Mrithyunjay (2026) Ending Explained: Who Is Saadhu and How Does Jay Kill Him?

Spoiler Warning: This article contains major spoilers for Mrithyunjay (2026), including the full story and ending.

Mrithyunjay is a crime thriller built around a clever investigation, mysterious deaths and a contract killer who appears almost impossible to trace. At the centre of the story is Jay, a journalist who wants to move beyond routine newspaper work and prove that he has the mind of a crime investigator.

What begins as one suspicious death soon turns into a much bigger conspiracy.

How Does Mrithyunjay Begin?

The story introduces Achyuth, a man who becomes convinced that someone is following him. He notices the mysterious presence while travelling home and even tells his friend about it.

At home, Achyuth's young daughter Anjali is waiting for him. Her father is essentially the only family she has.

Soon, Achyuth dies after being electrocuted near a temple.

At first, his death appears to be a tragic accident. However, Jay becomes suspicious after attending the funeral and meeting Anjali.

Jay normally works for a newspaper arranging obituary advertisements. Although his job has little to do with crime reporting, he dreams of joining the crime bureau.

Seeing Anjali also reminds Jay of his own childhood and the pain of losing his parents.

He promises the girl that he will discover what really happened to her father.

Jay Discovers a Pattern in the Deaths

Jay soon learns about another victim named Vikrant.

Vikrant also died after being electrocuted.

The locations were different, but the injuries and method of death appeared remarkably similar. Jay begins to believe that neither death was accidental.

ACP Seetha is investigating Vikrant's case, although she initially refuses to take Jay's theory seriously.

Jay continues investigating independently.

A witness near the location of Vikrant's death remembers seeing a bald man wearing glasses who appeared to have difficulty walking because of polio.

When Jay investigates Achyuth's death, a security guard describes a suspicious man with almost exactly the same appearance.

Now Jay knows he is looking for a killer.

Why Was Achyuth Murdered?

Vikrant had a possible motive attached to his death because he was reportedly preparing to testify against the BBA group.

Achyuth, however, appeared to have no connection with the case.

That leads Jay to a disturbing conclusion.

Achyuth was used as practice.

The killer apparently murdered Achyuth to test his electrocution method before using the same technique against the intended target, Vikrant.

This discovery completely changes the investigation.

Who Is Saadhu?

Jay eventually tracks the mysterious man to a building from where Achyuth's movements could have been observed.

The suspect is revealed to be Saadhu, a professional contract killer.

His bald appearance, glasses and disability were part of a disguise. Saadhu had only been pretending to suffer from polio so witnesses would remember a false version of him.

Once Saadhu realizes Jay is getting close to the truth, the investigator himself becomes the next target.

Saadhu follows Jay, enters his home and even creates a deadly gas trap.

Jay realizes that someone is trying to kill him and comes up with an unusual survival plan: he deliberately assaults a traffic policeman so that he will be arrested.

For Jay, jail is temporarily safer than the outside world.

Jay Turns Saadhu's Own Secrecy Against Him

Jay learns that professional contract killers often receive assignments through handlers.

The investigation leads toward a handler named Basir, but Saadhu kills him before the police can get useful information.

However, Basir leaves behind a clue connected to another contract.

Jay and ACP Seetha attempt to trap Saadhu, but the assassin avoids cameras and escapes.

That failure gives Jay another idea.

Instead of searching for the person visible on CCTV, he searches for the person deliberately avoiding the cameras.

It works.

Jay finally identifies Saadhu.

Then he uses the newspaper itself as a weapon.

Jay publishes Saadhu's photograph in an obituary notice, announcing that the supposedly invisible contract killer is dead.

The advertisement keeps appearing, making Saadhu increasingly angry while also exposing his face to thousands of readers.

Eventually, someone recognizes him.

Does Saadhu Die in the Police Shootout?

Police surround Saadhu's location and a violent shootout follows.

An explosion occurs inside the house and a dead body is discovered.

Everyone assumes Saadhu has finally died.

Jay doesn't believe it.

He notices evidence suggesting the shooting was staged and realizes that Saadhu has once again created a false identity and escaped.

His instinct proves correct.

Mrithyunjay Ending Explained

The final confrontation takes place at a cremation ground.

An elderly man arrives, but Jay knows exactly who he is.

The old man is Saadhu in another disguise.

Saadhu attacks Jay and badly injures him, even shooting him in both legs. It appears that Jay has finally lost.

But Jay has prepared one last trick.

Throughout his investigation, Jay noticed one small habit Saadhu repeatedly displayed: the killer had a distinctive way of drinking water.

Jay uses that habit against him.

Before their confrontation, he switches Saadhu's water bottle with another bottle containing poison.

Saadhu drinks from it without realizing what Jay has done.

By the time Jay reveals the truth, it is already too late.

Saadhu dies from the poison.

The supposedly unbeatable contract killer is defeated not through physical strength, but because Jay studies his behaviour and predicts what he will do.

Why Does Anjali Cry at the End?

After Saadhu's death, Jay returns to Anjali.

He tells her the truth: her father was murdered, but the man responsible for his death is now dead.

Jay then asks Anjali for a smile.

Instead, she begins crying uncontrollably.

This is actually the emotional resolution of the film.

Earlier, Jay remembered how he himself could not cry when his parents died because he was too young to fully understand his loss. His aunt eventually helped him release those emotions.

Jay wants the same thing for Anjali.

Her tears mean that she is finally processing her father's death instead of silently holding everything inside.

That emotional moment brings Mrithyunjay to its conclusion.

Final Thoughts

Mrithyunjay combines an investigative murder mystery with a personal story about grief.

Jay begins as a journalist desperate to prove that he belongs in crime reporting, but his investigation becomes far more personal after meeting Anjali.

The biggest strength of the ending is the battle of intelligence between Jay and Saadhu. Saadhu survives by studying his targets, hiding his identity and planning every murder carefully.

In the end, Jay defeats him using exactly the same strategy.

He observes the killer, learns his habits and waits for the perfect opportunity.

And one ordinary bottle of water becomes Saadhu's final mistake.