Malik 2021

Ahammad Ali Sulaiman, Fahadh Faasil, sits at the center of Ramadapally, a coastal town where Muslims and Christians have coexisted for generations. His wife Roselyn, Nimisha Sajayan, a Christian woman, pushes him toward undertaking the Hajj pilgrimage in his middle years. Ali’s ally and political leader Aboobacker, Dileesh Pothan, is pushing for land seizures to fund a harbour project, setting the stage for a high-stakes clash over local power and fortune. When the police arrest Ali under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) at the airport, the fragile balance in Ramadapally begins to tilt.

With Ali in custody, the police assign a goon named Shibu, Sarath Kumar, to kill him extrajudicially, but Shibu dies in an explosion. The police then pressure Freddy, a juvenile arrested for throwing steel bombs at officers, into carrying out the plan. Freddy is the nephew of David Christudas, Vinay Forrt, Roselyn’s elder brother and Ali’s estranged friend; David harbors a grudge against Ali. Jameela Amma, Ali’s mother, agrees to meet Freddy after a look-out notice is issued, while the town’s backstory unfolds.

The memory of Ramadapally in the 1960s shows Muslims and Christians living together in relative harmony, with the Christian fishermen community centered in Edavathura. Ali and his friends—Ali, David, Peter Esthappan, and Hameed Mohammed—drop out of school and drift into petty crime, working for Chandran, a local goon whom Nisthar Ahamed portrays. Chandran disowns them after Ali sends back trash dumped at the local mosque, and the group turns to smuggling, eventually setting up their own operation. Ali’s earnestness catches the eye of sub-collector Anwar Ali, Joju George, who asks him to clear the garbage dump and build a school there. Chandran, seeking to settle scores, burns their godown, and children working there perish. Ali retaliates by killing Chandran, an act that pulls Anwar into a dilemma: arrest Ali or let the community’s tolerance fray.

Anwar questions Ali, who confesses and challenges the law to arrest him before Ramadapally’s residents; forced to leave, Anwar extracts a promise from Jameela to testify against her son. Jameela asks Freddy not to kill Ali and insists he should be brought to the law. David and his wife confront Freddy in jail, and Freddy asks why David bears such a grudge against Ali. A look-out notice is issued, and Ali flees to Minicoy, Lakshadweep, taking David and Roselyn with him. The trio marries with David’s reluctant blessing, and Ali gains Roselyn’s approval to raise their children as Muslims. When David returns to the coast, his father reminds him that police beat their men and rape their women; Anwar explains that the Muslims reap both benefits and consequences, a reality that leaves David conflicted. He eventually persuades Ali to appear in court, and Ali’s mother provides a testimony that helps keep his case alive.

Roselyn gives birth to a boy, whom David baptizes and names Antony; Ali interrupts the ritual and renames the child Ameer, straining his bond with David. The family’s fractured ties mirror the larger tensions in Ramadapally. Ali later receives a consignment of smuggled weapons he refuses and hides away, while the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake destroys many in the Christian fishing community. Ali shifts into humanitarian relief work and openly opposes development projects that would displace locals. Anwar, the police, and MLA Aboobacker—who is playing both sides for the land—manipulate David into stirring a riot at the mosque during Uroos celebrations. Aboo’s goons murder a man and pin the crime on David, igniting clashes between Christians and Muslims. Ameer is killed in police firing, and the riots escalate as some local goons weaponize hidden arms. Ali’s supporters run a car over Anwar, and David is shot by Ali’s goons, leaving him disabled.

David and his wife press Freddy to carry out the directive, and he is moved into Ali’s cell. Freddy attempts to strangle Ali during the Fajr prayer but fails. Ali breaks down, blaming David for his son’s death and the riots. The jail’s doctor, Dr. Shermin, Parvathy Krishna, arrives and, in a shocking turn, strangles Ali, declaring his death a suicide; she is Anwar’s daughter and is bedridden with full-body paralysis. Freddy is released from jail and returns to the mosque, where he throws a stone at Aboobacker who was inciting communal violence in Ali’s name. In a mid-credits scene, Anwar reveals to the media that the Ramadapally riots were instigated by the police with the help of the government, exposing a web of manipulation that overshadows the tragedy that unfolded.

The story lingers on the consequences of loyalty, violence, and political maneuvering, painting a portrait of a town caught between history and upheaval. It follows the many strands of family, faith, and power, showing how individuals navigate personal losses, communal tensions, and the pursuit of justice in a landscape where those in authority are not always on the side of the truth.