Oru Muthassi Gadha 2016

Siby, Suraj Venjaramoodu, lives in Kochi with his wife Jeena, their daughter Alice, their son Alan, and his ageing mother Leelamma. Leelamma is ill-tempered and meddles in every detail, often putting off or souring the hired help, which creates a constant undercurrent of tension at home. A Bengali worker named Babu comes into their lives and, for a while, brings a welcome calm as Leelamma unexpectedly starts getting along with him. At his boss’s suggestion, he arranges a family trip that promises some relief and a change of scenery.

Yet, the day before departure, Leelamma’s temper flares during a fight with Sibi and she backs out of the trip. Undeterred, Sibi and the rest of the family decide to go ahead and call Susamma, Sibi’s mother-in-law, to join them. Susamma is sociable, modern in outlook, and comfortable with technology and contemporary fun. After a few initial clashes, Leelamma and Susamma begin to bond. The two women, along with Babu, decide to celebrate Leelamma’s birthday and—together—start to check off items on her bucket list.

One night, after a round of drinks, Leelamma begins recounting a love story from her college days involving a classmate named Zakaria, but she passes out before she can finish. The next day, Susamma waits for the missing ending, and Leelamma confesses that she did not get the closure she hoped for and that the memory still haunts her.

Susamma suspects that Leelamma’s unresolved past is driving her unhappiness and decides to seek out Zakaria. They initially plan to bring Babu along, but he disappears the next day. Since Susamma cannot drive long distances, they enlist their granddaughter Alice and her boyfriend Milind to assist. With Leelamma, Alice, and Milind, they journey to Zakaria’s birthplace in Kurathikad. There, they unexpectedly encounter Babu again, along with a neighbor’s daughter, and discover that Babu is not Bengali at all—he had only pretended to be to stay close to his own lover.

With help from Babu, Leelamma’s old classmate Kurup and his grandson Brilly, they locate the now-elder Zakaria. When they finally meet him, Leelamma delivers a sharp slap and leaves, the encounter reopening old wounds.

On the return journey, Leelamma reveals that she shaped the tale’s ending to wake Zakaria up to his past neglect, and she feels a sense of relief at finally finding closure. The duo then conceives a plan to launch a program called Oru Muthassi Gadha, a monthly initiative to help fulfill one wish for an elderly or abandoned inmate who never had the chance to realize it in youth. The story closes with the two setting their sights on the airport, ready to travel to America with Babu and complete the remaining items on Leelamma’s bucket list.