Dora 2017

Pavalakkodi Nayanthara and her father, Vairakannu Thambi Ramaiah, share a simple life in a small house, built on years of hard work and mutual support. He is a devoted single father who raised his daughter with care, and she, in turn, looks after him as he grows older, never desiring marriage for herself. Their quiet happiness is interrupted when a brutal crime rocks the neighborhood: three thieves break into a nearby apartment, robbing a woman of her jewels, then raping and killing her. ACP Harish Harish Uthaman arrives to investigate, but the clues vanish as quickly as they appear—save for a forgotten Rajasthani blanket found at the scene, which leads nowhere and leaves the case unresolved.

The story widens its lens to focus on the father-daughter duo. Vairakannu hopes to visit their family deity’s temple in town, but requests a favour from Pavalakkodi’s aunt to borrow a car, only to be turned down. Her aunt’s husband even tries to strike him, prompting Pavalakkodi to stand up for herself and her father. She hints at a future ambition—one day starting a taxi startup to reach great heights. Driven by necessity and a shared dream, they pool their savings and buy a used Austin Cambridge, hoping the new vehicle will bring them closer to the life they imagine.

That night brings a mix of superstition and worry. Pavalakkodi wakes to strange noises around the car and finds nothing amiss, save for a stray cat in the shadows. The next morning, a withholding customer cheats Vairakannu, leaving him frustrated and short of trust. That same night, he is led to a graveyard and abandoned there, the car standing by as if waiting. When he returns home, his daughter comforts him, and she reiterates her willingness to marry someone who will stay and care for her father, a promise that foreshadows the evolving bond between duty and love. Then a sudden twist arrives in the form of a marriage proposal for Pavalakkodi from a man named Harish, though the officer declines to marry her. In a charged moment, she challenges him to find a woman more beautiful than her, should he find such a match.

The plot thickens when Pavalakkodi takes on a 20-day Tirupati trip assignment, hiring a driver to accompany the family. As the journey unfolds, the true culprit behind the earlier assault surfaces—the bedsheet seller from the earlier crime—but Harish pursues him with renewed vigor. The mystery deepens when the very car that once seemed ordinary begins to reveal extraordinary, unsettling powers. On the road, the driver loses control, and the vehicle appears to act with a will of its own, steering through danger and even targeting the criminal. The car’s eerie force becomes evident again when it returns to Pavalakkodi’s home, parking in the yard and wiping away bloodstains by itself, as if cleansing the evidence of a violent past. A local sorceress confirms what Pavalakkodi senses: the car is possessed by a dog’s ghost, a spectral presence trying to speak to its owner.

In search of answers, the car leads Pavalakkodi to an old villa and to its owner, an elderly man who recounts a poignant history. His granddaughter, Aarthi, had formed a deep bond with a stray dog named Dora. When a trio of men attacked Aarthi and her grandfather and stole their wealth, Aarthi’s death left Pavalakkodi with a blood clot in her heart, a blow that would forever tie their fates together. The shocking revelation follows: Aarthi had donated her heart to Pavalakkodi, and Dora’s ghost, bound to Dora’s memory, now possesses the car to ensure that Aarthi’s life lives on in the woman who bears her heart. Dora’s presence becomes a force of justice, guiding and protecting Pavalakkodi as she confronts the criminals who ruined Aarthi’s life and endangered her own.

From this haunting alliance, Pavalakkodi and Dora forge a path of retribution. The bond between the living woman and the spectral canine forces a reckoning with Mukesh Yadav, the principal villain behind the gang’s crimes. With Dora’s supernatural aid and Pavalakkodi’s courage, they confront Mukesh and the others, and a tense confrontation ensues where danger edges toward violence. In the climactic moments, Dora acts decisively, subduing the threats and ensuring Pavalakkodi’s safety as she faces the criminals head-on. The victory is grim but clear: the trio of criminals is defeated, and Pavalakkodi’s quest for vengeance—once sparked by violence and fear—reaches its end with her returning home, having protected her father and honored the memory of Aarthi and Dora.