Tantiram

The narration opens with the mythic figure Ahalya, created by Brahma, celebrated for her beauty. It then shifts to a warning about jinns who terrorize humans to mate with unsuspecting women. This establishes the supernatural thread that will run through Bala and Alagini's story.

In present-day Hyderabad, a group of friends gathers for drinks and trade horror stories. Ajay begins Balachandran's tale, framing the central tragedy to come. The mood shifts from casual banter to a pulse-pounding legend within the factory city.

Bala is traumatized since his mother eloped, leading to deep mistrust of women. Under his father's pressure, he marries Alagini. The marriage slowly transforms him into a jovial, loving man who treats his female employees better.

The Jinn inhabits the Bala family's firecracker factory and begins to exert control over Bala. Bala's trust in others erodes as nightmares and disturbing disturbances begin to appear. The presence of the Jinn marks the start of a perilous power dynamic.

The Jinn overhears the women at the factory discussing how beautiful Alagini is and uses this to manipulate Bala. It frames Bala's ambitions by hinting that wealth and power come with the price of loyalty. Bala starts to show hesitation and paranoia.

To please the Jinn, Bala drugs Alagini and draws a few drops of her blood to offer. The Jinn licks the blood and declares it will leave forever, returning only when Bala calls it. Bala's wish is granted, and his business begins expanding, with plans for a new factory within a year.

Bala's fortune grows rapidly with the Jinn's aid, enabling aggressive expansion. Within a year he starts building a new factory to accommodate demand. The town and workers marvel at the sudden prosperity.

Bala's greed grows as he pushes further for wealth. The Jinn asks to mate with Alagini instead of blood, escalating the moral cost. Bala resists and tries to bargain, but the Jinn warns that Bala cannot send it away and that it can both build and destroy him.

A government ban on firecrackers hits Bala's business hard. He moves stock and equipment into the new factory, hoping to weather the storm. Soon, heavy rains strike and destroy the new factory's fragile base.

The Jinn taunts Bala by hints at Alagini's infidelity and names Kailash, her supposed childhood friend. Alagini clarifies that Kailash was only a friend and nothing happened. Bala's faith in his wife falters as he wrestles with the vision the Jinn showed.

Bala seeks his father's advice and is told to let the Jinn take his wife. The elder's words echo Bala's long-standing belief that women are impure, pushing him toward a tragic framework. Bala grapples with whether to risk everything for wealth and pride.

Bala arranges for Alagini to dress as a newlywed bride for a puja at the factory. The Jinn celebrates Bala's obedience and engulfs Alagini in flames. Alagini asserts her innocence by recalling their first night and the blood on the bed, revealing she is pregnant.

Devastated, Bala confronts the Jinn and pleads for mercy, but it mocks him. He returns home and suffocates his father to death with a pillow, blaming him for past tragedies. He then kills himself in the same factory.

Ajay finishes the story and his friends realize the tragedy happened in the very factory where they now sit. The frame ends with a flash of a burning Alagini, leaving a chill in the air as they look around in fear.