Eko

Story:

The 2025 Indian Malayalam mystery crime thriller Ekō is directed by Dinjith Ayyathan, written and filmed by Bahul Ramesh, and produced by M.R.K. Jayaram under the Aaradyaa Studios label (in their debut production). After Kishkindha Kaandam (2024) and Kerala Crime Files 2 (2025), it is the third and last film of Bahul Ramesh’s Animal Trilogy. Notable actors include Sandeep Pradeep, Biana Momin, Saurabh Sachdeva, Vineeth, Narain, and Binu Pappu.

Filming mostly took place in the Idukki district of Kerala, as well as at Mangalore, Ooty, and other areas in southern Karnataka and northern Kerala. Principal photography started in April 2025 and ended in mid-June 2025.On November 21, 2025, Ekō was launched to overwhelmingly good reviews from critics and viewers. Despite having a ₹5 crore budget, it was a huge financial success, making nearly ₹50 crore globally. The film’s story, acting (particularly those of Sandeep, Biana, and Narain), background score, cinematography, editing, and complexity of plot were all praised after its OTT release.

Mohan Pothan travels to a lodge close to the Kerala-Karnataka border in search of Kuriachan, a well-known criminal acquaintance who has vanished. When Appootty drives him to Kuriachan’s isolated estate in the Western Ghats, Pothan informs him that Kuriachan brought a unique canine breed from Malaysia many years ago, and he has brought a female husky to entice the males.

Mlaathi, Kuriachan’s wife of Malaysian descent, resides in the estate with Peeyoos, a housekeeper. A Mangaluru man posing as a Navy member pays Peeyoos a visit. He claims to have been connected with Kuriachan but offers no further details. For any information regarding Kuriachan, he gives Peeyoos a substantial prize. Mlaathi tells Peeyoos that Soyi is her real name. During World War II, Kuriachan and Mohan Pothan had gone to Soyi’s home in British Malaya to examine her husband’s purebred canines.

Soyi was imprisoned in her home following her husband’s death in a Japanese attack since neither she nor anyone else could leave because of her husband’s dogs. After Kuriachan killed every adult dog to save Soyi, he married her and took her home with him, along with the few surviving purebred puppies. Peeyoos informs the Navy man of this right away. Additionally, Appootty discloses that the Husky appears to have starved to death, and Pothan’s body has been discovered, most likely after falling from the cliff.

Two loggers named Soman and Sukumaran capture Peeyoos after realizing that his identity is fraudulent. They claim that Peeyoos is also after Kuriachan, and they believe that he assassinated Mohan Pothan, whose true goal was to locate Kuriachan. Peeyoos disputes this, claiming that even though he trailed Mohan Pothan, Pothan was shoved down the edge by a dog.

The Navykkaran, who had been conducting parallel investigations, discovers that the letters that appeared to be from Kuriachan were actually sent by Appootty, who was given the responsibility by Kuriachan to transmit them from several post offices before to his disappearance. He goes to Mlaathi. Mlaathi informs the Navy officer that six years ago, a week before Kuriachan vanished, Pothan paid her a visit, asked about Kuriachan, and then departed. Pothan was captured shortly after and spent the next five to six years in prison. It is well known that Kuriachan was responsible for Pothan’s incarceration in that instance.

Although Mlaathi doesn’t go into further detail about Pothan’s visit on that particular day, the audience is shown that Pothan informed Mlaathi that her Malaysian husband wasn’t killed by the Japanese but rather was set up and imprisoned by Kuriachan, and the two of them made up the story of his death so Kuriachan could wed her. Additionally, Pothan stated that Kuriachan had broken his vow to share her with Pothan. Pothan added that Kuriachan, a dog lover, killed numerous dogs to save her out of ego-hurt after witnessing the excellent training Mlaathi’s Malaysian husband had given his canines rather than out of love for her.

Kuriachan admitted to imprisoning Mlaathi’s Malaysian husband when he returned home the night of his disappearance, but he only claimed to have done it out of love for Mlaathi when Mlaathi questioned him about it. In the present, the Navy man discloses that her housekeeper’s name is fictitious and that he may be Kuriachan’s young right-hand man, who has committed numerous crimes on his behalf.

Soman claims to be aware of a cave close to the Karnataka border and questions whether it was Kuriachan’s alleged hiding place, where he eats food delivered by his trained dogs. When the three get at the alleged cave, Soman and Sukumaran identify themselves as undercover police officers and make an attempt to apprehend Peeyoos, whom they now know to be Manikandan, Kuriachan’s “bodyguard.” Soman and Sukumaran perish in the ensuing altercation with Peeyoos, and Peeyoos discloses that he was radicalized as a youngster after witnessing the disfigured remains of his parents, who committed suicide with a failed suicide bomb.

Later, when Peeyoos returns under the guise of going back to his homeland, Mlaathi tells him that she has discovered who he really is—Kuriachan’s dependable right-hand, devoted as a dog. She wonders if he wants to hurt her. Until he has a good reason, he doesn’t say no. If he has a reason to, Mlaathi asks him what he will do. He indicates that he is only devoted to Kuriachan by responding that some dogs only have one master.

In the meantime, the Mangalore-based Navykkaran starts to piece together the hints and remember earlier events that hint to the twist: Mlaathi was the dog master, not Kuriachan. He believes that Kuriachan would have actually gone into hiding six years ago in the alleged cave where dogs would guard the entrance and bring him fruits to survive. His plan would have been to hide for a few days before returning, but Mlaathi’s dogs would have trapped him in the cave. As part of Mlaathi’s retaliation and liberation, they may be bringing him food while forcibly preventing him from leaving, thus imprisoning him in that cave.

Peeyoos also reflects on his own statement, and starts to realize the truth as he watches Mlaathi scanning the hills through her binoculars, that the dogs’ one master is Mlaathi. As Peeyoos moves to get a knife from his bag to kill Mlaathi, he realizes that he is surrounded by an angry horde of dogs, only kept in control by Mlaathi’s presence. He comes to the realization that he has also become a prisoner to Mlaathi’s will, trapped by her dogs who watch his every move and breath. The film ends unclear as to whether Peeyoos will live, or become another chapter in Mlaathi’s vengeance, potentially leading a sequel.