(laboured breathing)
(heartbeats)
Mathayikutty!
♪ Let the fire not rain,
♪ When my mind is hissing like a cheetah.
♪ Let me fly up like a moth,
♪ And not crash like a hollow body.
♪ Even when the wound deepens through my chest,
♪ My voice speaks anything but lies.
♪ Even when my stomach is filled with food,
♪ I try not to drown in booze.
♪ Like a swaying grass branch,
♪ Under the gaze of bead-like eyes,
♪ Aches my body so much,
♪ Like a sword slicing through my flesh.
♪ Do you know, woman symbolises blood?
♪ She flows like blood.
♪ Know this, if man is no more,
♪ I’ll happily be fruitful, once again.
♪ Even if woman becomes Kali in rage,
♪ She’s still a prey to man.
♪ No matter how good a pen you are,
♪ Man will break your nib one day.
♪Raa Re.... Raa Re...
[Wind Blowing]
[Door Knocking]
♪♪♪♪
Mathayikutty!
Where have you gone?
Ravi sir is about to leave.
Load the luggage in his car.
Sir, any news on what we discussed? We’ll find a way. Relax.
When are you coming here next?
I’ll back soon.
(‘REDEMPTION SONG’ BY BOB MARLEY PLAYS)
How long are you going to be here?
Plan is to stay for two days.
Might take longer.
Didn’t Ahmed say anything?
Ahmed sir had mentioned. But he didn’t say for how long.
Oh okay.
I haven’t met Ahmed sir in person.
He often books rooms when his friends visit.
He had stayed here when my father used to run this resort.
But I haven’t seen him in person
This is Sumitra. She takes care of the guests here.
Here’s for two days.
Okay.
If we extend the stay, we’ll pay then.
Yeah, that’s okay.
How about the luggage?
You may go to your room. It can be delivered there.
Hey.
Take this.
What’s your name?
Mathayikutty
Do you want the biscuits? -Yes
No, keep it.
It’s too costly and full of chemicals there.
The good stuff is only available here.
When our first business plan failed, didn’t I tell you to stay?
What did you say then? Your parents won’t agree!
Are they the ones bearing this frustration now?
What’s the point of saying that now?
Fuck!
How’s that woman in the reception?
What of her?
Ahmed said that everything is available here.
I think so.
She was smiling at me earlier.
Let’s ask that receptionist first.
Otherwise we’ll lose our face.
What is it, sir?
Ahmed had said that everything is available here.
What do you want?
A bottle of liquor at night.
Do we get someone for company? It’s cold.
That can be arranged.
What’s the rate?
That you talk to her directly
Okay. That’s fine.
Send her to our room at night.
No, sir. You’ll have to go to her room.
Would that be okay?
Don’t worry. Everything is arranged there.
Okay.
You keep it.
Do you need anything else? Shall I go?
Do you drink?
No, sir. Sunil sir will scold me.
Don’t you worry about that. We’ll take care of him.
You have this.
Sit down.
Where is Sumitra?
How is she?
She is good.
No, hasn’t it been a while since she has started this work?
What is it, sir?
Are you dumb?
Do you know what her job is here?
Or don’t you know that as well?
I don’t know, sir.
How long have you been here?
Twelve years.
How long ? Twelve years.
So you remember the past well.
I remember everything that happened while I was conscious.
What about when you were not conscious?
Hey!
[Door Opens]
♪♪♪♪
[♪Seductive theme playing♪]
Are you tensed?
♪♪♪♪
Would you like to try?
Try it. It’s a whole different mood.
Let’s see.
[♪ Seductive theme playing♪]
Hey. Get up. It’s your turn.
Shall I ask you something?
How long have you been here?
Three years.
Why do you do this?
I have only a mother at home.
It’s for her treatment.
Come here, fucker.
Sticking around with unnecessary loose talks. Don’t you have shame?
I was just asking.
If you want to fuck, do that and get lost.
Those guys will leave today. Collect money from them.
We’re already late.
Did you packed everything? All set?
Okay then, see you someday.
Let’s go. - Yeah
Retard!
Yeah, tell me.
Haven’t I told you already that it’s not possible?
If you are planning to kick my child out,
I swear to God, I’ll kill you.
Hey.
