Varathan 2018

Abi [Fahadh Faasil] and Priya [Aishwarya Lekshmi] are a married couple who return to Kerala from Dubai for a break from their jobs. They decide to live at Priya’s childhood home in the hills, seeking a quieter pace and a chance to reset their lives. From the first day, Priya is suspicious of the intentions of the contractors who work on her family’s land, and the local villagers and neighbors openly ogle her, creating an uneasy atmosphere. After their wedding anniversary, she spots someone staring at them from the window, but the shadow vanishes when she wakes Abi. The next day, as she is about to bathe, another man is seen watching her through the window and she cries out in fear.

Abi spots a worker in the upper grounds and shuts the window with duct tape and newspaper. Priya constantly warns Abi that people around are not the same as in Bangalore or Dubai and that they ought to be more careful. One day, Abi has to meet a designer regarding their startup, and Priya is left alone at home. She promises to go to the convent after Abi leaves. She locks the house and goes to the convent library, where she is suddenly hit by a jeep and left seriously hurt by the ill-intentioned neighbours, Josey, Johnny, and their right-hand man Jithin. While she lies unconscious, they abandon her and she is taken to the hospital.

After returning home at night, Abi finds the house locked and goes out to search for Priya. He is told by the estate caretaker, Benny, that Priya has been hospitalized. Abi reaches the hospital, but Priya later leaves in a fury, refusing to discuss what happened. She walks back to the house, starts packing her bags, and, when Abi questions her, reveals that she has been sexually molested. She no longer feels safe living with Abi in the hills or anywhere else, and the tension between them deepens.

Abi then meets a boy named Preman [Chethan Jayalal] and his mother [Unnimaya Prasad], learning that Preman was involved in trouble with the contractor’s daughter, Sandra [Mamitha Baiju], in the bushes that day. Preman’s mother explains that the contractor’s family is now threatening Preman’s life. Abi offers Preman and his mother shelter in his house and locks the door, but he tells the Iype Contractor [Ramakrishnan Perumbavoor]’s henchmen that he did not see Preman. Dissatisfied, the Iype Contractor and his henchmen return with the Iype Contractor after spotting Preman’s slippers on the verandah. Abi refuses to give up Preman and tells the men that they can find him tomorrow at the police station. When the assailants persist, Abi uses the moment to defend Priya, Preman, and Preman’s mother, and he moves them to a safe room.

The confrontation escalates as Abi stages a counteroffensive inside the house. He sets up traps and uses a LPG torch to repel the intruders, even as some manage to break in. After a brutal clash that lasts until morning, Abi is brutally struck on the head and captured by the contractor and Josey. As they prepare to shoot him, Priya steps out with Preman’s mother and Preman to surrender. When they turn to face her, Priya fires and wounds two of the attackers. Seizing the moment, Abi takes charge and the contractor flees. Abi then knocks Josey unconscious and informs him that the police will handle them. In the aftermath, Abi narrates to Josey how the law remains alive in this part of the country. Two weeks later, Abi locks the gate with a plaque that reads, “Trespassers will be shot,” and the end credits roll.