Year: 2017
Runtime: 160 mins
Language: Malayalam
Director: Ajai Vasudev
Echo Score: 25Budget: $150M
Edward Livingston, an English professor at Travancore Maharaja College, attempts to restore order as defiant students divide into warring factions. Faced with escalating conflict, he strives to create a more harmonious campus environment for all, navigating the challenges of student unrest and seeking to bridge the divides within the college community.
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Two rival campus factions shake Travancore Maharaja’s College when the Real Fighters, led by Mahesh Raj, clash with the Royal Warriors, headed by Roshan Cherian, over a string of campus issues. In a casual exchange at the canteen, Mani, the canteen incharge, shares news about Vedhika’s standout performance at Mother’s College and hints at her growing attention from students in other places. The two groups, each masking their true motives, travel to Mother’s College to win Vedhika’s interest, only to discover she has already found solace in Unnikrishnan, a music-loving senior who is also the son of a beloved teacher, Balan Master. Vedhika’s affection for Unnikrishnan quickly becomes a flashpoint that pulls the entire campus into a web of loyalties, friendships, and hidden agendas.
As the story unfolds, Vedhika asks Unnikrishnan to meet her at the railway station at 11:30 pm, and the Real Fighters stand behind him as he prepares to confess his feelings. Mani discreetly tamper with drinks at playfully innocent gatherings, and Unnikrishnan ends up in police custody after a questionable drink scene, though he is released without charges. The next day, Vedhika is found dead behind the men’s hostel, and her father, Sivanandhan, pushes the police to uncover the killer. The investigation is led by ACP John Thekkan, who initially zeroes in on Unnikrishnan as the prime suspect since he had the last phone call with Vedhika. Unnikrishnan is forcibly questioned and soon dies in custody, inflaming tensions between the police and the campus.
With Thekkan sidelined by his own controversial actions, ACP Bhavani Durga takes charge and orders the arrest of Roshan Cherian on the basis of physical evidence. The campus erupts into a clash of emotions and accusations as the Home Minister intervenes, limiting police access to the grounds. Into this volatile mix steps a new English literature professor, Edward Livingstone. He brings a complicated past and a stubborn sense of justice to the helm of the college, and his presence unsettles the already tense power dynamics. The vice principal, Cherian (often referred to as Professor Cherian), engages with Edward about Roshan’s innocence and argues that Roshan could not have committed Vedhika’s murder since he was at his mother’s house that night.
In the ensuing weeks, Edward challenges the police’s overreach, exposes the deception of some staff members who are secretly police officers, and urges everyone to stand firm on campus. He unites the Real Fighters and Royal Warriors, turning their differences into a coordinated front to protect the students from a creeping misuse of authority. When Mahesh tries to help Vedhika’s friend [Ramlath], he is intercepted by a suspended officer named Ramachandran, but Edward and his team intervene, and Roshan is eventually rescued from a hidden hideout.
The investigation stretches to uncover who killed Vedhika and who influenced the chain of events leading to Unnikrishnan’s death. Edward publicly promises to uncover the truth within ten days, and he pieces together a web of personal grievances and political intrigue. He helps to reunite Roshan with his parents, and he learns from Mahesh that Vedhika’s close friend Ramlath is being pressured into an arranged marriage. Edward’s team moves to safeguard Ramlath, and in the course of the pursuit, Ramachandran is confronted and killed, after a brutal confrontation that further exposes the rot within the system. Edward presents the breakthrough to the media, implicating A.C.P John Thekkan as the mastermind behind Vedhika’s murder and Unnikrishnan’s staged death, manipulating Ramachandran into carrying out orders.
As the truth surfaces, Seethalakshmi Krishnadas and the others are stunned by the depth of the conspiracy. The confrontation culminates with Thekkan’s downfall, and Edward ultimately defeats him, bringing Vedhika’s and Unnikrishnan’s deaths into sharp, public relief. Seethalakshmi is arrested as the case closes, and the college community begins to grapple with the revelations about the police’s complicity in the campus tragedy. In a final twist, Cherian, Roshan, and Mahesh discover that the Edward they trusted was not just a professor but an undercover ally, and that the police masquerading as workers within the college were, in fact, part of a larger, coordinated effort led by Anto Antony from the Central Home Department. The campus breathes a cautious relief, aware that the line between protector and predator had been dangerously blurred, and that truth, once uncovered, requires difficult reckonings and accountability.
Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 15:52
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Stories where uncovering the rot within a trusted institution becomes a dangerous mission.If you liked the tense exposure of systemic rot in Masterpiece, explore these movies about corruption within trusted institutions. Discover similar thrillers where characters fight against powerful, corrupt systems in stories of betrayal and justice.
These narratives typically follow an investigator or insider as they piece together clues that point to a conspiracy within a powerful institution. The journey involves navigating layers of deception, facing threats from supposed allies, and a climax that exposes the truth, often at great personal cost.
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Narratives where an academic setting becomes a violent battlefield for ideological control.For viewers who enjoyed the tense campus conflict in Masterpiece, this list features similar movies where academic settings explode into violence and ideological battles. Find more thrilling stories about student factions, institutional pressure, and fights for control on campus.
The narrative pattern involves a catalyst—a death, a protest, or a discovery—that fractures a campus community into warring groups. A central figure, often a teacher or student leader, tries to mediate or uncover the truth while caught between the escalating violence of the factions and a potentially corrupt administration.
They share the specific setting of an academic institution under severe stress, a tone of constant suspense and anxiety, and themes of youth rebellion, power struggles, and the loss of innocence in a place meant for safety and learning.
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