My mother had called today.
She wants to put my child in some orphanage.
All the money I make whoring is sent to her.
She can’t look after my child even then.
Don’t you have anything to ask?
What am I to ask?
Here.
Take it.
What the fuck are you doing here?
Isn’t it time you slept?
Get lost.
Hey. Slow down.
No one is going to take it away.
Hello?
What is it?
We need a room.
Have you booked one?
No. Since it’s too late, we couldn’t find one anywhere else.
Who is this?
Wife.
Please wait a moment.
What is it, Ameer? Why are you so stressed when I’m not?
I haven’t said a word to my brother.
That’s okay. He’ll understand.
Do you have cell reception?
No.
What are you doing then?
I’m just browsing through our old pictures.
How do we contact them and get to know what’s happening?
It’s better if we are not available for a few days.
Come in.
How many days are you planning to stay?
We’ll pay for three days now.
Rest, we’ll pay later.
Yeah, that’s fine.
Please give me your ID card.
What’s the name of your wife?
Anjali
The last room on your right.
Okay. ID card?
Will return after taking a printout tomorrow.
Uh okay.
Hello, sir. We have two guests. I have allotted them a room.
That’s okay. We’ll manage. Mathayikutty is here.
It’s okay. You return only after settling those.
Okay, sir.
Hey.
Sir will return only after two days.
His mother is hospitalised.
Then who will manage here?
Won’t we suffice?
Chicken.
Take two chapatis as well.
What?
I still can’t believe.
Are they really a married couple?
They are lying.
What if they are lying?
If everyone starts bringing women with them to satisfy their lust, how will I make a living?
Find some other job.
I had a reputable job once.
I’m not a dimwit like you.
Retard!
We’ll have to get used to takeaways for a while now.
Shouldn’t we get a home for ourselves?
I’ll take care of the rest.
Is your plan to stay at home?
Aren’t you going to complete your studies?
Then who will take care of the home affairs?
What is it?
Hi there. What’s for breakfast?
Steamed cake.
By the way, there was a loud noise outside yesterday night. What is it?
It must be a wild boar or something. It’s a usual occurrence at night.
It’s been absent for a while now.
If the owner was here, he would’ve killed it.
Where is your husband?
He’s gone for a morning walk.
There’s no network coverage here.
He’s gone to check if it’s available somewhere.
Otherwise he’s too lazy to wake up in the morning.
Sorry.
Why?
We had lied yesterday.
We are not married yet.
We were scared of being kicked out. That’s whywe didn’t disclose it yesterday.
I understood that yesterday itself.
How?
I see all kinds of people here.
Are your parents aware of it?
No.
They might’ve got to know by now.
His friends are making arrangements for the marriage ceremony.
Till then, we need a place to keep a low profile.
Have you been in this relationship for long?
It’s been three years.
Is it possible to not love someone based on their religion?
That’s why we decided to get married.
I’m not scared of anything as long as he’s with me.
Mathayi! Wait for a bit. I can’t keep up with you.
Do you want me to carry you?
No. Just wait for a while.
Mathayi! Sit down here for a bit.
Is this fully owned by your sir?
No, it’s his father’s.
So he’s not to be messed with.
Why is it so?
What?
Why would you say that he’s not to be messed with?
Nothing. He manages all this single-handedly.
But he hung himself here.
Why?
I don’t know.
How long ago was that?
Seven years.
Wow! Is sitting here part of your morning walk?
I can’t keep up with this dude.
He has so much stamina.
Aha! You like it?
Could you reach them?
Yeah. My brother’s number is switched off.
My friends say that everything will be arranged in two days.
Will they?
Why would you doubt that?
It’s your friends. I just had to ask.
Don’t worry. Everything will be okay.
Okay. Let’s have breakfast. Come.
Oh, at least throw that wrapper away, Mathayi.
If I litter here, sir will beat me.
Does your sir beat you often?
Yes.
So your sir is a villain, right?
No. If I mess up, he will beat me.
Anyway, we’ll buy you a biriyani before we leave.
For sure. Chicken biriyani?
Yeah, chicken biriyani, it is.
Come, let’s have breakfast now.
Don’t mind him. He eats like that.
You’re just seeing it for the first time.
Mathayikutty, is your home close?
