Kadal 2013

Bergmans, a brilliant but unruly student, is expelled from the seminary after being caught in a compromising moment with a fellow pupil. Arjun Sarja plays this volatile figure, and his nemesis is Sam Fernando, who is blamed for the ouster even as Bergmans swears that evil must rule the world. Sam, depicted by Arvind Swamy, completes his studies and returns to a coastal village to become the new father figure of the local church, bringing a steady, reform-minded presence to a place steeped in superstition and old habits.

In the same village, a roughened boy named Thomas grows up under challenging circumstances after his mother’s death, fending for himself in a tough neighborhood. Gautham Ram Karthik steps into the role of Thomas, who crosses paths with Sam as the elder man begins to restructure the church and guide the skeptical townspeople toward better, more purposeful living. To Thomas, Sam becomes a mentor who teaches him the ropes of the fishing trade and—more importantly—a code of resilience and integrity that begins to reshape his outlook and loyalties.

As the years pass, Thomas matures and forms a close bond with Sam, drawing the respect of the villagers who start to see the church as a force for positive change. It’s during this period that Beatrice, known as Bea, enters the story. Beatrice’s run-ins with life outside the convent bring a new, bright energy into the village, and Thomas finds himself drawn to her presence. Bea, portrayed by Thulasi Nair, embodies a sense of freedom and curiosity that stands in stark contrast to Bergmans’s looming influence.

A pivotal moment occurs when Sam, meditating on a remote beach, hears gunshots and discovers Bergmans lying unconscious in the surf. The would-be killers lurk nearby, determined to finish what they started. Sam pulls Bergmans to safety aboard an abandoned ship and, with the help of a local woman and a visitor named Celina, tends to the gunshot wounds. Lakshmi Manchu portrays Celina, a woman drawn into the drama by Bergmans’s request. Their efforts, however, trigger suspicion among the villagers who catch sight of Sam leaving the scene with two women. The Bishop is called, Celina admits to the sin, and Sam becomes unfairly implicated. In the ensuing melee, one villager is killed and Sam is sentenced to four years of rigorous imprisonment.

Bergmans later visits Sam in prison and confesses that he manipulated events by coercing the woman to implicate Sam, aiming to prove that evil will always triumph. Upon Sam’s release, he learns that Thomas has fallen under Bergmans’s sway and is involved in smuggling, pulling Beatrice and the village into a tangle of crime and moral compromise. Bea and Thomas confess their love for Sam and seek his blessing, while Thomas uncovers a painful truth: Bea is Bergmans’s daughter. This revelation intensifies the tension, driving Thomas to confront his own loyalties and to face the dark legacy his father represents.

Driven by a mix of vengeance, affection, and a growing sense of responsibility, Thomas escorts Bea to Bergmans’s house in a bid to unearth long-suppressed memories—memories that include the murder of Bea’s mother. Bergmans, enraged by the intrusion and the persistence of familial ties, abducts Sam and Bea and sails into the open sea with the intent to kill them. Bergmans asserts a disturbing break from family ties, claiming he has no emotional connections left, yet the flight from truth proves fragile when the past and present collide.

A lengthy confrontation unfolds as Thomas gives chase, and a tense three-way struggle erupts between Bergmans, Sam, and Thomas. In the climax, the combined strength and resolve of Sam and Thomas prevail, subduing Bergmans and preventing further bloodshed. The film closes on a note that triumph over darkness is possible in multiple ways: Sam and Thomas’s victory over Bergmans, Thomas’s momentary temptation to descend into crime and his ultimate return to the virtuous path, and even Bergmans’s own moment of moral reckoning when he finds himself unable to kill Bea.

The narrative threads weave a tapestry of redemption, loyalty, and the enduring power of goodness to surface even in the most troubled souls. The sea, the village, and the church together form a setting where old sins meet new choices, and where courage, forgiveness, and family ties steer the course toward a morally hopeful ending.