Mufti 2017

Gana, Sriimurali, is an undercover cop who has spent two years inside a crime syndicate in Mangalore, posing as an assassin to gather evidence. On the orders of the commissioner to keep his identity completely hidden, he is despatched to the village of Ronapura to confront Bhairathi Ranagal, a former lawyer turned crime boss who now wields control there. Gana arrives under tight supervision, and his arrival is carefully monitored; he is welcomed by Vishnu and quickly meets Bhairathi Ranagal, Shivaraj Kumar, who rules Ronapura with a firm hand. The village holds its breath as the two worlds—Gana’s undercover mission and Bhairathi’s mob rule—begin to collide.

In Ronapura, Gana encounters Kashi, Vasishta N. Simha, who heads Bhairathi’s cement company and keeps a wary eye on the cop’s presence. The political landscape around Bhairathi’s grip on power begins to tilt as Gurukanth Bhandri is positioned as the Chief Ministerial candidate in Karnataka. Gurukanth’s party plans to target Ronapura in the elections, but their momentum is disrupted when MP Ekanath Nimbalkar dies in an accident staged by Bhairathi. Raghuveer Bhandri, Gurukanth’s brother, reaches out to social worker and environmentalist Ashwath Kudari, Prakash Belawadi, to run as the party’s candidate, but Kudari declines the offer.

Gana makes himself indispensable to Bhairathi by aligning with his trusted lieutenants, Singa, Madhu Guruswamy, and Shabari, forming a web of cooperation to clear “unaccounted money” from a goods train. Gana’s small victories in this illicit enterprise earn him the trust of Singa and Shabari, while also awakening Kashi’s jealousy toward the infiltrator. A spark is added to the political fire when Kudari leads a rally protesting Bhairathi’s mining operations and the pollution they cause; Bhairathi responds with a riot that burns the homes of Kudari’s supporters, prompting Kudari to throw his weight behind Raghuveer Bhandari’s campaign.

The investigation intensifies when a cop who previously aided Gana—unaware of his true identity—returns to leak information about the hidden money. Gana, torn between loyalty and justice, shoots the officer to prevent further harm, a decision that fills him with guilt but steels his resolve to arrest Bhairathi. The next day, Bhairathi arrives at the mining site where the suspects who killed Nimbalkar’s killers are captured, and it becomes clear that Bhairathi did not kill Nimbalkar personally.

A dramatic turn comes when Gana helps Bhairathi survive a temple attack instigated by Pashupathi, a rival candidate for MP who threatens Bhairathi’s hold on Ronapura. Bhairathi invites Gana home for a meal, and there the undercover cop meets Bhairathi’s sister Vedhavathi, Chaya Singh, and his daughter Avni (a moment that humanizes the hard-edged boss). While Bhairathi strolls outside, Gana quietly slips into the house and gathers a book titled Sri Ramayana Darshanam, stuffing it into his possessions with meticulous care. Minutes later, Bhairathi returns and discovers that Gana has found him out; a tense confrontation ensues when Bhairathi calls out Kashi in front of Singa, who urges Gana to reveal the truth.

Gana’s plan to expose Kashi as an ally of Pashupathi is revealed, and the undercover agent confirms that the suspicious money on the goods train was diverted to charitable causes—orphanages, old-age homes, and public schools—leading him to reassess Bhairathi’s motives. The realization that Bhairathi is not merely a ruthless antagonist but a reform-minded figure who funds the welfare of villagers reshapes Gana’s view of the man he was trying to arrest.

Trouble returns when Raghuveer Bhandari is revealed as the mastermind behind the violence and financial schemes; he manipulates Shabari to strike at Bhairathi in a bid to claim Ronapura in the elections. A dramatic chase culminates in a car explosion aboard Bhairathi and Gana’s vehicle, a blast that leaves Bhairathi and Gana fighting for their lives. Surviving the ambush, they confront Raghuveer’s henchmen and, with Bhairathi’s help, finish the threat once and for all by slitting Raghuveer’s throat.

Vedhavathi, who confronts Bhairathi for the death of her husband—a figure tied to a dangerous medical scam that harmed villagers—begins to understand her husband’s role in the larger corruption, and she starts to see Bhairathi in a new light. The couple’s fates become intertwined as Gana, bound by his obligation to the commissioner’s office, departs Ronapura with the incriminating evidence. However, as he heads toward protection and justice, a final assault by Raghuveer’s forces injures him, leading to one last clash where Bhairathi and Gana join forces to quell the danger.

In the aftermath, Bhairathi surrenders to the police, acknowledging his own complicity in the village’s troubles and presenting a portrait as proof of his alliance with Gana. Gana is appointed as Superintendent of Police (SP) and begins a new chapter in law enforcement, discovering the Sri Ramayana Darshanam book in the prison and realizing that Bhairathi knew his true identity all along, a truth that Bhairathi quietly studies from his cell as he reads the same book. The story closes with a nuanced portrait of justice, loyalty, and a man who walks a fine line between crime and reform, leaving Ronapura and its people to confront a future shaped by both their past hardships and the cautious hope of change.