No. Somewhere near Trivandrum.
Even he doesn’t know for sure.
What about sir and his family?
He’s unmarried. He only has a mother. She’s at Kottayam.
Why didn’t he get married?
Don’t know. Could be something personal.
What do you think about them?
About whom?
About them.
They’re good people.
I don’t think so.
I’m just kidding.
Hey.
Shall I give you something?
What is this ?
This is the real deal.
♪ I regret all my past ♪
♪ I’ve always been the same ♪
♪ A shadow of the water moving ‘round me ♪
♪ All my times, my mind was sleepy ♪
♪ What can I do to come out of all of my pressures?
♪ What can I do with all the things that’s gone extreme?
♪ Give me a shadow ♪
♪ Give me a winter ♪
♪ Give me a dream♪
♪ Out from the dark ♪
What would’ve you done if we hadn’t left yesterday?
Did you like them?
Did you like the guy and girl?
I haven’t liked them a bit.
Two people with no stress or worries about life.
How we struggle to live every day!
-(starts laughing)
Have we ever experienced happiness like that?
-(speaks gibberish)
They’ve eloped and come here.
Their parents would welcome them back after a while.
After that, their life would be taken care of.
-(laughs hysterically)
Then also, we’ll just exist here to satisfy someone’s lust.
Damned life!
I’m jealous.
I’m really jealous.
-(continues laughing)
Aren’t you jealous?
Already a dimwit!
Now it’s complete.
-(hysterical laugh continues)
[Distant Laugh]
[♪♪♪♪]
Who is it?
-What is it Ameer ? - What’s there?
Hey! What are you doing? -What is it, Ameer?
What are you peeping at?
Who is it? -Stop there.
Hey!
Ameer!
Stop there. -Ameer! Don’t leave.
Haven’t I told you to stop there?
Stop there.
Get lost!
Why did you peep in our room?
Your room?
I need to know why you peeped in our room!
Say!
-Ameer!
Mathayikutty!
Get away!
-No, don’t! -Mathayikkutty! Come here!
Get away! Don’t!
Catch her!
-(weeps)
-(wails)
[Breathing sound]
(laughs hysterically)
Let go of me!
Kill her.
(laughs hysterically)
Kill her !
(hysterical laugh continues)
Kill her, you retard!
Kill her you retard
♪♪♪♪
♪ Is the howl of a wolf due to pain or aggression?
♪ Wearing a mask, I turn into a poison ivy.
♪ If the bones in my chest are webs, I will be a spider then.
♪ Covering the umbilical cord with a sickle shaped cloth,
♪ I will turn a rebel without cause.
♪ Sight of woman turns a male erection hostile to the world,
♪ Even to his own siblings.
♪ Consuming everything in my way, I tread forward as a warhorse with bloodstained hoofs.
♪ With nothing stopping me, I kill off numerous in the barren land of my mind.
♪ Without shaving even a moustache, I leave blood stains on a barber’s straight edged razor.
♪ I light the fire in a hunter’s wooden torch. And be the fire itself.
♪ Even if a harijan, my brain is red in colour.
♪ I am a psychopath with poisoned thoughts and twisted reality.
♪ With nothing stopping me, I kill off numerous in the barren land of my mind.
♪ Without shaving even a moustache, I leave blood stains on a barber’s straight edged razor.
Go and take a shower.
(ominous theme playing)
Where are you off to?
To give them tea.
Where did they go?
Don’t you know where they have gone to?
No.
They were here when I went to sleep.
They left yesterday night itself.
What’s wrong?
They tricked me offering a biriyani.
♪ I light the fire in a hunter’s wooden torch. And be the fire itself.
♪ Even if a harijan, my brain is red in colour.
♪ I am a psychopath with poisoned thoughts and twisted reality.
♪ Sight of woman turns a male erection hostile to the world, Even to his own siblings.
♪ Consuming everything in my way, I tread forward as a warhorse with bloodstained hoofs.
♪ With nothing stopping me, I kill off numerous in the barren land of my mind.
♪ Without shaving even a moustache, I leave blood stains on a barber’s straight edged razor.
Mathayikutty.
Don’t you remember them leaving?
Who?
Ameer and Anjali
No.
When did you sleep?
