Trama

Muthu was tortured by the police in custody. Her knees were broken, she was given electric shocks in her nipples and genitalia. Muthu was produced in court and was forced to testify. The Karnataka police was the one torturing her, while the Tamilnadu police was trying to protect her. Muthu met her elder daughter after many years when her mother came to see her.

Veerappan had no gang left and hence stopped the cycle of violence and retribution. In 1999, the MM Hills jungle was peaceful. The period of peace lasted for 2 years. Veerappan was planning something big. In one of his camp, the police found Che Guevara's translated literature. He was negotiating with a Tamil militant named Maaran. Maaran was from the LTTE and was fighting for the cause of Tamil Nadu Liberation. Maaran believed that Veerappan's forests could be a good base for LTTE's operations. Maaran also educated Veerappan on famous revolutionaries including Prabhakaran, Che Guevara, Fidel Castro, Karl Marx, Lenin, Mao Zedong and Ho Chi Minh.

Maaran encouraged Veerappan to turn into a leader like them. Veerappan stops his normal activities and starts behaving like a leader. On July 30th, 2000, Veerappan kidnaps famous movie actor Rajkumar. Rajkumar was an icon of Karnataka cinema. His kidnapping brought the entire city of Bangalore to a standstill. Rajkumar was a cultural ambassador of Karnataka. He was loved and respected by everybody. It was unacceptable that an icon like Rajkumar was a helpless victim of a Tamil speaking brigand like Veerappan.

Arkesh is the head of the Karnataka STF. Arkesh suggested a surgical strike to release Rajkumar, but the risk was deemed too high. CM SM Krishna fails to contain the protests breaking out all over the state at the anger against the Government's inability to secure Rajkumar's release. STF was pulled back the jungles, so as not to provoke Veerappan. SM Krishna met with Tamilnadu CM Karunanidhi and agree on sending magazine editor Nakkheeran Gopal as the Government's emissary to Veerappan to find out his demands. Gopal had negotiated the release of 9 foresters kidnapped by Veerappan a few years ago.

Day 8, Gopal enters the jungle to meet Veerappan. Rajkumar was 71 years old, and the jungle terrain is rough with continuous rain, lightening and cold. Veerappan was 15 kilometers inside the jungle. He gave a list of 10 demands. The demands include compensation for 1991 Cauvery riots, minimum wages for coffee and tea plantation workers, inauguration of a statue of a Tamil poet in Bangalore. There was a Tamil angle to all of Veerappan's demands. The tension between Karnataka and Tamilnadu always existed and now Tamils were being ethnically cleansed in Sri Lanka. There was a feeling that Tamil Nationalists like Maaran were using Veerappan for their purposes.

Day 18, and RR Gopal is sent back to the forest for his 4th meeting with Veerappan. Soon, it is Day 50 and Gopal is still the center of attention. His Magazine profits immensely from his fame. Kolathur Mani was a powerful person in Tamilnadu. He was a rich landlord and an influential politician. His hometown hosted and trained the LTTE. Gopal was advised to take Kolathur to meet Veerappan.

Veerappan wanted the Cauvery issue to go to the International Court of Justice and wanted Tamil to be the 2nd language of Karnataka. Kolathur advised Veerappan to drop his unreasonable demands. Only one demand could be met. Shankar Bidari had jailed hundreds of villagers under the provisions of TADA, for being Veerappan's associates. All the arrests were without any evidence and no bail could be given for 10 years. Veerappan demanded that all the innocent people languishing in jails in his name, be released. The Karnataka government agreed.

But Abdul Karim, father of Shakeel Ahmed, went to the Supreme Court and filed a petition that the Government acting unilaterally to withdraw TADA against the killers of his son, was illegal. Supreme Court puts out a stay order on the release of arrested individuals. Veerappan was furious and believed that the Government will take him seriously only after one of the hostages would be killed. Veerappan had taken a total of 4 hostages including Rajkumar. The hostages heard this, and Nagappa, one of the hostages, decided that he was the least important in the hierarchy and hence the first to be killed.

That night Nagappa attacks Veerappan and manages to escape his camp. Nagappa is picked up by the Karnataka police. But the whole state is unhappy as they know that Nagappa has put Rajkumar's life in danger. It is day 70.

Veerappan demands that Tamil Nationalist Nedumaran be made the new Government emissary. Nedumaran is a Tamil separatist leader. Nedumaran explains to Veerappan that the dream of a free Tamil state cannot be achieved with a single kidnapping. He expected too much. Veerappan makes a 11th demand of Rs 1000 Crores. 100 Crores in cash and the rest in gold bars. After negotiations, he came down to Rs 100 Crores. The rumors indicated that the Government paid between Rs 10 and 20 Crores to Veerappan.

It was Day 90. Muthu was disappointed that Veerappan never asked for her release as part of his demands. Veerappan believed that his wife was collaborating with the police. Tamil nationalists explained to Veerappan that Muthu was bearing the punishment for his crimes and only then did Veerappan agree to meet Muthu and his kids. Maaran ended his relationship with Veerappan, when they saw that Veerappan was connecting with his family. Maaran thought that family can only end the life of a revolutionary.

Day 108 and Rajkumar is released by Veerappan. The state administration decides to put an end to the Veerappan regime.