Welcome Home (2020) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Prerna reveals that her father forces her to become pregnant repeatedly, and after each birth, he kills the newborns. She describes this as a routine occurrence in the house, explaining that all her children cry briefly after birth before dying. This is the central horror that Anuja and Neha stumble into when they visit the house.

Foreshadowing: Prerna's initial warning about the newborns sets the ominous tone for everything that follows.

• prerna
• newborns
• killed
• father
• pregnancies

Bhola refers to the old man as "bhayya," which is a Hindi term meaning brother. This makes Bhola the old man's brother, explaining why he participates in the crimes and follows his orders without question. Both men work together to keep Prerna captive and eliminate anyone who discovers their crimes.

Foreshadowing: The hint of family connection is established early when Bhola talks to the old man in the shadows.

• old man
• bhola
• brother
• relationship
• family

The grandmother is complicit in the entire operation. She serves as the one who monitors the house, gives signals to the old man, and never interferes with his actions. When she tells the women "the old man is not letting you go," it confirms she is part of the control system. She ultimately accepts the killing of newborns and the violence against the teachers as normal family business.

Foreshadowing: The grandmother's warning about the old man not letting them go reveals her awareness and approval of his actions.

• grandmother
• complicit
• old man
• house
• control

While held captive in the basement, the women discover a narrow tunnel beneath the house. They use this tunnel to make their escape, splitting up to increase their chances of survival, Anuja heads toward the forest while Neha takes another direction. The escape is desperate and temporary, as both are eventually recaptured.

Foreshadowing: The tunnel is hinted at when the women are first held in the basement, giving them a glimmer of hope.

• basement
• tunnel
• escape
• anuja
• neha

The shocking revelation is that the old man is Prerna's own father. He has kept her captive in the house for years, repeatedly impregnating her and killing every newborn. He also sexually abuses Prerna, using his position of power to control her completely. This explains why Prerna cannot simply leave, she has been trapped since childhood and brainwashed into submission.

Foreshadowing: Prerna's strange behavior and her claim that newborns die "routinely" hint at a deeply disturbed family system.

• old man
• father
• prerna
• abuse
• captivity
• incest

Bhola, acting on the old man's orders, rapes Neha as part of the systematic torture and control the family exerts over anyone who enters the house. This brutal assault represents the escalation of violence meant to break the women psychologically and ensure their silence. The attack drives Neha to attempt suicide, showing the psychological destruction the captors inflict.

Foreshadowing: Bhola's sinister presence and eavesdropping on the women's phone calls establish him as a willing participant in violence.

• bhola
• neha
• assault
• rape
• violence
• captivity

After witnessing the brutality inflicted on the teachers, Prerna finds a moment of courage and helps Neha escape. This act marks a turning point for Prerna, as she chooses to assist the women rather than remain complicit in their suffering. Her decision to help suggests the deep conflict she feels between her conditioning and her desire for freedom.

Foreshadowing: Prerna's earlier warnings about danger and her uneasy demeanor hinted at her internal struggle.

• prerna
• neha
• escape
• help
• freedom
• betrayal

Anuja returns to the house to confront the old man, and together with Neha and Prerna, they manage to kill him. Neha kills the grandmother with a sickle. The trio escapes the house, though they are badly injured. The old man's death represents the end of his decades-long reign of terror over Prerna and his pattern of killing newborns and assaulting victims.

Foreshadowing: The earlier escape attempts and the revelation of the old man's true nature set up this final confrontation.

• old man
• killed
• grandmother
• escape
• confrontation
• justice

The end credits reveal the full horror of the old man's crimes over 20 years: Prerna gave birth eight times, seven newborns were killed by her father, and one was stillborn. Additionally, the old man and Bhola have murdered more than 13 people total, and Bhola has assaulted nine victims. The first victim was Savitri, Prerna's mother, revealing the generational nature of this abuse.

Foreshadowing: The scale of violence hinted at throughout the film, chained victims, the shed, the attacks, finally becomes clear.

• end credits
• prerna
• children
• killed
• savitri
• mother
• crimes

Anuja returns to the house despite being badly injured because she knows the cycle of violence will continue if the old man and his family remain alive. She cannot simply walk away knowing Prerna is still trapped and that more victims will follow. Her decision to go back represents a choice to fight for justice and prevent future atrocities, even at great personal risk.

Foreshadowing: Anuja's earlier determination to help Prerna, combined with her knowledge of the family's crimes, makes her return inevitable.

• anuja
• return
• house
• confront
• justice
• cycle
• violence

At the end, Prerna watches the violence from the window as the women escape. This scene represents her psychological captivity, she has been so broken by years of abuse that she cannot fully participate in her own liberation. She remains trapped in the house both physically and mentally, a silent witness to the climax of the horror that defined her life.

Foreshadowing: Prerna's passive demeanor throughout the film and her inability to actively resist her father hint at her deep psychological conditioning.

• prerna
• window
• watching
• escape
• psychological
• captivity
• trauma