I don’t remember anything.
Hey!
Didn’t you sleep yesterday?
Can’t you hear me?
Yes, I did sleep.
Then what is it? -Is it because I’m not here?
Here. My mother made it for you. Have it.
Do you like it?
Sir! Why are you here all of a sudden, without notice?
Do I too have to make an appointment here?
No. What about your mother?
Doctor says that she needs a surgery.
But mom does not agree. She’s old. Might be scared.
Why are you so tensed?
Nothing of that sort.
Are there any guests here?
No.
What about those came the other day?
They left day before yesterday.
They tricked me.
What happened?
They offered to buy me a biriyani and left.
Yeah, they left all of a sudden day before yesterday.
Don’t you eat alone. Give some to her as well.
No.
I’ve got some cleaning left to do
No, you have it.
What is it?
This is from the couple that was here the other day.
Were they here for two days?
No, they arrived pretty late. So I collected payment for two days.
Okay.
What happned to her ?
Mathayikutty.
Are you sad that they left?
Yes.
Why are you so sad about that?
I got sad.
Don’t you really remember them leaving?
No.
♪ I need to tell you my story.
♪ I had a woman.
♪ I need to tell you my story.
♪ I had a woman.
♪ She smells like cocaine.
♪ Her body is a wonder world.
♪ I look at the ocean blue in your eyes.
♪ I’ll never find someone like you.
♪ She drives me down to the depth of the ocean.
♪ Sometimes sweat smells like wild honey.
♪ I respect a black whore, a mother.
♪ She gives me more than I want.
♪ My hunger ends.
♪ I feel like I’m in the sky.
♪ And like ice, all my feelings are gone.
♪ I don’t know what I am now.
Don’t you really remember them leaving?
♪ I’m hearing a whispering voice.
♪ From the no man’s land.
♪ The streets are full of regrets.
♪ I’m feeling troubled.
♪ I can’t walk.
♪ The land and the wind want to say something to me.
♪ I am hearing someone crying from the dark.
♪ What's happening beyond this?
♪ I’m hearing a whispering voice.
♪ From the no man’s land.
♪ The streets are full of regrets.
♪ I’m feeling troubled.
♪ I can’t walk.
♪ The land and the wind want to say something to me.
♪ I am hearing someone crying from the dark.
Hello!
Are you here to take a room? -Yes.
Please wait. I’ll summon the manager.
How many days are you here for?
Two or three days.
Might have to extend a couple more days.
That’s okay. Could you please give me your ID card?
I had stayed here a while ago.
There was someone else managing the property then.
I think it was your father.
Yes. My father started this establishment.
Could you please sign here?
Mathayikutty!
He’s a staff here. He’ll be there for any of your needs.
Take that luggage and settle him into that room in the middle.
Okay then.
Aren’t there any other guests here?
There’s no one here now, sir.
Why? Is it off-season now?
I don’t know, sir.
People come here only once in a while.
Hello. Are you so caught up with work!
Do you want anything, sir?
No. Let it continue.
Don’t families stay here?
Some do, once in a while.
Do you know her?
Her name is Anjali.
She tricked me.
Tricked? How?
She offered to buy me biriyani
Then she left without telling me.
Why didn’t she buy you biriyani?
Come in.
Why did you summon me, sir?
It’s your favourite thing. Biriyani!
Have it here.
Aren’t you going to wash your hands?
Have it.
Hey. -Yes
What were you doing in there?
He bought me biriyani. Chicken.
Only for you? Then what about us?
Let me go and ask.
Not today. You’ll get one eventually.
Yeah, that would do.
It was a good biriyani. There were a lot of pieces.
Sir! Are you on a morning walk?
Did you come all this way running to ask me this?
I’ll show you around.
What do you do for a living?
I’m a police officer.
Did you get scared?
What’s with the long hair and beard then?
I’m under suspension for the last three months.
What happened?
That’s a long story. I’ll tell you that later.
What’s your program here?
How long can we stay closeted at home? I want to roam around here.
There must be some sort of enjoyment, right?
Is clicking pictures like this your kind of enjoyment?
Then? What else?
Do you drink?
Once in a while.
Are you married?
Married, and have two kids.
If you won’t feel guilty, you can come to my room at night.
