Ulladakkam

Reshma is brought to Sunny's hospital by her brother Roy. The room is trashed and Reshma crouches in a corner, in a highly agitated state. Sunny is drawn into her care and begins an initial examination of her condition.

Sunny manages Reshma with tranquilizers while he probes her background. He notices diary entries marked by heightened emotionality and letters to a mother who died when Reshma was young. Roy adds context about Reshma’s fragile mental state and past episodes.

Roy explains that Reshma had a transient psychotic episode when their mother died. He emphasizes how deeply that loss affected her. The conversation sets up a pattern the doctor hopes to understand through therapy.

During Rorschach testing, Sunny observes that Reshma becomes highly agitated at a card depicting the sea. The tests hint at a connection between her trauma and the ocean. This becomes a focal point for exploring her current psychosis.

Sunny links Reshma’s present episode to the mysterious disappearance of her boyfriend, Arun. The case deepens the mystery and suggests a buried trauma tied to Arun’s fate. The therapist begins to frame the narrative around a sea-related trauma.

Through hypnosis, Reshma recounts the event at the beach when a mafia group closed in on the couple. Arun is killed, and Reshma witnesses the brutal moment. The session pulls a long-buried memory into the present.

Reshma recalls Arun being killed and his body washing into the sea. She is left overwhelmed and dissociated, unable to process the horror of what she witnessed. The trauma anchors her in fear and helplessness.

Reshma undergoes guarded exposure to the sea, which gradually reduces her fear. The technique allows her to regain a sense of safety as she reconnects with her surroundings. This marks a turning point in her healing.

During her recovery, Reshma forms a special bond with Sukumari, an inmate who becomes a surrogate mother figure. This relationship helps Reshma feel cared for and supported. It anchors her emotional healing and provides a nurturing touchstone.

Reshma’s unresolved loss and her dependent personality drive a transference of Arun’s role onto Sunny. Her unconscious attachments shift, making Sunny both a therapeutic figure and a target of longing. This complicates her therapy and deepens the emotional entanglement.

At Sunny’s wedding party, Reshma is disturbed by drums and the memory of Arun, who was a drummer. In a psychotic episode, she murders Sunny's wife Annie. The act shatters the fragile healing and reframes the narrative around loss and danger.

The majority of the film is a flashback to seven years ago, culminating in a present-day development. Roy informs Sunny that Reshma has spent the years healing and will serve others under Mother Teresa. Sunny forgives her, acknowledging it was her condition, not her guilt, and they embrace.