Chellappa wasn't our demon.
He is our guardian deity.
He is our father…
Chellappa appa.
The night Chellappa sir died.
What happened that night?
They called for you. What are you doing standing around?
Hey! Get going!
Time's up, sir.
Just two more minutes, ma'am.
Hey, drag all of them inside!
Madam wanted them all back, sir.
Get going!
Just a little longer, ma'am.
I'll ask the jailer madam--
Sir,
to proceed further, you need a letter from the Commissioner's office.
Get going.
Hey, you have two minutes to get into your cell!
Get going!
Did you look at those girls' eyes?
There's rage there.
No matter how much they try to hide it, I can see it clearly.
Because…
I have felt that rage, too.
It's like making a five-foot coffin for a six-footer…
and asking him to lie curled up!
That's how I've done my job!
Why, Sakkarai?
What else?
Just because this case involved a demon,
I doubted Chellappa sir.
As cops, we've gotten used to seeing the worst in everything.
That's why.
You thought wrong about Chellappa sir only to protect those girls.
Anyone who wants to help another is a good person.
You're a good man, Sakkarai.
That is all.
Where are my Karuppati sweets?
Based on what the girls said,
there is a large human trafficking network at play.
Chellappa sir had kept a close eye on that case very secretively.
There is a connection between his death and that group.
SUZHAL-THE VORTEX
Illusions and deceptions…
Wounds many, the vortex reveals
Endless and relentless…
Wails many, the vortex rains
Won't life triumph?
Won't grief cease?
O vortex!
Swirling within Shadows… dark shadows
Riddles within
Will you unravel, O God?
O vortex!
Swirling within Shadows… dark shadows
Riddles within
Will you unravel, O God?
This would've been shocking only to my mother.
I've known about it for ten years.
How?
The way you looked at Dad.
You had his photo in your room.
Your desire to be like him was evident in your eyes.
When I got suspicious, I inquired about your mother.
When I was a kid,
I heard gossip about my father and a lady named Usha…
over some kind of affair.
Upon adding it all up, I figured you must be his son, too.
Before he died…
He never knew the fact
that he had another son.
What are you saying?
Even Dad didn't know you were his son?
After my mother died,
I came here with my belongings to confront him over this.
But the three of you…
showered this orphan with your love.
I didn't have the heart to wreck this family.
I thought Dad knew about you.
I thought he treated you like a manservant despite knowing all this.
I hated him, thinking he was pretending to be a good person.
Since then, I stopped talking to him.
He never knew until the end?
Chellappa sir was tracking this trafficking ring for ten years
in order to put them behind bars.
Only the Chennai Headquarters used to have the Anti-Trafficking wing.
Because of the pressure he put,
many such units have been set up in vulnerable coastal areas.
When did Chellappa sir last come here?
About two months ago.
- Babu? - Sir?
Could you copy the files regarding your units in the coastal areas
onto a pen drive for me?
I'll store it on my laptop.
It'll be helpful if I need to check anything.
It's ready, sir.
Already?
Thank you.
Sir, some ginger tea.
Chellappa sir!
You've been tracking this case for years and have had no break so far.
Doesn't it frustrate you?
That doesn't mean I can let it go, right?
Like the biscuits you were searching for here.
It'll be right before our eyes,
but we won't see it.
Something will block our view.
You must've been looking for this for quite a while!
The biscuit's gone soft!
Sir!
Chellappa sir would keep everyone at ease with his jovial nature.
But this is like looking for a needle in a haystack.
It's a huge network!
Across states, borders, and language…
Tracing it is really hard.
Exploiting the impoverished is the base of this ring.
Sister!
They buy young children with money, sir?
Not just that, sir.
From the weakest in society.
From orphanages.
Or, they straight-up kidnap them.
They have several ways to procure girls.
Hey, get down!
Get going!
Hey, stop crying! I'll slap you hard!
Quiet!
Silence!
The girls procured from different states by the brokers are brought to a middleman.
This entire operation is controlled by a kingpin.
He's the one who decides which girl goes where.
I want to go home.
Bring everyone out!
Hey, come here!
Depends on the girl's age, sir.
They'll be dispatched for domestic help, estate labor,
or sex trade.
To whichever country has a demand,
the girls are sold online immediately to that client.
How are the girls dispatched?
The girls have to be sent to the client's location.
That is all.
The route.
The vehicle. The location.
Nobody knows any of this until the end.
Hey, let's go!
Their modus operandi changes every time.
Whatever the case,
the only expense for the girls is a chapati and a vegetable curry.
Roti.
Once they arrive at Kaalipattinam, the local dealer
loads up the girls onto a small boat
and transfers them to a container ship nearby.
Those ships travel to the Far East, the Middle East,
and even to South American countries!
It depends on which country the client is from.
