Kishkindha Kaandam 2024

Appu Pillai Vijayaraghavan is a retired soldier with a reputation for strict, often uncompromising discipline. He lives on the edge of a reserve forest that is teeming with a large population of monkeys, a detail that colors the quiet of his daily routine. His world centers on his younger son, Ajayachandran alias Ajayan Asif Ali, and the two share a tense but enduring bond. Ajayan’s life has been touched by tragedy: his wife Praveena died from cancer a couple of years earlier, and their son Chachu vanished a year before her death. Yet Ajayan keeps searching, determined to uncover what happened to Chachu, a quest that pulls him into a quiet alliance with Shivadasan, a relative and cop, and Prasobh Shebin Benson, Praveena’s brother.

Aparna Aparna Balamurali enters this fragile household when she marries Ajayan, leaving her job in Bangalore to support him in the search. She immediately notices something off about Appu Pillai’s behavior, sensing memory lapses that don’t quite fit the former soldier’s proud, self-sufficient front. Ajayan confirms her suspicion: Appu had been discharged from the army for health reasons but chose to bury the truth to preserve his pride, even as he developed his own coping methods to carry on as if nothing were wrong. Aparna’s concern grows, and she warns Ajayan not to press his father too hard, fearing what might be uncovered if memory slips come to light.

The fragile balance is tested when Amrith Lal Nizhalgal Ravi, a familiar presence who appears to visit Appu regularly, is revealed to be more than a casual acquaintance. Appu recognizes him from a photo on the wall and digs out a few notes he had scribbled about Amrith, only to sense a dangerous inconsistency: the notes caution him not to trust Amrith, and they suggest the man is not a fellow soldier. A heated exchange follows, but Aparna and Ajayan intervene, and for a moment, Appu Pillai forgets the confrontation as if nothing had happened. The episode plants a seed of doubt about who can be trusted in a life where memory itself feels unreliable.

Two wildlife photographers capture a startling scene in the forest: a monkey allegedly holding a pistol. The sighting is reported to authorities, who begin to suspect the pistol belongs to Appu Pillai. Meanwhile, a skeletal discovery on a neighboring property—an excavation unearthed a large ape’s remains—seems initially tied to the family’s past, only to reveal that the ape died from a gunshot. Forensics confirm that the bullet used matches the caliber of Appu’s missing pistol, deepening the mystery that surrounds the family’s secrets.

Appu Pillai is pulled in for questioning as Ajayan and Aparna seek answers. They turn to Sumadathan Jagadish, a longtime family friend, who shares a troubling confession from three years earlier: during Praveena’s chemotherapy, Chachu had sneaked into Appu’s home, seized the pistol, and fired it, killing the ape rather than anyone in the family. Sumadathan buried the ape to cover the accidental crime, and Appu—plagued by amnesia—forgot the incident. Ajayan presents a document proving that his father was discharged from the army for health reasons, and the police, worried about the implications of arming a possibly unstable veteran, release Appu. What follows is a stark portrait of a man who cannot remember clearly enough to explain who he has become, even as his son and wife press for the truth.

The mystery around Amrith Lal thickens when Ajayan reveals that the psychiatrist the family has been using to monitor Appu’s health is, in fact, part of Ajayan’s broader plan to manage the fragile situation. Aparna discovers a hidden trove of notes Appu had been compiling—evidence that he has been investigating Chachu’s disappearance on his own, including a crucial hint: two bullets were missing from the pistol, one of which was used to shoot the ape. The revolver itself turns up in a secret compartment of Appu’s cabinet, confirming the depth of his private inquiry.

As the truth edges closer to the surface, Ajayan confronts Appu with the memory of the night three years earlier: Praveena caught Chachu with the pistol, and in the ensuing scuffle, she accidentally fired, killing him. Ajayan returned to a house in mourning, found Praveena in distress, and discovered Chachu’s body missing and the floor meticulously cleaned. Appu was seen at the table, eating, seemingly oblivious to the crime. The realization that Appu might have disposed of the body—and that he could forget the act—shatters the possibility of an easy resolution. Yet Appu’s refrain that he cannot bear the notion of his family as murderers forces a painful silence between father and son.

In the end, Ajayan and Aparna resolve to continue the pursuit of the truth beyond their own home. They travel to Nagpur in search of Chachu, while Appu Pillai resumes his investigations, caught in a perpetual, misery-filled cycle of memory, guilt, and the unresolved past. The story closes on a note of unresolved grief, a family bound by blood and secrets that refuses to fade away, and a father’s struggle to reconcile his memory with the harsh reality of what happened to Chachu.