Kaakha Kaakha 2003

Anbuselvan, an orphan with a strict sense of justice, survives a fall after being shot and begins to recall a complicated past. He is an IPS officer in the Chennai City Police, known for his blunt honesty and a temperament that can border on stone-hearted. As the Assistant Commissioner of Police in the Crime Branch, he leads a tight-knit, high-pressure squad that includes his trusted colleagues, noted for their ruthlessness in the fight against organized crime in the city. The unit—along with Shrikanth, Arul, and Ilamaran—operates with a willingness to cross lines that the law would normally demand, a choice that brings them both success and scrutiny. Their aggressive approach eventually draws human rights concerns, and after a cascade of killings—five gangsters in three months—the authorities disband the unit, pushing Anbuselvan back to a quieter role in the control room.

Maya, a warm-hearted schoolteacher, crosses paths with him in everyday life, unknowingly softened by his stern exterior. When she and a friend are stopped for driving without a license, Anbuselvan lets them go with a warning, sparking a subtle, growing respect between them. Maya’s world expands as she knows some of Anbuselvan’s colleagues, including Shrikanth and his wife Swathi, who become close friends with her. The connection deepens when Maya’s student problems bring her into Anbuselvan’s daily routine, gradually turning routine encounters into something more personal and hopeful. The relationship is framed against the backdrop of the city’s relentless criminal underworld, which continues to churn with violence even as Anbuselvan tries to balance duty and desire.

Meanwhile, Agaram Sethu, a ruthless gangster who has slipped away from encounter operations, reconnects with his estranged brother Pandiya, who has returned to Chennai after years of crime life in Maharashtra. Pandiya operates with a chilling method: he kills a family member of his target and leaves the survivor to live with guilt and fear. Sethu’s gang, aided by Pandiya’s calculated schemes, begins knotting together a string of major kidnappings that empower them within six months. The seasoned unit is reassembled by the commissioner, with all four members back in the Crime Branch, ready to pursue the escalating threat. In a high-stakes deal with Vasu Seth, the team closes in on Sethu in a tense confrontation at a railyard, where they succeed in killing him while the rest escape.

Pandiya rises in the criminal ranks, unleashing a brutal counterstrike. He attacks the families of Vasu Seth, leaving Seth alive but traumatized and vowing revenge. He disrupts Anbuselvan’s world by kidnapping his girlfriend, and then, in a cruel twist, he warns Anbuselvan that she will be taken before his eyes. Anbuselvan and his team race the clock to save her, but the hunt ends with Pandiya’s forces forcing a brutal confrontation that leaves Ilamaran dead and the rest of Anbuselvan’s unit scattered, with Maya and Anbuselvan forced into hiding and marriage rushed into place as a shield against further bloodshed. The couple flees to Pondicherry, but Pandiya’s men track them down. Anbuselvan’s gun is unloaded in a crucial moment, leaving Maya at the mercy of Pandiya, who kidnaps her and appears to kill Anbuselvan—though he survives.

In the hospital, Shrikanth and Arul reveal the graves of truth: Swathi was kidnapped at the airport, and Shrikanth betrayed Anbuselvan by leaking his location and mistakenly swapping the pistol magazine for an empty one, a choice he comes to deeply regret. The revelation shatters him, and he takes his own life in a moment of remorse. The case moves to a devastating turn when a message from Pandiya leads Anbuselvan and Arul into Andhra Pradesh, where they discover two grisly parcels: Swathi’s severed head and Maya’s arm flesh. The sight drives Shrikanth’s former allies to the brink of despair, underscoring the personal cost of their actions. The weight of guilt and vengeance culminates in a fierce pursuit as Anbuselvan closes in on Pandiya.

A final showdown erupts as Anbuselvan and Pandiya clash, with Maya used as a human shield by the latter. Maya dies in Anbuselvan’s arms, a brutal blow that steels him for the inevitable end of Pandiya. He tracks down the gang leader and delivers the long-awaited justice, killing Pandiya in a confrontation that marks the culmination of months of loss and memory. The film closes with Anbuselvan continuing his work as an IPS officer, his memory of Maya lingering as a quiet, enduring beacon amid the city’s ongoing struggle with crime.

There are brief, memorable cameos that punctuate the film: Ramya Krishnan appears in a special appearance for the Thoodhu Varumaa song, adding a layer of star power to the sequence, and R. D. Rajasekhar contributes a fleeting appearance in another musical moment, enhancing the film’s texture without pulling focus from the central drama.