The Smile Man

A brutal murder occurs near Coimbatore, leaving a distinctive Smile Man mark on the victim's face. The crime establishes a chilling serial-killer pattern that haunts the early investigation. Detectives begin linking this case to a string of similar killings that will resurface later in the story.

Chidambaram Nedumaaran survives a separate car accident that thrusts him into the larger Smile Man investigation. The incident reshapes his life and foreshadows a deeper entanglement with the killer. It also plants the seeds of doubt about how reliable his memories will be.

Five years pass and Chidambaram battles Alzheimer's disease. A doctor warns that his memories could fade within a year, casting a long shadow over his remaining time. He clings to fragments of the past as the case continues to haunt him.

To preserve his experiences, Chidambaram writes a book recounting the serial killings, including the Smile Man case. The manuscript’s completion draws attention from publishers and investigators alike, re-igniting public interest. The book's impending launch becomes a catalyst for new encounters.

At the book launch, Chidambaram meets Aravind, a CBCID officer who is the son of his former colleague, Venkatesh. The reunion rekindles old connections and signals that unresolved dangers linger. Aravind's presence shifts the investigation toward Chidambaram's past.

Veerayya provides information about four released convicts, and Chidambaram begins secretly tailing them. After a brief exchange with one of the men, Veerayya is killed in a murder that mirrors the Smile Man pattern. The new killing confirms that the killer is resurfacing.

With the book in the public eye, the CBCID suspects that the Smile Man is back in action. Aravind's colleagues press for faster results as media scrutiny intensifies. The tension in the investigation rises as old cases resurface.

Ignoring medical advice, Chidambaram partners with Aravind to hunt the psycho killer. His memory grows unreliable, and he records conversations and reflections that might unlock the mystery. The pursuit becomes deeply personal and unstable.

A supposed copycat emerges, claiming to be the Smile Man, but Chidambaram quickly identifies the impostor. The incident confirms that the real riddle remains unsolved and dangerous. The investigation tightens around new and old suspects.

Aravind’s inquiry points to Prabhu, a mortuary worker, who emerges as the killer. The revelation shifts the narrative toward a direct confrontation with the killer. Tensions rise as the killer's next move becomes a live threat.

Prabhu murders the wife of a carpenter—someone previously implicated by Venkatesh five years earlier—and hangs the body inside Aravind's home, with a note that another killing remains. The crime explosion pulls the past into the present and tests Aravind's resolve. The killer's audacity escalates the urgency of justice.

Prabhu’s confession reveals a chilling psychology: a childhood habit of harming friends to force smiles after death, and an obsession with Chithra. He manipulates Yanu into pressuring her mother toward marriage, leading to Yanu’s death and Chithra’s suicide. The confession ties the serial killings to personal grievances and warped affection.

Chidambaram confronts Prabhu in a brutal showdown, despite memory lapses, and defeats him in the end. Aravind reveals that his father, Venkatesh, covered up aspects of the earlier case, casting Chidambaram as the true hero who brought the killer to justice. The bombshell reframes the entire story.

The film ends with Chidambaram in a rehabilitation center, still wrestling with fragmented memories but moving toward a quieter, if uncertain, future. He clings to the truth he uncovered and his role in bringing the killer to justice. The closing frames emphasize resilience and the cost of memory.