Basil Alchalakkal’s latest action-thriller, Toby, chronicles the story of a mute man of the same name who practices a single religion: violence. Toby hails from a town that believes in taking care of the matter by whatever means necessary rather than involving the police. Not even the law enjoys any power in the region, as the place is a hotspot for all sorts of crime, including murder, robbery, and who knows what else. However, everything changes when Toby, the most vicious criminal of them all, adopts an ordinary girl named Jenny.
Spoilers Ahead
How Did Toby Find Jenny?
Father Iglesias stated that he’d met Toby when he was a teenager with violent tendencies, which was obvious given the years of abuse Toby had gone through. However, unlike others, the priest was sympathetic towards him and treated him with respect, something Toby had never experienced. Also, it was Iglesias who gave him the name Toby, which is Hebrew for “God is good” in Hebrew. Thanks to his violent tendencies, Toby remained captive and was juggled between prison cells and remand homes. Fate smiled Toby’s way, and he was finally released from prison. As soon as he got out, Toby began his killing spree and killed a score of Anthony’s men, who were harassing Iglesias over a land dispute. Anthony’s men were no match for Toby, and he took all of them out like they were insects. In exchange for his goodwill, Iglesias gave Toby a job but soon fired him because of the many complaints he received from people against Toby. Despite this, Toby was a man of many talents and had some qualities that made him bearable. For instance, he was an excellent fisherman.
One fortunate night, when Toby was fishing, he found an infant girl wrapped in white clothes, crying in the field. While people had gathered around, trying to figure out what to do with the baby, Toby picked her up, brought her to his house, and decided to raise her himself. Toby named the girl Jenny, and she was the same woman searching for her missing father at the start of the film. Even though Toby couldn’t speak a single word, through his actions and love, Toby made Jenny understand that she was the most important person in life.
What Was Savitri’s Condition For Marrying Toby?
Toby met Savitri when he was arrested with Damodar for making a small explosion. The duo was kicked out of a liquor shop because of bad credit and decided to brew liquor of their own, but the fools ended up boiling some kind of oil instead of water. With Jenny as his translator, Toby befriended Savitri. Toby’s original plan was to marry Savitri, but she refused because she was a prostitute. Unfortunately, they drifted away when Savitri refused to leave her ill-profession. After many years, Savitri agreed to wed Toby on the condition that he would first find a nice husband for Jenny and build a small house.
In order to deliver on his promise of making a home, Toby needed money, and when Anand approached him with a lucrative offer, he couldn’t refuse. On Anand’s orders, he killed Santosh in front of dozens of people. For the uninitiated, Santosh was a local goon and butcher who was harassing Anand for ordering meat from Kerala rather than purchasing from him. Toby killed Santosh and was sent away for a long time, and when he returned, Toby found out that Savitri had married someone else. As for Anand, after Santosh’s death, he took his place and business. Once Toby was released, he started working for Anand and helped him with his illegal crimes. This included killing police officers, political leaders, or anyone who posed a threat to Anand’s empire.
Why Did Toby Kill Anand And His Men?
After Jenny kicked Toby out of his house, he eventually realized how degraded he’d become. At that very moment, Toby swore to change and never resort to violence again. Unfortunately, this was short-lived, as Toby found out that Anand had sexually exploited Jenny in order to get him out of prison. Anand had even tried to coerce Toby into killing Prasanth, but Jenny intervened and told him the truth. Toby picked up a cleaver, determined to kill Anand, but Jenny convinced him to spare him, as this cycle of violence and exploitation would never end. Unfortunately, Anand forced Toby’s hands when he murdered both Prasanth and Jenny. Anand also had his men stab Toby, but he miraculously survived. After learning what had happened to Jenny, Toby swore to give Anand a horrible death. Toby donned the look of Mari, a deity, and massacred every one of Anand’s men with his bare hands. Once Toby was done, he picked up a giant axe and beheaded Anand in front of everyone. Unfortunately, Toby wasn’t able to escape unscathed and was killed by a cop’s bullet.
No one is born a criminal, but it’s the circumstances that mold them into one. The same could also be said for Toby, as he got nothing but abuse and harassment from others. People abhorred him and called him names, and thus, with no other alternative, Toby had to rely on violence to protect himself. He figured this was the only way to earn people’s respect, but he couldn’t be more wrong. People like Anand used Toby to push their agenda and murder those who threatened their political careers or businesses. And when Anand saw no use for Toby, he ended the only thing that had kept Toby sane all these years: his daughter, Jenny. However, Anand wasn’t the only one at fault, as Toby was more culpable than him. Jenny had always told Toby to leave his illegal work and earn an honest living, but he never listened. This was exactly why Savitri married someone else, as she, too, didn’t want to spend the rest of her life with a murderer. When Savitri told Toby to build a small house for her, she never thought that Toby would achieve it by murdering and kidnapping people.
