‘Ronth’ Ending Explained: How Dileesh Pothan-Roshan Mathew’s Cop Drama May Have Shed New Light on ’Nayattu’s Ambiguous Finale (SPOILER ALERT)

2025 has been quite the year for Shahi Kabir, redefining the portrayal of cops in Malayalam cinema. The hit film Officer on Duty, which he scripted, proved to be a box office success. Now, Ronth - his second directorial after the unexpectedly twisted Ela Veezha Poonchira - has earned praise from both critics and viewers. Starring the ever-versatile Dileesh Pothan and the immensely talented Roshan Mathew, the film is now streaming on JioHotstar. ‘Ronth’ OTT Release Date: When and Where To Watch Dileesh Pothan and Roshan Mathew’s Malayalam Thriller Online!

Ronth exists in the same universe as Nayattu, the acclaimed Martin Prakkat cop drama also scripted by Shahi Kabir. A scene in Ronth even confirms this shared timeline. Like Nayattu, the narrative involves a 'Dalit' dimension that plays a crucial role in the protagonists' downfall. However, Kabir treads more cautiously this time, avoiding the thornier complexities of caste politics and instead focusing on institutional betrayal.

The Plot of 'Ronth'

Ronth does not follow a conventional plot structure. Instead, it revolves around a single night of patrol duty involving Grade SI Yohannan (Dileesh Pothan) and CPO Dinnath (Roshan Mathew). The duo navigates a series of calls - some humorous, such as a pastor publicly exposing Yohannan's 'corrupt' behaviour, but most profoundly tragic.

Initially at odds, the senior and junior officers clash over their approaches. Dinnath, an idealistic rookie, resents Yohannan's lackadaisical pragmatism and even bribery - justified by the latter as necessary for repairing their dilapidated jeep. Yohannan, in turn, mocks Dinnath’s values as naive 'communism,' arguing that idealism has no place in real policing.

Watch the Trailer of 'Ronth':

As the night wears on, they gradually see each other’s wounds. Dinnath is burdened by guilt over his mentally ill father’s suicide, while Yohannan is haunted by the stillbirth of his child and his wife's deteriorating mental health. By the end of their patrol, they have developed a better bond as colleagues, not knowing that the illusion is to be shattered soon.

Among the various incidents they handle, one call keeps recurring, concerning a wealthy Christian family whose daughter has eloped. They assume she fled with a lower-caste Christian boy called Naveen, when in reality, she eloped with her Muslim boyfriend, a model. Her brother and his friends hunt down the wrong target. Although the Dalit boy initially escapes, he later succumbs to his injuries. ‘Officer on Duty’ Movie Review: Kunchacko Boban’s Investigative Thriller Gets Stuck in the Grey Zone Like Its Flawed Protagonist.

Now let's look at the downbeat ending of Ronth and what it means for both the protagonists. MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD...

How Yohannan and Dinnath Get Trapped in the Crime

After the body of the Dalit man is discovered and suspicion falls on the girl’s brother and his friends, DYSP Jacob (Arun Cherukavil) - who has friendly ties with their family—decides to frame Yohannan and Dinnath in the crime as well. The police use CCTV footage of Dinnath and Yohannan guiding the brother’s car - unaware of his intentions at the time - along with Yohannan’s phone call with the brother as ‘evidence’.

Upon seeing the news at home and realising his implication, Yohannan anticipates his arrest. He takes his wife to the church, entrusting her to the priest’s care.

Meanwhile, Dinnath is arrested from the hospital where his daughter is admitted. While Yohannan defiantly tells his senior that he will easily beat the charges, the police exploit Dinnath’s inexperience and his earlier hostility toward Yohannan to coerce a statement pinning Yohannan as an accomplice to the murder. They further intimidate Dinnath by leveraging his drinking on duty (at Yohannan’s insistence) and the bribe money from the jeep.

Yohannan and Dinnath are named as co-accused in the crime. During the media briefing, Dinnath attempts to flee but is killed in an accident. The final scene shows Yohannan being transported to court in the jeep, watching as officers clean Dinnath’s blood from the road.

Yohannan's Life and Career is Doomed

When Yohannan meets Jacob, who tries to convince him to pin the entire blame on Dinnath, he refuses to comply with his senior’s orders. Drawing on his own experience and unwilling to implicate an innocent subordinate in a crime he had no part in, Yohannan stands firm. He knows the allegations against him lack credible proof - the CCTV footage alone isn’t enough to implicate him, and he could argue in court that the audio clip was selectively edited.

Yohannan also confronts Jacob, revealing that he had only shared information about the deceased’s whereabouts with Jacob himself. If this came to light, Jacob too would be implicated. What Yohannan hadn’t anticipated, however, was Dinnath crumbling under pressure and manipulation - seeing Yohannan sign a statement, Dinnath assumed he was being set up - and ultimately writing one against him.

At that moment, Yohannan realises he is doomed - a realisation underscored by a subtle visual cue in the below scene, where the window bars are framed in a way that shows he would be jailed.