Once the ship leaves our shores,
we will never see those girls again.
Have none of them been caught so far?
They keep changing their mode of operation.
We almost caught them one time
along the shore of Bhubaneshwar.
Once they knew we were close,
a thirteen-year-old girl…
They tied a rock around her legs and tossed her into the sea.
With no evidence, it became a case of drowning.
If we were to bring in local suspects, can we get anything out of them?
That's where another wrinkle appears.
Much like the kingpin up north, there's a man down south.
In Chellappa sir's words, there is a demon.
He is responsible for everything.
No point catching any of the middlemen.
Even they wouldn't have seen this person.
This is how the human trafficking network operates worldwide.
There's no shortage of replacements among intermediaries.
The only solution…
Capture that demon and cut off its head.
If we leave around 9 p.m., we can reach Kaalipattinam.
No issues after that,
we've arranged a guy locally.
We can get them loaded on the ship by 3 a.m.
Let the Owner know
that I'll load them on the container ship by 3 a.m. and call to confirm.
There shouldn't be a problem, I'll see to it!
And you take care of the commissioner issue!
It's not like before, the rates have gone up!
I'll bring two guys. Don't worry, we'll take care of it.
I'll call you in the morning when it's done!
I was going to call you myself.
We couldn't find any data on Chellappa sir's laptop.
It completely burned up.
Anything recovered from the burnt documents?
90% of it was burned.
If Chellappa's team provides bits and pieces, it might lead somewhere.
But that's hard, too.
We found this photo, too.
Did you run a photo match with the crime records database?
We didn't.
Why?
No one told us to.
I'll check right now, sir.
His name is Sittu.
Age 39.
He was arrested on a human trafficking case
but was released two years ago due to lack of evidence.
The case was filed at the Kovoor station.
He lives in Kovoor, too.
Sir, upon questioning, we found that Sittu was loitering around the carnival.
I'll be right over!
Can you get there with your team?
Okay, sir!
DEATH WELL
- Shall we go look inside? - Yes, sir!
Hey, look over there!
They're coming up!
Stay there. I'll be back
Gotcha! That's him!
Let's nab him, sir.
- You two, bring his wife in. - Okay, sir.
He's right in front of us, sir!
Instead of beating the shit out of him,
why must we bring his wife in?
Tell her everything before you bring her.
- Okay, sir. - Go.
Sir, he may be a monster, but he's here with his son.
If we were to arrest him with force, his son would be mentally scarred--
Sir!
Idiots!
You go check that side!
Come here.
Listen to me, buddy.
See how fast those cars and bikes go?
If we run faster than that, we get first prize!
Really?
I'm ready to run. Are you?
- I'm ready! - Let's do it!
Faster!
Buddy boy!
You're ignoring me.
Right?
Your son?
My precious!
I've nabbed your father after a long while.
That's why he's a little rattled.
Look. Your mother's here.
Go and have ice cream.
Just one.
For Sittu.
Come.
Just come!
We knowingly do something wrong and then keep regretting it.
But only rarely do we get the chance to correct the wrong we did.
The time has arrived for you.
You can't go to jail for four years
and lie to your son
with the bullshit that you were working in Dubai, drinking camel milk and whatnot!
Tell me.
Sir…
Do whatever you want to me.
But don't ruin my son's education.
Then talk.
Sakkarai!
So you managed to beat the truth out of him?
Do cops always have to use their fists?
Never mind.
Sittu is just the transporter.
- He knows nothing else. - Oh.
But we got a major tip.
What tip?
Two trafficked girls are being brought to Kaalipattinam.
There's a container ship at our port.
The ship leaves tomorrow.
In just one day, those girls will disappear for good.
Hey! What are you saying?
You started out with sexual abuse.
Then, you said suicide.
And now, it's human trafficking?
You've decided to make a fool out of me?
Do you have any evidence?
Those two girls are our evidence.
So, there's no evidence.
As it is, I can't hold off the magistrate.
How do I get the judge to sign off on the paperwork? Tell me!
There are obstacles, but we need to save those girls.
Let's put up check posts and inspect every vehicle that comes in.
Have the Port Authority alert the Coast Guard.
He is mindlessly rambling, Moorthy!
And you just watch?
Tomorrow's the last day of the festival.
At least half a million devotees will come to Kaalipattinam.
We barely have enough personnel to control them.
How do we get those girls?
You've informed the Anti-Trafficking wing, right?
- They'll handle it. It's their problem. - No, sir, I mean--
- Sir… - Not yours!
They only have two people on staff!
What can they do, sir?
- That's why I-- - He won't shut up.
- Sir, try to understand-- - Moorthy, tomorrow’s
the "SLAYING OF THE DEMON" at the festival.
- Sir. - Be on high alert.
- Okay, sir. - Just handle that!
