Neruppu Da 2017

Guru, Dhana, Parthi, Dass, and Samba are five childhood friends who dream of joining the fire service to save lives. From a young age, they start patrolling and extinguishing fires on their own, earning public praise for their courage. The local fire system chief, Narayanamoorthy, a zonal fire officer, notices their drive and privately hints that a formal path to the job exists—if they write and pass the required exam. This early support plants a cautious hope in the group that their shared goal might become a reality.

On the eve of the exam, a chilling incident changes everything. Dhana crosses paths with trouble when an assault by Sadha and his associate Soori leaves him shaken after a confrontation he tries to forget. Sadha, a ruthless figure who wields influence, makes it clear he is a formidable foe. The next day, the five friends revisit the scene of the attack, only to discover Sadha dead at the hands of fate—he had slipped, struck a rock, and succumbed to his injuries after Dhana’s push. Sadha was the right-hand man of the city’s most feared crime lord, Ravi, sometimes known as “Puliyanthoppu Ravi,” which instantly ties their fate to the city’s criminal underworld.

With Ravi looming as a brutal reckoning, the friends seek counsel from Kabali, the local MLA who has long supported Guru. Kabali warns them that Ravi’s power is beyond easy challenge and that any direct confrontation could spell disaster. Undeterred, Guru proposes a plan to neutralize Ravi before he can strike back. The group decides to kidnap Ravi as a blunt act of deterrence, hoping to force a halt to the killings and to buy themselves time to finish the exam and step into the fire service.

The plot thickens at Sadha’s funeral, where various dons from the city gather. Guru explains that once Ravi has left the area, they will move to kidnap him. The plan seems to be working until a crucial misstep occurs: Soori, who was drinking during the tense moments, cannot recall who killed Sadha, and Ravi uses this gap to lash out in fury, killing Soori. The friends realize they are now in deeper trouble than before, as the only concrete evidence lay with a dead Soori.

Soon, Ravi tracks down the group and confronts them. He learns the truth in fragments and, for a moment, challenges them directly. A dramatic turn of events leads to Ravi being kidnapped by the friends, only for Ravi to escape and reassert his grip on the situation. He questions Kabali and discovers enough to move the investigation toward the five young men. Guru confronts Ravi in a fierce clash with his henchmen, prevailing in combat but choosing restraint over vengeance and telling Ravi that Sadha’s death was an accident. Yet Ravi remains driven by a hunger for retribution, even threatening Guru’s loved ones in a chilling reminder of the danger they all face.

A sudden blow comes when Guru’s father, Manikkam, is killed. The timeline quickly clarifies that Ravi did not kill Manikkam; the police chief, Ramkumar, reveals that Ravi had already died before Manikkam’s demise, leaving Guru stunned by the tangled web of violence surrounding him.

Days later, a new assault emerges: Guru learns that his friends and his girlfriend, Vasumathi (daughter of Narayanamoorthy), have been abducted. The mastermind behind the murder spree is finally identified as Annam, Sadha’s transgender wife who has been living with grief and rage in the shadows, intent on avenging Sadha’s death. Annam approaches Ravi to secure help, but Ravi refuses to become entangled in the vendetta, insisting that Sadha’s death was an accident. Enraged, Annam kills Ravi, his henchmen, and then Manikkam in a calculated act of revenge.

Confronted with this escalating blood feud, Guru confronts Annam and reveals a moment of humanity: Sadha’s love for Annam was real, but Guru’s moral compass does not abandon those who have suffered. In a desperate act of protection, Dhana fights back, pushing Annam into a fiery pyre. Guru arrives just as the flames catch, saving Vasumathi, his friends, and even Annam, proving that mercy can endure even in the wake of tragedy. He apologizes to Annam, acknowledging that Sadha’s death was an accident, and Annam, moved by his gesture, forgives him.

With the danger receding, the city’s wounds begin to heal, and a sense of purpose returns to the group. Guru’s empathy and his willingness to spare lives—enemies included—underscore a deeper resolve to protect those around him. The five friends, now bound by the heavy consequences of their choices, finally sit the exam together, pass it, and join the fire service as a united team. They rush to a spot to save others, carrying with them the hard-won lessons of loyalty, courage, and restraint that history has etched into their shared journey. The story closes on a note of cautious redemption, with the friends stepping into a world where fire, fear, and forgiveness coexist, and where their bond is the steady flame that guides them forward.