Narivetta ending explained: Tovino Thomas’ Varghese exposed those who killed Basheer and tribals?

The 2025 Malayalam film Narivetta, starring Tovino Thomas as cop Varghese, landed on SonyLiv and OTTplay Premium recently, after winning appreciation during its theatrical run. Helmed by Anuraj Manohar, the film mainly focuses on a tribal protest for land allocation and their face-off with the police that leads to fatalities. But a police man, Basheer, also gets killed. Let’s take a look at what happened at the end of Narivetta and whether Tovino Thomas’ Varghese was able to expose those who killed Basheer and the tribals.

Narivetta plot

Narivetta follows Varghese, a hot-headed and reluctant cop, who is sent to Kerala’s northern district of Wayanad, where tribals have occupied a forest region. The only confidante Varghese has among the other hardened cops is kind-hearted Basheer (played by Suraj Venjaramoodu). But as the tribals refuse to back off and the pressure mounts on the State and the police to diffuse the situation, more security forces (HAST) arrive. During a search in the forest for weapons, Basheer accompanies a HAST personnel but does not return. Only Varghese is concerned and takes up the matter with IPS officer Raghuram Keshavadas (played by Tamil actor-filmmaker Cheran).

Also read: Narivetta movie review: Tovino Thomas, Anuraj Manohar lead a haunting call to remember the marginalised 

Narivetta ending explained

In a startling turn of events, Basheer’s body is found in the forest, with the tribals getting blamed. But Varghese deduces that the HAST personnel had killed Basheer and informs Raghuram of the same. But he soon realises that Raghuram was hand in glove with the HAST team, who killed Basheer. A beaten and bruised Varghese steps out to find the police exodus on the tribals, as he tries to save some of them. However, as many as five tribal people get killed, though records show only one was shot dead.

Grappling with his moral conscience, Varghese reports to the top cop but finds that even those in the higher rungs are involved in the plot. But as he turns against his own force, Varghese finds that attempts are made to pin the blame on him. With no other choice, Varghese decides to become a whistleblower and submits evidence directly to the court.

In the final moments of Narivetta, Varghese reflects that he became the voice of the marginalised. Notably, Varghese, who couldn’t care less about the tribals’ plight, stands up for their justice.

For its compelling narrative and the gritty performances, Narivetta deserves to be watched on SonyLiv via OTTplay Premium