Nizhal 2021

On a rain-soaked night, John Baby, a magistrate, is pulled into a car accident that leaves him with a healing nose and a mandate to wear a protective mask for a while. As he returns to his duties as a first-class Judicial Magistrate, he begins to experience unsettling visions that may be lingering effects of the crash, casting a shadow over his day-to-day work.

At the same time, his friend, Shalini, a child psychologist, brings him the case of a bright eight-year-old boy named Nitin, who shares a haunting murder story with his class. Curious, Baby and Shalini head to speak with Nitin’s mother, Sharmila. She is initially wary and asserts that the case should have been reported to the police, yet she eventually agrees to talk after the boy’s energy and normal demeanor become evident.

Baby finds himself drawn into the boy’s stories and, with the help of the police, ventures to the place described in Nitin’s tale. There, he uncovers a disturbing clue—a human skull sunk in a pond—that confirms the stories are rooted in real crimes. As the investigation deepens, Baby grows closer to Nitin and Sharmila, and a second tale from the boy hints at another real incident.

To trace the source of these narratives, Baby, Shalini, and Nitin travel to the home of a person who kept case files for her late husband, Sachin. That night, Baby’s unsettling visions return, and he discovers a startling truth: Sharmila herself has been telling the boy these murder stories in her sleep. He brings this revelation to Shalini and her husband upon his return, then confronts Sharmila about her deceased mother to uncover any connection.

Their search leads them to Viswanathan, the man who cared for Sharmila after her mother’s untimely death. Viswanathan faints upon recognizing Sharmila. In the hospital, he confesses a painful history: Sharmila’s mother was his former love, and he never married her because she was widowed. He also admits that he was the killer behind murders carried out in the name of the political party he served, and that he used to narrate these stories to Sharmila’s mother as she rocked her baby to sleep, thereby embedding the tales in Sharmila’s subconscious mind.

Baby resolves to have Viswanathan arrested after his discharge, while Sharmila must attend a video conference, and Nitin accompanies Baby. Sharmila, moved by the elderly man’s remorse, helps him slip away before the police arrive. During a tense moment, Nitin overhears questions about Radhamma, Sharmila’s mother, and realizes the connection to the boy’s stories. Realization strikes Baby, and he hurries to Sharmila’s house.

There, Viswanathan confronts them and admits he killed Sharmila’s mother. He makes a last-ditch attempt on Sharmila’s life, but Baby arrives just in time to intervene. In the ensuing struggle, Viswanathan loses his balance on the balcony and falls to his death. With the threat gone, Baby finds relief from his visions, while Sharmila continues to grapple with the lingering traces of her past.