Dear Friend 2022

Six friends — Vinod Viswanathan [Tovino Thomas], Jannath Ali [Darshana Rajendran], Arjun [Arjun Lal], Shyam [Arjun Radhakrishnan], Sajith [Basil Joseph], and Amudha [Sanchana Natarajan] — come together to celebrate Vinod’s birthday, kicking off with a playful dare: wearing a homemade Superman costume and roaming the city to make the night their own.

At a club they clash with a passer-by who livestreams Vinod without permission, which leads to their arrest. A police officer mocks Vinod’s tattoos, one of which reads AMMA in Malayalam, and Vinod is slapped after he reacts in defense. The sobering moment lingers as he confesses to Jannath that this birthday left a lasting, painful impression.

Back home, Jannath struggles to win the blessing of her conservative father for her relationship with Arjun, so the couple chooses a courthouse wedding. Meanwhile, the group is hustling to secure backing for a health-focused app they’re developing. Shyam hails from a well-off family but resists stepping into the family pub business, while Sajith comes from a financially strained background and faces repeated challenges in job interviews due to limited English and social experience.

One night, at the club, Arjun spikes Vinod’s drink, and Vinod—who had been abstaining that day in memory of his mother’s death anniversary—ends up shoving him. After leaving the club, Amudha confesses her love for Vinod, but he does not return the feelings.

Later, Vinod visits Jannath at the medical practice she works in and opens up about lingering feelings and unresolved grief surrounding his mother’s death. They share a sincere, heartfelt conversation that deepens their connection.

The next morning, Vinod disappears, leaving behind a letter in which he says he doesn’t want to be searched and thanks his friends for the memories they shared. The group is drawn in for questioning by the police, who suspect Vinod of theft—allegedly ₹70 lakhs—from a former employer. Jannath believes the situation is a misunderstanding, while Shyam is furious at the betrayal he feels from a supposed business partner.

As the investigation unfolds, the friends learn that Vinod didn’t record pieces of music he had claimed to have created and discover a web of untruths he had spun. They travel to Mumbai to meet the original musician, Sreenath [Hakkim Shajahan], who reveals the truth: Vinod and Sreenath were roommates, and Vinod once helped Sreenath after his mother’s death by registering him on a matrimonial website. Vinod’s sudden disappearance afterward becomes intertwined with the police inquiry into the stolen money.

The group then uncovers that Vinod’s mother is actually alive, but Vinod’s estrangement from her led her to believe he was dead. They return home, and life gradually brightens: Jannath and Arjun are expecting a baby, Sajith secures a solid, well-paying job, and Shyam takes over the family business.

One night, Sajith spots Vinod parking a car on a street and alerts Jannath, Arjun, and Shyam. They converge at the spot, but Vinod reveals that he is on the run from the police and has lied about his mother’s death to conceal his past. When asked about his identity, Vinod points to the ever-present “Mother” tattoo on his arm, suggesting that this familiar story has become his easiest fallback in difficult moments. The truth behind Vinod’s past remains murky, leaving the friends to reckon with the complex line between memory, deception, and loyalty.