Retro is a 2025 film directed by Karthik Subbaraj that features an ensemble cast led by Suriya as Paarivel Kannan, Pooja Hegde as Rukmini, Jayaram as Dr. Chaplin, Joju George as Thilakraj, and more. The film tells the story of Paarivel Kannan, a man who desperately tries to leave his violent self behind for the sake of marrying the love of his life, but is always pulled back in.
Retro (2025) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
Who is Paari?
Paari lost his parents when he was very young. His father, who worked for a local gangster named Thilakraj, died in the violence unleashed by the brother-in-law. After this tragedy, Thilakraj’s wife, Sandhiya, who couldn’t have children of her own, felt sorry for Paari and decided to adopt him. Her husband, Thilakraj, wasn’t happy about it. He didn’t like the idea of bringing in a child who might belong to another religion or a lower caste. Still, his wife didn’t care about any of that and just wanted to give Paari a home and raise him as her own. Thilakraj, however, never truly accepted Paari as his son.
The boy was named Paari, but he never laughed or smiled. Doctors said it was likely because he had witnessed his father’s death at such a young age, and the trauma left him scarred. Years pass, after Thilakraj’s wife, Sandhiya, dies, he decides to move to a bigger place to grow his illegal business. On the way, his brother-in-law tries to kill him, but Paari saves Thilakraj’s life. For the first time, Thilakraj truly sees Paari’s loyalty and strength and accepts him as his own son, saying that as long as Paari is by his side, no one can touch him.
How Does Paari End up In Jail?
Paari grows up working alongside Thilakraj in his illegal business, which includes smuggling and racketeering. Paari smuggles a large shipment of “goldfish,” a code word for weapons or contraband, to an African militant group. Instead, he sends them a container full of actual fish, along with a note telling them to cook it and enjoy dinner.
The next day, Paari announces that he’s done with the criminal world. He wants out of the business, plans to get married, and start a new, peaceful life. He asks everyone to forget any enmity or rivalry they had with him. He’s marrying Rukmini, a childhood friend, and has promised her that he’ll leave behind his violent past for good. Thilakraj isn’t happy about Paari walking away, but he still shows up at the wedding with his men. He gives Paari his blessings, and also asks where he’s hidden the real “goldfish” shipment.
Paari replies that refusing to deliver the shipment is his way of making up for the wrongs he’s done in the past. This angers Thilakraj, who blames Rukmini for turning his son into a “saint.” He believes that if Rukmini were out of the picture, Paari would come back to his old ways. So he secretly orders his men to kill her. Paari finds out and fights off the attackers, even injuring Thilakraj, cutting off one of his hands. As a result, Rukmini decides to call off the wedding. She tells Paari that no matter what he says, he hasn’t truly changed. She leaves with her father, and Paari ends up being arrested and sent to jail.
Why did Paari escape from Jail?
Years go by, but Paari still refuses to tell Thilakraj where he has hidden the “goldfish.” Thilakraj knows that if there’s one person Paari would do anything for, it’s Rukmini. So he sends his men to track her down, hoping to use her to force Paari’s hand. At the same time, Paari, still in jail, has his own friends searching for Rukmini, just to make sure she’s safe. Eventually, they find her living on a small island near the Andamans, where she now runs an NGO.
To see her again, Paari tricks a human trafficker into helping him break out of prison, pretending he’ll join illegal underground fights in return. Once free, he takes down the traffickers and escapes to the island known as Black Island with a laughing therapist named Dr. Chaplin. Paari plans to win Rukmini’s heart back and prove he’s truly changed. He takes the identity of Dr. Chaplin himself and tells Rukmini that after serving his sentence, he has become a laughing therapist. Paari is ready to do whatever it takes to be close to her again, even if it means putting up with the arrogant Junior Lord, a hotel owner on the island who boasts about his business during “the season” when tourists flood in.
Who is Michael?
King Michael is the son of a powerful Mirasu, a local king who runs a rubber factory by enslaving villagers and forcing them to work under harsh conditions. Michael, following in his father’s cruel footsteps, runs a secret, illegal cult to entertain wealthy foreign tourists. Enslaved men are forced to fight in brutal five-round matches. At the end of each match, the weakest fighter is chosen and sacrificed. Together, Michael and his father have taken the lives of hundreds of innocent people.
When Michael finds out that Paari is now on Black Island, the same man he had once planned to smuggle out of jail and force into his underground fights, he decides to use that information to his advantage. He reveals the full truth about Paari’s past to Rukmini. Once again, Rukmini walks away from Paari. This time, Paari finally accepts that no matter how much he tries to change, he may never be able to outrun who he really is.
Who is Jada Muni?
Paari starts participating in King Michael’s brutal fights. He defeats every opponent and helps Michael make a lot of money. Michael pretends to be friendly, but behind the scenes, he’s planning to sell Paari to an international buyer for a huge profit. Before that deal can go through, a group of enslaved men ambush Paari at the beach, planning to kill him, but they notice a tattoo of a trident on his chest, and realise that Paari is actually their savior Jada Muni.
Years ago, King Mirasu had built his wealth by enslaving innocent villagers, forcing them to work in his rubber fields. During a local temple visit with his wife, he tried to donate a golden trident, but the temple priest became possessed by the deity and delivered a prophecy that said Mirasu’s reign would soon come to an end. The boy born on a crescent moon night, bearing a trident tattoo, would rise to bring justice and destroy his empire.
After hearing the prophecy, Mirasu ordered the killing of every child born on a crescent moon. For those he didn’t kill, he had them branded and forced their families to send the children to his farms as laborers once they turned 12. Years later, a man named Prajapati and his wife Lakshmi had twins, a boy and a girl, born on a crescent moon night. The boy had the trident tattoo on his chest, just like in the prophecy. Prajapati begged the local temple priest to secretly smuggle the boy off the island to save the boy’s life. As fate would have it, the same priest later ended up working for Thilakraj—Paari’s adoptive father, and tragically died when Thilakraj’s brother-in-law tried to seize control of the business.
Retro (2025) Movie Ending Explained:
What Happens to Michael, Thilakraj, & King Mirasu?
On the day of the fight, Paari leads a revolt against King Mirasu and Michael. Paari ties up Michael with ropes, the same way Michael used to tie up helpless victims. As for King Mirasu, he chooses to end his own life, saying it would be too shameful to die by Paari’s hands. Soon after, Thilakraj arrives on the island with an army of armed and as he is about to shoot Michael, Michael reveals that Paari has told him where the “goldfish” is hidden. Thilakraj, Michael, and their men rush to the village and find the villagers armed with rocket launchers, which turn out to be the real “goldfish.”
Outnumbered and outgunned, Thilakraj and Michael have no choice but to surrender. In the post-credits scene, Paari finally marries Rukmini, with Thilakraj and Michael present at the wedding. Dr. Chaplin mentions that only one of the RPGs actually worked; the rest were duds. After the ceremony, everyone is arrested, including the corrupt minister who supported Thilakraj.
