Directed by Jofin T. Chacko, “Rekhachithram” (2025) is a neat thriller with scrupulous attention to detail, fitting a remarkable police procedural. With a significant focus on the “hows” and “whys” of the mystery rather than the “whos,” the Malayalam film craftily peels the layers of the riddle to reveal the ugly truth — all signs of a great mystery thriller. As the main incident is set around the fictional shooting events of a very real Malayalam film, “Kathodu Kathoram,” featuring the legendary Mammootty, “Rekhechithram” will be of particular interest to cinephiles harboring a fondness for Malayalam cinema.
Rekhachithram (2025) Movie Synopsis & Plot Summary:
The opening scene shows two boys walking along a misty path in the jungle. One of the boys, the younger one, tells the other that he has seen his father act in a movie. In this scene, his father, along with three other men, carries a body into the jungle in the middle of the night. It becomes clear that the father lied to the little boy when he witnessed what can only be construed as a murder.
Several years pass, and Chief Inspector Vivek (Asif Ali) returns to work after completing his suspension. He is transferred to Malakkappara, a seemingly quieter part of Kerala. Enter Rajendran to break that monotony. Rajendran is a wealthy man with only a few days to live. He goes to the Malakkappara forest and shoots himself. But not before livestreaming a confession where he mentions burying a woman in 1985, at the same location where he is choosing to die. He also mentions two other names as his co-conspirators. Francis and “Vincent” Vakkachan.
Vivek and his team start investigating, and they do find the skeleton of a young woman in the same spot. The Francis from Rajendran’s confession could be anyone. However, Rajendran identified Vakkachan before his death. Now going as Vincent, Vakkachan (Manoj K. Jayan) is one of the state’s biggest business tycoons. Taking care of his ailing wife, Alice (Saleema), Vakkachan is incensed by the accusation. Through his advocate cum right-hand-man, Jacod, Vakkachan denies the allegation.
So begins Vivek’s dogged search for truth. After going through all the missing cases in and around the area, Vivek finally finds a police complaint of fraud that fits the victim. This leads Vivek to find Chandrappan, who was one of the production managers of Malayalam film “Kathodu Kathoram,” starring superstar Mammootty. Chandrappan recounts the story of a girl named Rekha (Anaswara Rajan). Rekha came to play a small role. A Mammootty fan through and through, Rekha had dreams of starring in a lead role one day.
Chandrappan tells that after the first day’s shooting, Rekha never came for the second day’s shoot, causing a continuity problem and a significant delay in shooting. Vivek has no doubt that this Rekha was the victim. However, before he could investigate further, Vakkachan starts his retaliation. With his political connections, Vakkachan has Vivek and his team pulled from the investigation. He also gets Chandrappan killed. But this does not deter Vivek, as he continues his investigation unofficially.
Rekhachithram (2025) Movie Ending Explained:
How Did Rekha Come to the Convent?
Vivek interviews one of the Associate Directors of “Kathodu Kathoram.” With some help, he finds a photo of Rekha with another woman on that shooting day. Rekha was playing a nun in that scene, but the woman Rekha was photographed with seems to be a real nun. Vivek tracks the nun, a sister named Stephy, down. Now using a wheelchair, Stephy proves to be a significant source of information for Vivek.
It appears that Rekha befriended Stephy on the day of shooting. As Rekha tore her nun costume, she needed an alternate robe. The convent was beside the church where the film was being shot. Stephy, another Mammootty fan, helped Rekha. The two women bonded, and Stephy offered Rekha to stay the night in the convent. The next morning, she found Rekha gone. So was a large deposit of the convent’s donation money.
What Happened to Rekha in the Convent?
With Stephy’s story, Vivek finally finds Binu. Binu was the boy who believed he saw his father act in a “murder scene from a movie” in the opening scene. But with his friend, he later realized his father was actually involved in the murder. Before dying, his father told Binu about Rajendran and others. Binu had been blackmailing Rajendran from that time. Binu’s father was the fourth member of the crime, apart from Rajendran, Francis, and Vakkachan.
Before Vivek can take Binu to the police, he is killed by Vakkachan. Vivek is foiled once again by the cunning businessman. Still undeterred, Vivek finally finds Francis, thanks to an old photograph of the man. Vivek learns the whole truth from Francis. Vakkachan was an assistant to the convent’s bishop at that time. He had a lover, one of the convent’s workers, a woman named Pushpam. Pushpam and Vakkachan used to take small amounts of money from the donation box.
However, their greed, especially Pushpam’s, was starting to know no bounds. When Stephy brought the unknown Rekha to the convent, Pushpam devised a killer plan. She planned to steal all the money and blame it on the “outsider,” Rekha. For that, Rekha needed to be killed; Pushpam did just that. Although the four men carried her body, Rekha was killed by the fifth member of that crime. Rajendran and Francis stumbled on the crime but agreed to help bury the body for a share of the money. Later, Vakkachan changes his name to Vincent, and Pushpam becomes Alice. They have married each other.
How Did Actor Jagadish Help in Finding the Missing Piece of the Puzzle?
After knowing the truth and recording Francis’ confession, Vivek sends a bouquet to Alice in the hospital, calling her ‘Pushpam.’ Alice and Vincent decide to kill Vivek. But Vivek survives their attempt. Vivek is determined to bring the criminal couple to justice, but his superiors say there is still one missing piece of the puzzle. Their case will not be solid until they find out who Rekha was before coming to shoot with Mammootty.
Once again, Rekha’s love for everything cinema becomes a key in this story. It appears that Rekha wrote many fan letters to Mammootty and other Malayalam actors. One such actor is Jagadish (playing himself). Jagadish calls Vivek and shows him one of Rekha’s letters. From that letter’s sending address, Vivek tracks Rekha’s parental house in Kanyakumari.
He meets Rekha’s younger sister, now a middle-aged woman herself. With the Skeleton’s DNA matching of Rekha’s sister, Vivek completes the case. Vakkachan and Pushpam’s son learns about his parents’ crime from the papers and leaves them. A devastated Pushpam pleads to Vakkachan to save her from going to jail. Vakkachan, as always, abides by his lover’s wish. He kills her so as not to let her go to jail. Vakkachan is then taken by the police.
Did Mammootty Write to Rekha?
“Rekhachithram” finishes its gritty and emotional journey with a final poignant touch. Living, Rekha could not fulfill her dream of becoming one of Mammootty’s leading actresses. However, after learning about the crime and the dream of that young girl, Mammootty sends a letter, posthumously addressing Rekha. Vivek delivers that letter to Rekha’s sister as they bury her remains in her ancestral place.
There is an error here. You have concluded that Rekha’s killer is Pushpam and Pushpam only. But in the scene where Rekha is being buried, they show us that her feet are moving, implying that Pushpam had failed in her attempt to kill Rekha and it is then that Vakkachan, Francis and Rajendran cross a line and are then complicit in burying her alive and graduating to the crime of murder. This is also what explains the guilt of Rajendran since just burying a dead girl would not have be sufficient motivation to explain his decision to commit suicide.