In 1847, a king embarks on a special journey – he has all the wealth in the world but what he’s seeking is peace of mind. In the depths of the forest, he encounters an enigmatic deity named Panjurli. This deity bestows upon him eternal peace and happiness, under one condition. The king must donate the land to the indigenous villagers. However, there is a haunting warning that accompanies this blessing. The king or any of his descendants must never attempt to reclaim the land, for it would awaken the wrath of the spirit known as Guliga, a mysterious and powerful force.
Fast Forward to the Present
In 1970, a royal descendant defies warnings from the Daiva to reclaim the land and comes to a premature end, vomiting blood on the court stairs. Jump to 1990, when we meet Murali, a forest officer at a nature reserve. The villagers in the buffer zone fear their land will be seized by government officials and fiercely resist.
Enter Shiva (Rishabh Shetty), an accomplished Kambala athlete, and a good-for-nothing illegal poacher, and the son of the Bhuta Kola performer. (Bhuta Kola is a sacred ritual, which Shiva refuses to perform. This might have something to do with his last memory of his father, who disappeared into the forest while performing a Bhuta Kola.)
Murali devises a plan to apprehend Shiva and his gang, but the forest seems to be on Shiva’s side and Murali is the one who is injured in the process. Capitalizing on this opportunity, Shiva and his companions go underground to evade capture, ultimately returning to their village to reunite with their families. Regrettably, their respite is short-lived as they are apprehended by the police and forest guards the following morning.