Okay, sir.
Sir…
Will you please be quiet?
Are higher officials the same everywhere, sir?
It's humans everywhere, right?
Okay…
Did they screw you over at Sambaloor?
The Deputy Superintendent was reasonable.
But whatever leads I put forth,
they won’t analyze them properly and will try to mess them up.
Why make me an Investigating Officer if they can't trust me to do my job?
If anything goes wrong in Chellappa's case,
it won't just affect you.
There will be fallout for me as well.
"At times, we need to make decisions for the sake of our image."
With those words, the D.I.G. transferred this case from me to you!
He and Chellappa were this close.
Family friends!
When investigating his close friend's death
matters less to him than his image,
do you think he'd care about two girls?
Forget it.
To hell with him!
Let's get back to work. I need to assign security for tomorrow.
Hey, Geetha, come here. Let's go!
They'll be using boats from our harbor to move those girls to the container ship.
No chance, son!
We are just innocent fishermen.
We don't do anything that will anger the Gods.
We won't indulge in kidnapping children.
Maybe the information you got is false!
Brother…
I won’t go after your people for no reason.
But think about the plight of those kids.
If a whale tries to devour you, you'd try to tear your way out of its belly, right?
Just like that!
For men trying to escape a whale they owe money to,
they'd be willing to take a sail if you convince them well, right?
If they had no choice but to cross some lines
to feed their starving children,
does that make it an unpardonable sin?
Answer me!
In my opinion, there's no big difference between an innocent and a criminal.
His circumstances are what determine whether he's the former or the latter.
Even so, a criminal can't rationalize all his misdeeds, right?
Chellappa and I talked about this a lot.
He believed anyone who turned a blind eye to criminals was also a criminal.
Circumstances be damned!
That didn't work for me.
But you're not like that.
I'll ask around and find out what you need to know.
Promise me this.
If my people are involved in this, nothing must happen to them.
You are responsible for it.
KAALIPATTINAM ASHTAKAALI AMMAN FESTIVAL
Hello!
Owner!
No problem, I'll reach on time!
Hey, move it!
Oh, Guardian!
Oh, Sudalaimaadan!
Hey Guardian! Oh, Sudalaimaadan!
Oh, Sudalaimaadan!
Oh, Sudalaimaadan Who has come to protect this town!
- Oh, Lord Sudalaimaadan! - Oh, Sudalaimaadan!
GUARDIAN OF KAALIS, SUDALAIMAADAN
We pray you come protect us Oh, Lord Sudalaimaadan!
Oh, Guardian! Oh, Sudalaimaadan!
We pray you come protect us Oh, Lord Sudalaimaadan!
Oh, Guardian! Oh, Sudalaimaadan!
We pray you come protect us Oh, Lord Sudalaimaadan!
Oh, Guardian! Oh, Sudalaimaadan!
We pray you come protect us Oh, Lord Sudalaimaadan!
Oh our God He who was born to Lord Shiva!
Oh Lord He who watched over the Eight Goddesses
You are the protector of all our towns!
Oh, Guardian! Oh, Sudalaimaadan!
We pray you come protect us Oh, Lord Sudalaimaadan!
Oh, Guardian! Oh, Sudalaimaadan!
Oh, Lord Sudalaimaadan Who has come to protect this town!
Chellappa wasn't our demon.
He is our guardian deity.
- Come, hold her hands! - Veera!
Let her go!
- Pull! - Don't…
- Cover her mouth! - Veera! Stop!
Veera!
You pretended to mingle with us and ratted us out to that cop,
- didn't you? - Hey, what happened?
- Why are you doing this? - Please don't think that.
- I did try to help you… - Like hell you did!
How else do we see it? You were spying on us.
Calm down, Gaandhari! Let her speak!
You rat!
She must be beaten to death!
- Hey! - Let her go!
She deserves to get hit!
Is this why you were so concerned about us?
You fraud!
She should be beaten up, yes!
But her boyfriend, that cop!
He'll turn Chellappa's case into a suicide!
If we spare her, everything we did will have been for nothing!
Then why the hell are we in this dump?
Just listen to me for a second, Naachi!
We will need her help!
Let's talk it out! Don't be hasty!
We'll get someone else's help, Muppi!
Move aside!
With her, we can get that cop's support, right?
Why don't you get that?
What's wrong with telling her what happened?
- Even if we do, - Please understand!
how do we trust this scumbag?
Please trust me. I'll be able to help you.
First, tell me what happened that night.
What happened at Chellappa sir's cottage?
Hey, why must I tell you that?
Why I ought to…
Veera, listen!
- Veera! - Back off!
- Let me go! - Stop it!
Stop it, Veera!
Don't you all get it?
The case Chellappa wrote about in his letter?
It was Nandini's case!
She is like us!
