Pantham 2018

Vikranth Surana, a determined vigilante, taps the phone of a feared medical mafia king named Amith Rajvi and eavesdrops on a heated exchange in which Nayak Bhai, [Sampath Raj], orders money to be sent via a goods train. The revelation sets off a string of bold moves as Vikranth tests the edges of justice and consequences in a city where power sits in the hands of corrupt ministers.

His dependable sidekick Satti, [Joy Badlani], chases danger through an unlikely sequence of events when she halts a tractor at a railway crossing, causing the train to pause just long enough for Vikranth to slip into the car containing the money. A fierce confrontation with the guards ensues, and Vikranth manages to decouple the money carriage before the locomotive can roll away to the next station. The moment showcases Vikranth’s skill, nerve, and willingness to bend rules to strike at a system that thrives on secrecy and fear. Shortly after, a partially deaf CBI Officer, [Sayaji Shinde], cracks the case with surprising speed, turning a complex web of crime into a thread that can be followed through the halls of power.

In the midst of these capers, Vikranth crosses paths with Nayak’s circle in more personal terms. He helps Nayak’s client 1, [Ajay], a wealthy woman, win a horse betting race, and later takes money from her safe in her absence—an act that blurs the line between hero and thief and sets Nana Nayak’s suspicions aflame. The Home Minister Jayendra, who is secretly Nayak Bhai, [Sampath Raj], watches these events with growing frustration as his money slips from his fingers, and he orders the killing of both Rajvi and the wealthy client who challenged his control.

The high-stakes web tightens when the Health Minister sends Vikranth his own photo, a move that floods the city with fear and confusion as goons close in. A taxi driver, who turns out to be Nayak’s henchman, brings Vikranth face-to-face with a brawl that tests endurance and wit. In a charged confrontation, Nayak himself reaches out, inviting Vikranth to join forces in a bid to catch the robber, a plan he approves only after the health minister’s earlier maneuvers impressed him with how cleanly Vikranth and Satti had previously stolen cars.

A risky mission unfolds to move a safe money transfer, and with the help of three accomplices, Vikranth tries to outsmart Nayak’s men. The ruse nearly works, but a tracker hidden inside the currency bag tips off the guards, and the trio are captured and beaten. In a dramatic reversal, Vikranth reveals his true identity as the robber and single-handedly fights off the remaining goons. The stakes skyrocket as his girlfriend Akshara, [Mehreen Pirzada], and an elder ally Tilak, [Tanikella Bharani], are abducted and brought before Nayak.

Tilak’s disclosure shifts the story from present danger to a deeper lineage. He explains that Vikranth Surana is the son of Anand Surana, [Mukesh Rishi], a London-based billionaire and the owner of the Surana Group of Companies, one of the world’s top corporate empires. The tumultuous family history reveals a chasm between Vikranth’s mother, Durgadevi Surana, and her husband’s hunger for power. Durgadevi’s charitable trust once offered hope to bomb-affected victims, a cause that Vikranth’s father seemingly despised for lacking profitable returns. Tilak’s memoir of that past—how the family’s London journey shaped their present—provides a motive for Vikranth’s willingness to risk everything to defend those left behind.

With this revelation, Vikranth returns to the city’s center stage. He leads reporters to Nayak’s house and exposes the minister’s corruption, forcing Nayak to pay 5 crore rupees as ex gratia. The narrative then pivots to a bold courtroom gambit: Vikranth stages a fake bomb alert outside a court and surrenders only after a truck full of money—stolen from corrupt ministers—is opened for inspection. His arrest becomes a catalyst for a larger reckoning, as his father arrives in the courtroom and experiences a dawning realization as public support for Vikranth swells. Vikranth pledges to fight the case himself, emboldened by the honest voices around him.

Nayak retaliates by dispatching prisoners to eliminate Vikranth at night, but Vikranth holds his ground, repelling the assault and walking into the courtroom with undeniable resolve. In the trial, he presents comprehensive evidence against Nayak and the implicated ministers, and he brings forward both Rajvi and Nayak’s female client—[Hamsa Nandini]—as witnesses who testify that Vikranth saved them. A doctored version of the footage is used by the opposing lawyer to plant doubt, but the CBI officer’s testimony—reinforced by the previously recorded conversations Nayak tried to suppress—proves damning.

To seal the case, Vikranth cites the Whistle Blowers Protection Act, 2011, and argues for modernizing government support for victims by digitally transferring ex gratia payments. In the end, the court delivers a sweeping judgment that sentences the perpetrators and orders the government to distribute ex gratia funds through digital transfers, reaffirming a path toward accountability and reform.