You may go on with your walk. I’ll wait in my room at night.
You’ve got a nice setup here.
Great decoration too.
The hoops we have to jump just to get by.
Yes
Yeah.
I thought you drank only once in a while.
This is that while.
Pass me my glass too, sir.
Are you tensed?
No.
Let’s not delay it then.
What I told you in the morning was a lie.
I didn’t come here to enjoy.
I came here to search for a missing person.
I wanted to tell you this in the morning itself, but didn’t feel like saying then
So you’re not under suspension?
Suspension is still effective. But I have a personal interest to this one.
Who are you looking for?
A girl
Anjali
Anjali? Has she been here?
That errand boy here told me that she’s been here.
Yeah, she’s been here. Mathayikutty has told you everything, right?
What all did he say, sir?
That she tricked him and left at night itself.
Yeah, that’s right.
They booked the room for three days, but they left the day after itself.
I don’t know why.
Who was with her?
There was a guy with her.
I don’t remember his name. I’ll check the register and tell you.
Is this him?
Both of them are missing now.
They had come here after eloping from home.
They might be living somewhere happily.
Yeah. Let’s hope so.
Hey. How’s it going?
I don’t want this money, sir.
I’ll feel like a beggar if I keep this.
What happened?
I don’t want it, sir.
Sir, shall we go?
Yeah, let’s go.
Where are you headed, sir?
Just around the corner.
Shall I too join?
No need. He and I are going to roam around here.
Hey. Slow down.
Hey.
What do you think about him?
About whom?
The guy who came yesterday.
He bought me biriyani. He’s a good man.
What all did he ask you?
Those who tricked me and left? He asked me about them.
Who?
Those who left without telling me.
And what did you say?
That they tricked me and left.
What did he say then?
Hey, what did he say then?
He said that he’ll find them soon and ask them why they tricked me.
So you don’t remember anything about them leaving?
Do you remember the place I told you about? I’m here now.
They were here.
I sense something fishy here.
I don’t have any evidence.
Anyway, I’m sure of one thing. The people here know something about them
Since I’m not on active duty, if I do something, it’ll end up in trouble.We can’t do anything now.
But I’m sure that I’ll return home only after finding a solution.
I have to find them somehow.
Okay. We’ll talk later.
(doorbell rings)
What is it, sir?
If you know anything about them, you should tell me now.
I have to find them somehow.
Are you a Circle Inspector?
No, I’m a Civil Police Officer. But I have to solve this case somehow.
Since when did CPOs start leading an investigation?
Nothing of that sort. I have to find him and take him away from here.
Whom?
The one who came with Anjali.
So you didn’t come to search for the girl.
I came here in search of him. That’s when I got a lead.
Why did they come here?
I don’t know any of that. Don’t ask me.
Look, if you know anything about them, you should tell me.
Do you think I know something about them?
I’ve already told you everything I know.
You know more than you admit. Your face reveals it.
I can’t return home without that guy and girl.
You should tell me everything that you know about them.
I told you already, I was not here then.
I had to take my mother to the hospital. I haven’t even seen these couple.
Which hospital?
Medical College, Kottayam. We were there for three days.
I left her at home before coming here
Weren’t they here when you returned?
No. Sumithra gave me 4000 rupees and said that they had left.
I even asked her why there’s too much.
What did she say then?
They had paid two days’ rent in advance and left a day early.
I need a favour. I have sent a bill to your WhatsApp number.
You have to go to Medical College, Kottayam, and verify it.
If that’s genuine, we can rule out one of our suspects.
Where did you get that ring from?
The ring I saw in your room, where did you get that from?
Answer me.
My mom bought it for me.
Come in, sir.
How’re you doing?
You look so good. What’s up?
I can’t even identify you now!
Put that luggage in my room.
What’s wrong with you?,
Nothing.
(Laughs mockingly)
What happened?
I’m a novelist, not a paper pusher.
It’s been over a year since I’ve been seeing you.
You’ll know what you are to me in my next book.
Even it’s named after you.
A Devil in No Man’s Land
Your guilt haunts you.
I’m not asking you to open up. But the fear over it overrules you.
Don’t let it consume you. You’ll find peace only when you conquer it.
No one’s going to barge in this room of yours, devoid of even windows, unless you let them.
