerful, silent moment, a flashback reveals a different truth: Sethu had killed Solomon to avenge Lachumol’s death and to shield Seetha from the pain that had haunted her. The weight of that revelation hangs in the air, shaping a new reality for both men.

The film closes with a quiet note of resolution instead of a clean triumph: Solomon is released after his term ends and is reunited with Seetha, who has waited for him through the long years of absence. The reunion is bittersweet, underscored by the knowledge of the past between Sethu and Solomon and the fragile hope of a future that may yet heal some of the wounds inflicted by a town divided by suspicion, revenge, and the burdens of fatherhood.

Last Updated: October 01, 2025 at 10:24