Vellai Pookal 2019

Two parallel storylines run through this tense thriller, weaving a thread of danger from a rural farmhouse to a city far away. In one, a young girl and her mother are held captive in a farmhouse by an abusive, drug-addicted father. The mother is paralyzed, trapping them with little chance of escape, while the father moves in dangerous circles, tangled in illegal drug and flesh trades.

In the other storyline, Vivek as Rudhran Ganesan, a retired Deputy Inspector General of Police, travels to Seattle to visit his estranged son Ajay Rudhran, portrayed by Dev Ramnath. Rudhran is a keen observer of crime, capable of stepping into a criminal’s mindset to deduce how crimes unfold, a talent that will be put to the test. Ajay’s marriage to his partner disruptions the father’s peace, and the two men attempt a fragile reconciliation during the visit.

Rudhran soon becomes wrapped up in a string of strange events involving his new neighbours. When one of them goes missing, his instincts kick in, and he learns that a young boy named Carlos has also vanished. Early whispers in the neighborhood blame a Pakistani national or a Black man, but Rudhran resists prejudice and keeps digging with the help of Charle as Bharathi, a loyal local friend. Through Bharathi, Rudhran discovers Ramya, Bharathi’s daughter whose troubled past adds urgency to the investigation, and who becomes a key part of the case, played by Pooja Devariya as Ramya.

The search intensifies when Ajay disappears, pulling Rudhran between his duty and his paternal concern. Pursuing leads, he and Bharathi follow a suspect to a warehouse, only to be captured themselves. Bharathi manages to call the police before losing consciousness, and their rescue comes just in time. In a grim moment, Rudhran finds the body of Mona, the first victim, adding a brutal twist to the evolving mystery.

Back at the precinct, Rudhran and Bharathi sense someone is trying to steer them away from the truth, signaling that they are closing in on the culprit. A crucial memory hits Rudhran—the clue that Ajay went missing on garbage-collection day—and he races to the dump, only to find another dead end. After some careful reflection, he hurries to Bharathi’s house and suspects Ajay’s wife, Alice, and Ramya may be in danger, a deduction that escalates the tension.

The truth behind Alice unfolds: she is Nicole from the parallel storyline, a woman who endured abuse at the hands of her father and transformed her pain into vigilantism. She sought revenge as she grew up, ultimately marrying Ajay, the one bright light in her life. Alice killed Mona for her abuse of children and also took aim at Carlos. As the present unfolds, Ajay becomes suspicious after spotting Alice’s childhood photo in a missing-person report, and he confronts the unsettling reality. Alice kidnaps Ajay, and later abducts Ramya when a truck seen by a garbage collector appears connected to the case. In the climax, Alice traps Rudhran and Bharathi at gunpoint, but Rudhran makes an escape and faces her directly. Ajay regains his senses, and Alice ultimately surrenders.

The police arrive to seal the case, and Rudhran delivers a steadfast message: it’s time to stand against child abuse and let the Vellai Pookal bloom—an image of hope for a safer, brighter future. The film leaves viewers with a somber reminder of the scars of abuse and the resilience needed to break cycles of harm, anchored by Rudhran’s quiet resolve and the courage of those who choose to confront darkness.