The crime thriller 'Tabbar', an original production of SonyLIV, centers around a family who is struggling with the aftermath of an accidental murder and is compelled to take drastic measures to secure temporary safety.

The story begins with Omkar Singh (Pavan Raj Malhotra) driving at night with his wife, Sargun (Supriya Pathak), who appears to be unwell. They stop the car, remove a corpse from the trunk, and cremate it. Sargun tries to kill herself but is saved by Omkar. She believes God will never forgive them, but Omkar argues that if God existed, they wouldn't be in this predicament.

The scene then shifts to an earlier time, where we see Omkar taking care of his sick wife and their younger son Tegi, who wants to become a YouTube star. The family eagerly awaits the arrival of their elder son, Happy, who is preparing for the UPSC exams in Delhi.

While Happy is visiting, a man named Maheep Sodhi (Rachit Bahal) comes to their house, claiming their luggage bags were swapped. Tegi takes a package from Happy's bag, thinking it is a gift, but it is actually drugs that Maheep was smuggling. When Maheep comes back to retrieve the package, he holds the family at gunpoint, and in the chaos, Sargun stabs him, and Happy shoots him.

Knowing the consequences they will face if they turn themselves in, the family decides to dispose of the body. However, Maheep's brother, Ajeet Sodhi (Ranvir Shorey), a businessman turned politician, is searching for him, and when the body is found, tension builds. The family is cornered by Ajeet's trusted man, Multan (Ali Mughal), who is trying to find evidence through CCTV footage and other means. Amidst the chaos, the family is forced to make reckless decisions and cover up their actions, with the only rule being "Family first."

A detailed explanation of the ending of 'Tabbar':

Drug link

After Maheep is killed, Tegi tries to persuade his father and brother to sell the drugs they found on Maheep to make some money. He shares this idea with his friend, with whom he collaborates on a YouTube channel. The friend convinces Tegi to betray his family and introduces him to a drug dealer who takes him to meet his boss. The boss, who is actually a spy working for Multan, takes Tegi hostage and tortures him to extract information about the source of the drugs. This information allows Multan to identify Omkar's family as the culprits.

Omkar and Happy attempt to frame Ajeet for the murder of his brother. Happy manages to get a job at Ajeet's company and tries to plant the bag of drugs in Ajeet's car. He is caught by Ajeet's competitor and tortured. Omkar comes to his rescue and confesses to killing Maheep. He tries to make a deal with the competitor, but the latter betrays him and promises to hand over the killers to Ajeet if he drops out of the election. Omkar pretends to be framed by Ajeet's competitor, leading Ajeet to kill him in the chaos.

As they leave, Ajeet hears the alarm on Omkar's watch and realizes who the real killer is. However, Omkar has already poisoned Ajeet's glass of water to avoid another confrontation. Happy admits that he stopped attending coaching classes and had taken out a large loan. He also confesses to stealing Maheep's bag of drugs after seeing him using them in the train's toilet.

Witnesses and suspicions

After Maheep's murder, Suneel (Babla Kochhar), who is Omkar's neighbor and had a brief conversation with Maheep, becomes suspicious when he sees Maheep's video on drug use going viral. He recognizes Maheep when Multan and his people come looking for him in the locality. Suneel steals Omkar's revolver that was used in the shooting and later blackmails Omkar with it. Omkar kills Suneel and stages it as a suicide.

Lucky (Paramveer Singh Cheema), Happy's cousin and a policeman, becomes interested in the case after noticing strange behavior from the family after the murder. He sees a bloodstain on his uniform and extracts Maheep's footage from the CCTV. Lucky collects evidence on his own and connects links after overhearing a conversation between Happy and his father. Lucky's fiance, Palak (Nupur Nagpal), who is Suneel's daughter, informs him that she found a stolen debit card on the stairs of their terrace. She later reveals that Happy took her on a different route to avoid the police and faked the theft to protect Lucky and his father.

Sargun’s trauma

In the opening scene, the burnt corpse that is being shown belongs to Lucky, who was killed because he was about to expose the murder. Sargun's mental state deteriorates after Maheep's murder and the crow's cawing in her veranda becomes a recurring motif in her mind, which she associates with bad omens.

Sargun begins to hallucinate and imagines seeing blood on the walls, her hands stained with blood, and the victims of the murder surrounding her. She believes that surrendering is the only way to be relieved of her guilt and starts scribbling on her walls about the incident and her thoughts. She also calls people on the phone and tries to tell them about what happened.

Omkar realizes that things have spiraled out of control and that he can no longer keep his family safe, despite his attempts to silence those who interfered.

Flashbacks show a young Omkar promising Sargun that he would always prioritize his family over everything else. Omkar reluctantly poisons the food he prepares for his wife to protect his children's future.