C/O Saira Banu 2017

Saira Banu, Manju Warrier, is a postal worker who leads a peaceful life with her adopted son Joshua Peter, Shane Nigam. Joshua, a Law College student, participates in a protest at Government Law College, Ernakulam and ends up assaulting a police officer. He fakes a fractured hand to justify his action, a lie he later confesses to his mother. When Joshua expresses a wish to study photography abroad, Saira is wary at first but ultimately agrees, hoping the change might bring him closer to his dreams.

Peter George, Mohanlal, a famous photographer and Joshua’s father, dies unexpectedly, leaving Saira to raise Joshua alone. Their world shifts again when Joshua becomes entangled in a hit-and-run case that results in the murder of a Bengal migrant. In court drama that follows, Judge Janardhana Kurup, Raghavan, presides over pivotal moments, underscoring the gravity of the fight ahead. The case is handled by Advocate Annie John Tharavady, Amala Akkineni, a lawyer known for taking only cases she believes she can win. With the help of Subbu, a small-time lawyer and friend to Saira, played by Biju Sopanam, she searches for legal aid from various directions, but none seem willing to stand with Joshua.

Desperate, Saira decides to advocate for her son in court, despite having no formal legal training. As the courtroom battles unfold, she uncovers a troubling pattern: migrant workers are brought to Kerala under phoney names by labor contractors, with multiple workers sharing the same identity. She also learns that Annie’s son was responsible for the migrant’s death, having driven the migrant’s car to celebrate his own birthday. Rather than vilify Annie’s son, Saira arranges for a labourer who matches the deceased migrant’s identity to stand in for the victim, prompting the court to notice discrepancies in the ID and drop all charges against Joshua.

In a quiet act of grace, Annie thanks Saira for saving her son’s life. The film closes with Saira deciding to locate the family of the deceased migrant and deliver the news of his death to them, bringing a sense of closure to a case that exposed broader injustices and the resilience of a mother fighting for justice.