Nallavan 2010

The film opens in a Kerala High Court, where Kocherukkan [Jayasurya] is brought in after a trail of violence—two murders and four jail escapes—before once again slipping away with the help of his loyal friend Murukan [Sudheesh], sending the scene back to a vivid, colorful memory of his life. As the present untangles, the story invites us to revisit the past that shaped him.

Kocherukkan hails from a quiet village on the border of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, a place that feels sunlit and simple until fate intervenes. He falls in love with Malli [Mythili], a spirited and adventurous 17-year-old girl who has known hardship as an orphan and has a landlord overseeing her life. Their bond is passionate yet fragile, especially as Malli’s landlord, Chandrashekhara Vazhunnor [Saikumar], and his driver Devarajan [Vijayakumar] decide to arrange a match with his relative Chitharanjan [Suraj Venjaramoodu], threatening the couple’s future. In a bid for freedom, Malli and Kocherukkan flee with the support of their friends Shaji [Bijukuttan] and Shangu [Anoop Chandran], and during their escape they encounter Kumareshan [Siddique], a wary man who tries to abduct Malli. Kocherukkan defends her with a stone, and the pair press on toward a new beginning.

Their journey takes them to Pollachi, where they take refuge with Murukan [Sudheesh]. The couple attempts to formalize their relationship at the registrar’s office, but the law stands in their way: Malli is underage, and the registrar, portrayed by Kochu Preman, asks them to wait another year when they will be legally able to marry. Undeterred, they plan ahead, hoping time will be kind.

A year later, Kocherukkan is discovered by Kumareshan, now a local sub-inspector who harbors personal enmity and accuses him of a cascade of crimes—morally murky charges of trafficking and robbery among them. Though Kocherukkan fights to clear his name, he escapes to reunite with Malli and they do marry, even as the law tightens around them. Meanwhile, Malli learns from newspapers that Kocherukkan has become a wanted criminal, a revelation that drives a wedge between him and those who shelter him, including Murukan, who is captured and tortured.

Back behind bars, Kocherukkan faces another trial when he is dragged into new allegations. Malli, forced to face the harsh truth, distances herself from the landlord’s world. Kocherukkan escapes once more, but tragedy shadows their path: Malli is murdered in a lonely desert, and Kocherukkan is repeatedly blamed for new acts of violence. The trail turns darker as Kumareshan manipulates events, tying Kocherukkan to the murder of Vazhunnor with the help of Devarajan and Raghavan [Jayan Cherthala], an ex-prisoner who knows Kocherukkan’s history all too well.

The present unfolds in a brutal rhythm as Kocherukkan escapes his pursuers for a fifth time and begins to untangle the web of deceit surrounding Malli’s death. He questions Narayanan [Maniyanpilla Raju], Malli’s stepfather, and discovers that Kumareshan is behind the plans that ended Malli’s life. Seeking justice, he confronts Kumareshan’s household, killing Devarajan and Raghavan in a surge of adrenaline and vengeance.

In a tense confrontation, Kocherukkan lures Kumareshan to the same desolate ground where Malli died. Kumareshan arrives with the cruel knowledge that Murukan has already fallen, presenting Murukan’s corpse to Kocherukkan. A brutal fight ensues; Kocherukkan is battered, yet the memory of Malli and Murukan steels his resolve as he finally overpowers Kumareshan. Before Kumareshan’s life slips away, he taunts Kocherukkan with the hope that he might have proven his innocence to Malli had his fate not taken this dark turn.

The police finally arrive, but Kocherukkan chooses escape over capture, and gunshots echo as the frame lingers on a stark image: Kocherukkan, wounded but defiant, running away with Malli by his side, hands joined in a fragile, unresolved future.