People live and die. There’s nothing new to it. But you, you shouldn’t live in fear.
Be brave.
He’s saying the truth. He was at Kottayam.
Now there’s only two left.
One of them is a dimwit. And the other is slippery.
-Then you begin with the retard. -He’ll spill the beans with a little bit of force.
You fucking retard! You haven’t yet told me what really happened.
If you tell me the truth, I’ll buy you food and let you go.
Otherwise I’ll kill you, motherfucker.
What is it about, sir?
You don’t know!
Don’t you know Ameer and Anjali?
You’ll be let out only after saying that.
Otherwise I’ll beat you up and hang you. No one’s going to know.
I don’t know anything, sir.
Get lost!
I know you’re just pretending.
Guess what? She’s playing you. Understand that.
Get lost. Retard!
You?
Why did you beat him up?
It’s all part of the enquiry. Don’t worry, it’s just the beginning.
So you’re all in on this?
Yes. Wait and see what’s in store.
That’s why I asked you to tell me everything.
I know that someone here is helping them to lie low.
We don’t have to hide any of our guests. You should understand it.
They were only some guests of ours. Nothing more to it.
Is this how you lead an enquiry?
Then you tell me how to.
You get an arrest warrant and take us under custody.
All of you will get to know how police works soon.
Or you tell me where they are hidden.
You fucking moron!
Sir,
Some guests would be coming.
Let them come.
They need to be picked up from the foothills.
Really?
Yeah. They’ll reach the foothills by 8 at night.
How is that possible? The forest check post would be closed by that time.
There’s five of them. I took the booking due to that.
You can stay at Thomas’ homestay and return in the morning.
They’ll be here for a week. I didn’t feel like declining that.
It’s good business. There’s no other way. I’ll go.
Did you let Thomas sir know about this?
No. I thought of checking with you first.
That’s okay. I’ll take care of it.
(car engine cranks)
What ?
You call them in this number once you reach there.
(doorbell rings)
(doorbell repeats)
Come in, sir.
Looks like you’re already in good shape. Why did you summon me?
You sit down.
Tell me what’s up.
I’ll tell you. You sit down first.
Tell me.
I’ll tell you everything I know about them. You sit down first and be comfortable.
Sit down
Take your hands off me.
Where are they now? Tell me.
What I said is the truth.
They had booked the room for three days. But they were not here for even two days.
(heartbeats)
(knocks on door)
Come Inside
You sit here.
Have it.
All of this is for you.
(laughs hysterically)
(hysterical laugh continues)
(Breathes heavily)
(Laughs hysterically)
Don’t look at him.
He’ll be the one killing you.
But he won’t remember a thing.
I’ve taken care of that.
What do you want, bitch?
Are you angry?
Why are you here when no one else is even bothered?
He’s my brother, you slut
I had no intention of killing them. It was an accident.
But you, I’ll kill intentionally.
Why would I be worried when I have such a retard at my disposal?
When I set out in search of him, I thought they were living somewhere.
Why did you?
When I’m living here in eternal misery, there goes two people without caring two hoots about life.
I felt jealous.
Mathayi! Get up!
Get the fuck up!
Get up
(laughs hysterically)
Mathayi!
Mathayi! Hit him!
Hit him with this!
Hit him, you fucking retard!
Smash his head in, you scatter-brained dumb fuck!
I don’t even know who I am.
Some call me Kuriachan’s son.
Some call me a retard.
(laughs)
Retard!
But my mom, she used to call me Mathayikutty.
Have you ever had to live with two identities?
I have.
(ominous theme playing)
(heartbeat intensifies)
Mathayi!
-(weeps)
-(weeping continues)
♪ Death is nearing.
♪ On the wings of a flea.
♪ Vultures crave for my flesh.
♪ I’m blown on to avert death’s eyes.
♪ Yet I will reach a grave one day, and be part of its soil.
♪ I’ll turn into a bat hanging from the gallows.
♪ When my body becomes a blanket covering the sky, I will be a pit of fire.
♪ Destroying the hills altogether,
♪ We falsely believe it’s our right.
♪ Yet we are as fickle lives as would be dead at the stampede of an elephant.
(ominous theme playing)
♪♪♪♪