With Dinnath’s failed escape attempt and subsequent death in the accident, his statement can no longer be retracted, cementing the case against Yohannan and making it nearly impossible for him to prove his innocence in court.

As for why Dinnath tried to flee, it ties back to Yohannan’s constant taunts - that he didn’t understand how a policeman truly operates. Inexperienced and burdened by personal struggles, Dinnath’s last glimpse of his family was his daughter in a hospital bed, his wife hounded by the media, and his mother collapsing in distress. Jacob further terrified him by threatening consequences for drinking on duty and accepting bribes.

Though Dinnath and Yohannan had begun to bond by the end, Jacob’s relentless pressure and Dinnath’s fractured state of mind convinced him that Yohannan would betray him to save himself. Yet, despite his betrayal, Dinnath was still named a co-accused. His fatal mistake was trusting Jacob to protect him - a misjudgment that cost him his life. Had he not fled and instead testified in court about being coerced into the statement, it might have helped their case. Alas!

How Yohannan and Dinnath Being Framed Help Actual Accused

The Dalit killing case had four accused: the girl’s brother and his friends (or cousins). Yohannan knew the Dalit boy had been in their captivity, and his testimony could send them to prison. While the evidence against them was strong enough to deny bail initially, Jacob sought to discredit Yohannan to ensure his statement wouldn’t hold up in court.

By weaponising the CCTV footage and edited audio clip against him, along with the bribe money already found in the jeep to paint him as corrupt, and finally, Dinnath’s damning statement (which tragically became the rookie cop’s last), Yohannan faced near-insurmountable odds in proving his innocence. Yohannan would most certainly be punished by law for corruption, and he would lose his reputation and job, while the real perpetrators, wealthy and well-connected, would walk free due to a lack of evidence.

The Judas Allegory

Christian symbolism in Ronth is unmistakable. Set in the days before Christmas, the film features predominantly Christian characters, including Yohannan and the antagonist, with churches and religious motifs - like the cops’ encounter with Sudhi Koppa’s pastor - recurring throughout.

The parallels between Yohannan and Dinnath with Jesus and Judas are particularly striking. Much like Judas betrayed Jesus to the authorities, Dinnath - who had begun to see Yohannan as a father figure - betrayed him with a false statement. In the biblical account, Judas later died by suicide, consumed by guilt; similarly, Dinnath perishes after realising his betrayal was futile.

The 'Nayattu' Connections

Ronth is set in 2022, the same year as Nayattu - in fact, the events of Nayattu occur just a month prior. This timeline is confirmed when Yohannan watches a news report implicating him in Naveen’s murder, where the anchor notes it’s been 'only a month' since CPO Praveen Michael (Kunchacko Boban) and WCPO Sunitha (Nimisha Sajayan) were arrested over another Dalit youth’s death. Nayattu Movie Review: Kunchacko Boban, Joju George and Nimisha Sajayan Star in One of the Best Cop Thrillers in Recent Times, if Not the BEST!

The similarities run deeper. In Martin Prakkat’s Nayattu, Praveen, Sunitha, and their senior ASI Maniyan (Joju George) are falsely accused in a Dalit youth leader’s death, forcing them to flee arrest. Both films explore how the political fallout from these deaths triggers relentless media scrutiny, pressuring the department to find scapegoats.

In each story, a protagonist’s death ultimately changes nothing for the others. In Nayattu, Maniyan’s suicide is manipulated by the department as a suicide in custody, and they destroyed his dying declaration, leaving Praveen and Sunitha to suffer for a crime they didn’t commit. Likewise, in Ronth, Dinnath’s fatal attempt to escape only seals Yohannan’s fate, extinguishing any hope of proving his innocence.

And thereby, just like Nayattu, even Ronth has a downbeat ending, highlighting how easy it is for the system to make scapegoats out of the lesser privileged and use caste politics to their benefit.

What 'Ronth' Confirms About 'Nayattu'

This scene in Ronth also reveals a crucial detail about Nayattu that was ambiguous till now. Much like in Ronth, the unfortunate cops in Nayattu – Praveen and Sunitha – are instructed by their superiors to pin the entire blame on Maniyan (since he’s already dead) to secure their freedom. Yet unlike the terrified Dinnath, Praveen and Sunitha, who’ve come to deeply respect their deceased senior, refuse to comply. Their superiors grant them until they reach court to reconsider, and the film’s final shot leaves us questioning whether they might ultimately relent under pressure. Nayattu Ending Explained: Decoding the Downbeat Finale of Nimisha Sajayan, Kunchacko Boban and Joju George’s Cop Thriller.

However, the news clip in Ronth confirms they remain in remand, still accused of the Dalit youth’s death. This means they’ve held firm – neither bowing to their superiors’ demands nor betraying Maniyan’s memory to extricate themselves from the case.

(The opinions expressed in the above article are of the author and do not reflect the stand or position of LatestLY.)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 28, 2025 05:03 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).