‘Eko’ is a 2025 Malayalam-language
engaging thriller exploring loyalty,
trust, betrayal, resilience, revenge and survival.
The
story revolves around an absconding dog breeder, Kuriachan, and his misdeeds in
Kaattukunnu, a range of mountains along the Kerala-Karnataka border. The
director, Dinjith Ayyathan, uses the beauty of lush green forests and hills, to
create an eerie ambience that is quite inseparable from the story. On a
secluded mountain-top, lives Kuriachan’s wife, Soyi, an elderly Malaysian
woman, known to the locals as ‘Mlaathi Chettathi’ (“elder
sister” or “elder brother's wife”). She has a caretaker, Peeyos, a
young man hired by her sons who live in Mumbai and the Middle-East. In reality,
he is Kuriachan’s trusted right-hand man, who seeks to find his master. The
mountain is guarded by a pack of dogs, specially trained by Kuriachan for
surveillance … they are territorial and viciously attack anyone who dares to
climb to the top. Hence, their presence is no accident.
Eko does not follow a
linear narrative. Set against the backdrop of the late 1980s, it begins when
during the Second World War, when Malaysia was under Japanese occupation
(1941-45). Kuriachan and his friend,
Mohan Pothan, travelled to British-Malaya to see a rare breed of dogs trained
by Yosiah – Soyi’s husband. Kuriachan and Mohan stayed with the Malaya family for
a night and the three men left leaving Soyi alone with the dogs. Sometime
later, Kuriachan and Mohan returned to inform Soyi that Yosiah was dead – which
was a lie. However, the dogs stopped the men from stepping off their boat and also
did not allow Soyi to leave the house. They became extremely agitated and even
bit her. Mohan left after a while, but Kuriachan stayed on his boat for several
days. Finally, he killed the dogs with a gun and “rescued” her. Later, Kuriachan
convinced her to travel to India with him, with the puppies, thus bringing that
rare breed to Kerala. Decades later, Soyi comes to know the truth from Mohan
Pothan who comes looking for Kuriachan, who got him imprisoned. During their
argument, he reveals what had really happened to her Malaya husband years ago –
he had been sent to prison on a false charge by Kuriachan. The film chronicles
the efforts by different characters to find out where Kuriachan actually is …
however, Kuriachan remains elusive, Mlaathi enigmatic.
‘Eko’ is actually the story of Soyi … the way a helpless young woman avenges herself by using the very system - and the dogs - that were used by men to keep her under control. Her vengeance is not violent spectacle … it is a silent transition from a life of captivity to that of a captor. The narrative hints that she gets Mohan pushed off a cliff by dogs and also keeps Kuriachan imprisoned in a cave with the dogs as guards. In essence, the rare breeds are Mlaathi’s dogs that she fed and trained herself – unknown to Kuriachan. ‘Eko’ primarily derives from the Sanskrit word ‘Eka’ which means ‘One’ … the title reinforces the idea of “One-Person” dog breeds that obey only one master. By the end of the movie, both Peeyos and Soyi know each other’s secrets. However, Peeyos is powerless to act … as he realizes the dogs would not let him escape without Soyi’s consent; Soyi has all the control, she is not a victim anymore, not just a survivor but, a victor.
The interpersonal relationships of the characters are gradually revealed – each word, each action, hint at secrets – that make ‘Eko’ a multi-layered film that is a delight to watch as strange loyalties and betrayals suddenly make sense … the finale is a chilling resolution to this riddle.