Ashok Selvan and R Sarathkumar play the main leads in Tamil cinema's new investigative thriller, which is receiving positive reviews from critics. Directed by debutant Vignesh Raja, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Alfred Prakash, Por Thozhil is set in the 2010s and follows an experienced, no-nonsense officer, Lokanathan, and a rookie cop, Prakash, as they investigate a series of grisly killings in Trichy involving women who are not related to each other. Por Thozhil Movie Review: R Sarathkumar, Ashok Selvan Impress in This Taut Investigative Thriller.

Por Thozhil also stars Nikhila Vimal as Veena, a technical assistant who is sent to assist Prakash and Lokanathan. The film also marks one of the late actor Sarath Babu's last on-screen appearances, before his passing in May 2023.

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So, who is the killer, and why is he murdering innocent women for no apparent reason? Let's decode the third act of Por Thozhil, but be warned that there are MAJOR PLOT SPOILERS ahead.

The Murderous Red Herring

The first major suspect that the cops stumble upon is Kennedy, played by the late Sarath Babu, while they were trying to figure out if the killings had also happened in the past. They discovered a similar streak of killings had happened in the 1970s. However, while they had ample proof to pin the murders on Kennedy, Prakash realised that the way Kennedy tied up his victims didn't match with the way the present victims were tied up. Also, Kennedy felt guilty for the murders, which he had committed out of spite for his abusive father, who was the investigating officer at the time. The killer that Lokanathan described for the present murders was supposed to get emotional gratification to satiate his inferiority complex from the murders which didn't match with Kennedy's nature. Also, Kennedy had stopped killing after his father died of a heart attack.

A Still From Por Thozhil (Photo Credits: Applause Entertainment Ltd)

Before killing himself, Kennedy reveals that he had been ambushed by an unseen stranger inside his house. The stranger had seen him kill one of the victims, who was a domestic helper at his house, and he wanted Kennedy to tell him how he had carried out the murders without getting caught. Kennedy also told them that he was driving a grey car whose reverse-driving signal had the sound of a toy rifle. Prakash realised that he had seen this car earlier when he had found the dumped scooter of a victim at a mechanic's shop.

The Real Killer

The real killer turns out to be a teacher at the NGO, played by Malayalam actor Sunil Sukhada, where one of the victims had been teaching. Like with Kennedy, he also is a victim of abuse, except it is from his wife who kept belittling and taunting him, while also keeping her lover in the same house and sleeping with him. It is not sure if she ran away with her lover, or he ended up killing them, but the killer is now staying all alone at his house, that has pictures of the victims he killed and the dummies he practiced his attacks on. Rana Naidu Ending Explained: Will Venkatesh and Rana Daggubati's Netflix Remake of Ray Donovan Return for Season 2? Here's What We Think!

A Still From Por Thozhil (Photo Credits: Applause Entertainment Ltd)

The cops realise he is targetting women who has dimples on their faces, since his wife used to have. They mistakenly think his next target is a reality show singer who is staying in a hotel nearby, but Prakash realises that his real target is Veena. But they are late in preventing her in getting abducted, but they finally manage to get to the place where he takes her. Having already injured a bound Veena, he also ambushes Lokanathan and leaves him grievously injured. Lokanathan, however, recalls an earlier conversation he had with Lokanathan that helps him overcome his fears and he manages to subdue and then shoot the killer dead.

The Epilogue

Veena and Lokanatha are hospitalised but they are fine. Lokanathan, in fact, rushed out of his room after his wounds are dressed. He tells Prakash that they have been assigned another case, leaving the latter pleased to know that he will be working with his mentor again. Though Lokanathan continues to act abrasively with Prakash, you can see there is sense of increased respect he has for his new protege. Will there be another sequel for Por Thozhil featuring these two? Let's wait and watch!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 10, 2023 10:09 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).