Puthiya Mugham 2009

Krishnakumar, also known as Kichu, is a talented percussionist from a traditional agraharam in Kalpathy. He spends his days teaching the mridangam to local students and weaving rhythm into the quiet lanes of his hometown. His heart, however, belongs to Sreedevi, the daughter of a family friend, and their romance is quietly celebrated by both sides of the community.

Seeking broader horizons, Krishnakumar moves to the city of Kochi to enroll in an engineering college. On campus, he crosses paths with Sudhi, the younger brother of two feared gangsters, Mahi and Giri, who run their criminal enterprise with a mixture of ambition and bravado. Sudhi’s world is loud and risky, yet he keeps a loyal orbit around his brothers’ schemes, and this dynamic slowly draws him into the college’s social fabric. Meanwhile, a new student arrives: Anjana, the daughter of the seasoned police officer Shivaraman. Sudhi falls for her at first sight, and her presence quietly reshapes the campus’s power balance.

Sudhi’s attempt to win Anjana’s heart runs parallel to his efforts to shield his brothers’ activities. He tries to keep his illicit life under wraps, hoping that Kichu’s popularity will help him win Anjana’s affection. But the tide shifts when Anjana’s interest seems to lean toward Kichu, and Sudhi sends his brothers to formalize a marriage proposal with Anjana’s family. The elders accept, but Anjana imposes a condition: there will be no marriage for four years, granting her freedom during that period. This arrangement sparks jealousy and suspicion in Sudhi, who worries that Kichu’s growing influence might threaten his own bond with Anjana.

Tension erupts as Sudhi plots to scare Kichu away from the college. A violent confrontation unfolds at the hostel, a clash that ends with Kichu sustaining a blow to the head and retaliating against a friend who tries to intervene. He is rushed to a hospital, where the doctors reveal a disturbing flashback phenomenon. As a child, Kichu witnessed the death of his younger brother, who was struck by a bus; such trauma can unleash sudden, brutal violence, and it begins to shape his present predicament.

Back home, Sreedevi’s family begins to doubt the match, and Kichu’s own family urges him to return to his studies and strive for something meaningful in life. Despite the pressure, Kichu returns to the college, where a fierce confrontation with Sudhi and his cronies ends with Kichu delivering a ferocious beating to Sudhi. The fight escalates as Sudhi’s brothers rally to his defense, but Kichu’s resolve remains unshaken, and he mortally wounds Mahi, sending him into a coma.

The stakes rise quickly when Shivaraman, who is connected to Mahi and Giri, moves to arrest Kichu and takes him to the police station. Kichu learns that he faces transport to a sub-jail where an execution awaits, a stark reminder of how quickly life on campus can collide with the weight of crime and punishment. In a desperate show of strength, Kichu stages a violent outburst at the police station; he is struck by a policeman and appears to lose consciousness, though this is part of a ruse. He’s rushed to the hospital, and somehow he finds a way to escape the pursuit.

The conflict reaches its fever pitch when Sudhi kidnaps Anjana, setting the stage for a final, brutal showdown at an abandoned construction site. What follows is a tense, tightly choreographed clash in which pride, love, and revenge collide. In the end, Sudhi is killed, and Kichu walks away with Anjana, who has come to see him in a new light. The film closes on a note of uneasy but hopeful romance, suggesting that love can endure even after a path filled with violence and trauma.