1965 marks a pivotal start for a trio forged in a rough, hopeful world. Kattalan Porinju Joju George and Puthenpally Jose Chemban Vinod Jose are childhood best friends who share a fearless bond and dream of confessing their love to Alappattu Mariyam Varghese Nyla Usha. A schoolyard incident puts Mariyam at the center of attention when a boy from a powerful family bullies her, sparking a tense confrontation between Porinju and the bully. The teacher punishes Porinju alone, an act seen as a stark artifact of class and power dynamics, and the two friends plus Mariyam challenge the authority that favors wealth over courage. Porinju and Jose march out of the classroom, vowing to stand by Mariyam, while she openly condemns the teacher’s behavior in front of the class, a moment that earns her scolding and cements a shared sense of injustice among them. The bond endures as the trio remains close, even as Mariyam grows more aware of the rough edges in their lives.
By 1985, Porinju has transformed into the feared Kattalan, a hunter and village butcher who works as a henchman for Iype Muthalali [Vijayaraghavan], a wealthy and powerful real estate magnate. Porinju’s allegiance to Iype keeps him intertwined with the local power structure, yet Iype’s own sons do not fully trust their father’s alliance with Porinju. Jose has become an aspiring disco dancer, bringing energy and movement to the town’s Perunnal celebrations, while Mariyam has moved into the role of a money lender, growing more calculating and independent. The three friends remain linked, though Mariyam now questions the reckless choices of Porinju and Jose, even as Porinju persistently woos Mariyam, a courtship she often rebuffs while still feeling the pull of their shared history.
During a Perunnal night procession, the town’s festivities unfold against a backdrop of old loyalties and new tensions. Jose dances beside Mariyam as Iype’s circumstances valorize outward prosperity, but trouble erupts when Prince, Iype’s grandson, gropes Mariyam. She rebukes him publicly, and Jose responds with a swift, protective defense that earns the ire of Prince and his cadre. The ensuing violence spills over to Prince’s uncles, who beat Jose; Porinju intervenes to break up the fight, but the conflict escalates as Prince and his kin retaliate. Although Iype witnesses the chaos, he chooses to remain silent in the moment. The past collides with the present when it’s revealed that Mariyam had been planning to elope with Porinju; her father Varghese, unable to bear the prospect, ties a rope around his own neck and tragically dies when he loses his grip on the tree. This family tragedy compounds Mariyam’s resolve to stand by Porinju, even as fate tests their love.
A year later, Prince orchestrates a more brutal plan: hitmen are hired to end Porinju and Jose. Jose is killed in a movie theater, a blow that shocks the town and ruptures the old camaraderie. Porinju, driven by a desire for justice and vengeance, exacts a terrifying response by hacking Prince to death in front of the ongoing Perunnal procession. Prince’s uncles retaliate by sending more hitmen after Porinju, but he defeats them and drives the remaining threat away, choosing to spare the uncles for Iype’s sake. The cycle of violence intensifies as Mariyam begins to work behind the scenes, securing Porinju’s bail should his case go to court, and Iype’s household mourns the loss of Prince even as the wheels of retribution continue turning.
In the aftermath, the Perunnal procession passes by and Porinju makes a dramatic, emotional entrance beside Mariyam. Yet Iype’s anger remains a looming shadow; he steps into the light with a hidden knife, revealing a selfish calculus that a grandson’s life mattered to him, but not Porinju’s. The bystanders hesitate, but Porinju acts with quiet resolve, disarming the moment and telling the crowd to back off. Mariyam arrives, and in a final, heartrending act, Porinju dies in her arms, his life spent in the service of a shared dream and steadfast loyalty. Sometime later, Mariyam stands before his gravestone, her name inscribed there as a testament to a love and a life that could not be held together by the living, yet remains engraved in memory.
