Romans (2013) Plot Summary Explained

Akash and Shibu arrived in Poomala village on the same day two priests were expected to visit. Due to their appearance and the villagers' expectation of the priests' arrival, the locals immediately assumed the two strangers were the new clergy. The convicts decided to maintain the disguise to hide from authorities and find safety.

Foreshadowing: The village's desperate need for priests is established early when they eagerly welcome the supposed holy men.

• Akash
• Shibu
• mistaken identity
• priests
• Poomala village

Mathukutty's mother attacked the supposed priests and was electrocuted after hitting an open electrical socket. Surprisingly, she recovered from her insanity afterward. The villagers interpreted this as a miracle performed by the priests, though it was actually an accident that had an unexpected positive outcome.

Foreshadowing: This incident begins to blur the line between trick and miracle in the villagers' eyes.

• Mathukutty mother
• electrocuted
• miracle
• insanity recovery

Geevarghese, a preacher who distrusted the impostor priests, was inadvertently electrocuted near the church vicinity during the same period as the other strange events. The electrocution caused him to lose his sanity, which fueled more rumors about the priests' supernatural powers.

Foreshadowing: Geevarghese's skepticism made him a target of the mysterious events.

• Geevarghese
• preacher
• electrocuted
• lost sanity

Achankunju explains that Fr. Rodriguez previously served at the church and committed suicide after a tragic love confession. The villagers believe his ghost curses anyone who serves at the church during the Perunnal festival, leading to a fear that priests arriving at the church will die during the celebration.

Foreshadowing: This backstory establishes the village's deep-seated fear of the Perunnal festival.

• Fr Rodriguez
• curse
• Perunnal
• church ghost
• suicide

During Perunnal, Akash pretended to consider Fr. Rodriguez as the source of the curse and moved to destroy his gravestone. He then staged his own death, appearing to bleed to death, which heightened the village's hysteria and brought the mystery to its climax.

Foreshadowing: This dramatic act was planned to expose the truth behind the church's troubles.

• Akash
• Perunnal
• fake death
• Fr Rodriguez
• gravestone

The real culprit was Pappichayan, the father of Fr. Rodriguez. He had been poisoning the priests with something called Vayanayappam to frame the church and perpetuate the belief in the curse. His goal was to destroy the church's reputation after his son's tragic fate.

Foreshadowing: The backstory about Fr. Rodriguez hints at a personal tragedy that drove someone to seek revenge.

• Pappichayan
• poison
• Vayanayappam
• Fr Rodriguez father
• killer

Pappichayan poisoned the priests because his son Fr. Rodriguez had committed suicide at the church after a tragic love confession. Driven by grief and anger, he sought to destroy the church's reputation by making it appear cursed and dangerous for priests.

Foreshadowing: Pappichayan's motive stems directly from the backstory of his son's death.

• Pappichayan
• revenge
• frame church
• motive
• Fr Rodriguez death

Despite multiple escape attempts, Akash and Shibu kept circling back to Poomala. The village's remote location near the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border, combined with the confusing geography and their growing involvement in the village's affairs, repeatedly drew them back. Their plans to flee were thwarted by the cycle of deception and the mysterious events unfolding around them.

Foreshadowing: The village seems to trap them through its myths and the timing of events.

• escape attempts
• Poomala
• return
• convicts

After the truth about Pappichayan was exposed, Akash and Shibu attempted to escape during a prayer session while the townsfolk prayed with closed eyes. However, the police caught up with them before they could fully flee the village.

Foreshadowing: Their escape was always precarious given their status as convicts.

• escape
• captured
• police
• Perunnal
• Vetrimaaran

Despite the truth about the impostor priests being revealed and Pappichayan being arrested, the villagers remained oblivious and continued to regard Akash and Shibu as angels. Their faith persisted even after the reality of the deception was exposed.

Foreshadowing: This reflects the villagers' deep need for belief and miracles.

• villagers faith
• belief
• truth
• angels
• ignorance

After their capture, Inspector Vetrimaaran informed them that their punishment would be reduced due to their clever evasion and the village's complicity. The end credits reveal that they escaped from prison once again, this time dressed in Santa Claus outfits during Christmas, showing they returned to their criminal ways.

Foreshadowing: This ending mirrors their initial escape from the train.

• Christmas escape
• Santa
• prison escape
• Akash Shibu ending