Pattanapravesham 1988

A smuggling gang holds sway over Kochi, corrupting customs and even some police officers who try to crack down on their operation. When a ruthless crackdown leads to several key officers being murdered, the investigation stalls and a political crisis begins to unfold. Ashoka Varma, an upright police officer, is killed while trying to secure evidence in the smuggling case, heightening the tension and eroding public trust. In the wake of these losses, many officials grow reluctant to pursue the truth, and the danger surrounding the case deepens.

On the recommendation of a senior officer, the Home Minister brings in two famed Malayali figures who once tackled a similar gang in Madras and faced hired killers: Ramdas / Dasan, Mohanlal, and Vijayan, Sreenivasan. These two men are not naturally seasoned detectives, but they project confidence and pretend to be top investigators to gain access and gather clues. Their arrival sets a different tone for the investigation, one that blends bravado with undercover play.

During an evening meal at a restaurant, Dasan overhears a conversation that leads him to believe two bird-watchers, Isaac and Prof. Vidyadharan, are the killers. The pair tails Isaac but are shot at and ambushed by a group that appears intent on stopping them. They are rescued by Prabhakaran Thampi, the head of the smuggling ring, who presents himself as a benevolent businessman involved in charitable work. This encounter pulls the CIDs into a more precarious game of cat and mouse, forcing them to reassess who the real criminals might be.

Deciding to pivot, Dasan and Vijayan go undercover, first posing as Mapilla umbrella repairmen to locate Isaac. While repairing an umbrella, Vijayan’s fake beard is noticed by a woman named Shobha, who suspects the duo of theft and sounds the alarm. The men escape, but the near-miss seeds a complex relationship. They next adopt a more theatrical disguise as parrot Tarot diviners; once again Shobha spots them, and locals detain them briefly. The shared danger softens her suspicion, and she eventually learns the truth about the two men. Through their conversations, the investigators discover that Shobha’s husband, a customs officer, was murdered just before his probation was completed, a fact which explains the government’s reluctance to grant the family the dying-in-harness job.

Armed with fresh information, Dasan and Vijayan report to their superiors and to Prabhakaran that they are closing in on the killer. This disclosure unsettles Prabhakaran, who reacts by dispatching masked assailants to attack the home of the two officers. In a tense sequence, Vijayan goes undercover as a servant at Prabhakaran’s house, which sits next to Isaac’s residence, and tries to obtain Isaac’s blood. A misstep with chloroform leaves him momentarily ineffective, and the intruder presence draws the attention of a mysterious visitor.

That visitor is Ananthan Nambiar, a close ally of Prabhakaran who has escaped from jail and is seeking a passport to flee the country. Nambiar hides in a copra warehouse while new plans unfold. Dasan and Vijayan learn from the shifting alleys of the case that Nambiar is on the run and that their every move is being watched. Isaac, meanwhile, remains suspicious of the two detectives, certain they are rival birdwatchers come to pilfer his research.

As Prabhakaran restarts his drug-smuggling operation, a dramatic chase unfolds: his lorry rammed a checkpoint gate and police close in. In a chaotic sequence, Dasan and Isaac collide while trying to draw Isaac’s blood during a birding moment; Dasan escapes in a Jeep, and Isaac leaps into Prabhakaran’s lorry, tossing the goons out as the two fight for control. Dasan finally drives off with the lorry, drawn by the lure of a rare bullfinch that Isaac longs to see, which diverts Isaac’s attention long enough for Dasan to slip away. Police surveillance misreads the scene, believing Dasan single-handedly seized the shipment, and the officer revels in the apparent victory.

Meanwhile, Isaac and Prof. Vidyadharan pursue the elusive bullfinch toward an island, where their path intersects with Gafoorka, Mamukkoya, who plans to rendezvous with Nambiar to flee the country. Nambiar slips away into the lagoon as the pursuit continues, leaving a shaken Gafoorka (and the investigators) to pick up the pieces of the day’s chaotic events. In a parallel thread, Thambi cunningly arranges for Nambiar’s escape to Tamil Nadu, forcing Balan’s family into danger as a means to compel Balan to target his old friends Dasan and Vijayan. Yet Balan’s conscience betrays him, and he reveals the truth about Thambi just in time.

Nambiar feeds Prabhakaran the idea that the two CIDs are closing in on him, and they themselves observe Isaac with a case-filled suitcase, a sign that he might carry incriminating evidence. A massive confrontation gathers all parties at the copra warehouse: a free-for-all fight erupts as Thambi and his gang collide with the CIDs and their allies. In the confusion, the truth about Isaac emerges—he is a bird watcher, not a criminal—and he joins forces with Dasan and Vijayan. They rally to subdue the criminals, and as the police arrive, Prabhakaran, Nambiar, and their gang are captured.

The government honors the CIDs for resolving the case, bringing a sense of closure to the city’s uneasy political climate. Shobha, who stood by the investigation and its perils, finally receives the dying-in harness job that had been denied earlier, a small but meaningful reward for her support and courage throughout the ordeal. The story closes on a note of restored order, with justice served and the CIDs acknowledged for their unlikely, undercover victory.