Kasaba 2016

CI Rajan Zachariah, Mammootty, is a blunt but principled police officer posted in Palakkad. He moves through his duties with a quiet intensity, rarely pausing to consider others’ opinions, and he lives by a code that often puts him at odds with louder voices around him. He shares a deep, steady bond with IG Chandrasekhar, Siddique, a mentor figure who understands Zachariah’s stubborn integrity and supports his instinct to seek the truth. The two men form a tight partnership built on loyalty and a shared sense of justice, even as they navigate the murky waters of crime and politics on the Kerala–Karnataka border.

When Arjun Chandrasekhar, Shaheen Siddique, and his fiancée are killed in a blast in Kaliyoor, a border town, the official explanation points to Maoist violence. Zachariah and Chandrasekhar refuse to accept the label, sensing there is a deeper plot at work. They head to Kaliyoor to peel back the layers of deception, and Zachariah’s relentless pursuit of the truth soon ties the couple’s deaths to a broader pattern of violence that also claimed the lives of six cops, including CI Raghavan, Biju Pappan. The investigation widens to reveal a web of local power and corruption that centers on Parameshwaran Nambiar, the village head, and Kamala, the formidable woman in charge of the town’s brothel, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar. The stakes rise as the duo realizes the two figures are not merely pawns but key players in a deadly scheme.

The duo’s inquiries push them into the heart of Kaliyoor’s darkest corners. Arjun and his fiancée had witnessed a murder tied to Nambiar, and in the ensuing chaos, Nambiar’s men strike, aiming to silence anyone who might reveal the truth. In the background, the brothel’s operations are overseen by Pavizham, Jennifer Antony, while the caretaker Thankachan, Alencier Ley Lopez, orchestrates the financial side of the grim enterprise. Thankachan’s death becomes a turning point: a letter he leaves behind discloses a painful truth—that Kamala is his daughter, a revelation that shifts the balance of power and personal loyalties in Kaliyoor. The letter’s contents spur Kamala to confront Nambiar, and Zachariah plays a pivotal role as she takes action to avenge the wrongs done to her and the people around her.

In a carefully staged sequence, Kamala confronts Nambiar with Zachariah by her side, and Nambiar’s hold over Kaliyoor begins to fracture. The confrontation leads to Nambiar’s downfall, and Kamala becomes a beacon of resistance against the corruption she once helped sustain. Zachariah steps in with tact and restraint, arresting Kamala for the killings of Raghavan and Nambiar while ensuring the safety and release of the brothel workers. The operation is shut down, and the town’s wounds begin to heal as the people look to rebuild.

As the case closes, Zachariah’s path toward healing runs parallel to a personal transformation. He helps Susan, a sex worker from the brothel, escape the life she had endured and starts a life with her. Susan, Neha Saxena, finds a new sense of belonging and love, and the two decide to return to Kerala together, seeking a quieter, more hopeful future after a long season of violence. The story closes on a note of quiet resolution, with a man of duty choosing to protect the vulnerable and a community learning to move forward from a history of coercion and crime.

• The film blends hard-edged police work with personal loyalties, showing how ambition, power, and selective justice can grind down ordinary lives, and how steadfast courage and compassionate choices can carve a path toward redemption.

• Throughout, bold acts of resolve are tempered by the cost of violence, making the moral landscape of the narrative feel lived-in and real.