She's been hurt a lot more than us!
Muthu…
Tell me.
What happened in the cottage that night?
Don't do it, Muthu.
Listen! Don't trust her!
Dad sent each of us a letter.
An inland letter.
I think he's the only man in the country who still sends inland letters!
WhatsApp, emails, and texts can be traced.
Letters can't, right?
I trust you are well, dear.
The Ashtakaali festival at Kaalipattinam begins next week.
After hoisting the flag, I'll be at my cottage at night.
Can we meet at midnight?
Ten years ago, I told you not to forget your demon's face.
I made a promise to capture the demon and bring them to justice, didn't I?
That day has arrived, dear.
This isn't about revenge. It's about justice.
You just need to turn up in court and testify against the demon.
But I felt like telling you this, too.
The girl whose case I'm currently handling
took an extreme step to erase the horror she faced as a child.
Now, unable to forget the past or process what's happening now,
she's stuck in a vortex.
The same fate must not befall you.
At the same time, if we spare the demon, many like you will be affected.
Even today, many little children are being affected like this.
Only the law can put an end to this.
The law can change it!
I alone cannot determine what is right and wrong.
I need to ask you all how you feel about this.
Yours truly, your beloved father.
Muthu!
- Hey! - Let's go!
Isn't that Veera?
He'll stop the dance, it seems.
We'll see about that.
As if you'll listen to him!
Hey.
Got reminded of that night?
It's okay. Don't be scared.
Muppi!
That won't happen anymore.
Once he found out that this tunnel was used to smuggle young children,
didn't Dad buy this house to put an end to that?
Come.
Hey, smell something burning?
Hey, watch your step.
See, something is burning.
Hey.
Looks like some files. Pour sand on it!
- What's that? - Why is there a laptop here?
Be careful!
The Demon!
Let me see.
Muthu!
Give it to me.
RP1080292.
How did this paper get here?
Dad!
After asking us to come, why would he commit suicide?
Nobody touches anything!
This doesn't look like suicide!
Our Chellappa? Suicide…
No!
Someone set this up.
We need to leave now!
Everyone, back to the tunnel! Hurry!
Let's go!
Come on!
Let's go!
Come, Muthu!
Come!
Just now, someone has burnt these!
RP1080292?
Like Dad said in the letter,
could the demon have gotten wind of Dad's hunt?
That's why they killed Chellappa.
Yes!
That is what must have happened.
That day, they killed Nagamma.
Now, Chellappa.
Let's leave before someone else comes here!
What are you saying?
How can we leave Dad like this?
Then, what else do you want us to do, Muthu?
She's right.
What can we do?
They've killed Dad, too!
We're no match for the demon!
But like Gaandhari said,
what if the police close this case as a suicide?
Damn, Muthu!
How do we prove to the police that this was murder?
The moment they see this crime scene, they will conclude it was suicide.
They must not close it as a suicide.
What if we turned ourselves in and confessed to this murder?
What are you blabbering, Muthu?
The case will get more complicated, right?
We'll be able to find out who killed Chellappa.
Hey, what are you getting at?
We'll surrender to the police.
"I went to the cottage."
Muthu!
"I rang the bell."
"He opened the door."
"He told me to sit inside."
"He went to his chair."
- What are you saying? - "I saw the gun."
"I picked it up instantly…
and shot Chellappa!"
What if we all say that?
This is insane, Muthu!
How will this help get justice for Chellappa?
We'll pursue this legally.
Please listen…
Let's get out of here, Muthu! Please!
Don't blabber out of shock, Muthu.
Let's go.
Come.
Let's go, Muthu.
Come on, Muthu!
Come along!
Naachi, Veera… move on.
Everyone, back to your towns! Don't stick around.
You told me not to become a dancer.
I didn't listen.
To…
To stop me,
you enforced a ban on dancing at the festival!
Do you know how angry I was at you back then?
It made me stop talking to you for a long time, Dad!
But…
now I come over here wanting to talk to you,
and you lie dead before me!
You died without even saying a word to me, Dad!
Had you abandoned us that day…
No.
No, Dad!
How can we abandon you like this today, Dad?
I will not let this murder be written off as suicide.
When I was inside that cupboard,
I was of two minds. "Should I stay or should I go?"
I had no idea what I was doing.
But deep down, I think it was pretty clear.
As we were agonizing over abandoning Dad like this,
we saw Muthu on the news.
We realized she did the right thing.
How can we spare the people who killed our dad and our mom?
Muthu's been in this prison before.
We knew we'd end up here if we were arrested.
That's why all of us surrendered at the same time.
But I don't understand this.
Why did you come to this jail?
RP1080292.
She is our demon.
SAROJA
I'll slap you!
Open your mouth!
Ever been on a ship?
No.
We'll go soon!
Open your mouth.