In the realm of high-class murder cases, there’s a belief that no murder can be executed flawlessly. Even the most carefully planned crime tends to have a loophole or two, and uncovering that flaw becomes the true mission of a detective or investigator. This pursuit of discovering imperfections is what drives them to solve intricate cases that would puzzle anyone. In the film Kolai, the central focus is on the murder of Leila Borkar, a promising model and singer. Her case grips the public’s attention due to its sensitive nature and the absence of any clear leads about the identity of the killer. This is when Detective Vinayak, renowned for solving over 200 cases during his career, steps in to take on the investigation.
Spoilers Ahead
What Happens After Leila’s Body Is Discovered?
After Leila’s body is discovered, the police determine that she was strangled to death. Moreover, Leila’s boyfriend, Sathish, who happens to be the grandson of Judge Lakshmi Devi, was the last person to see her. Given that DCP Thilak Varma is set to be transferred in two weeks and this case might be his last, he calls on Detective Vinayak’s involvement to expedite the investigation. DCP Thilak Varma is well aware of Vinayak’s exceptional skills as a detective. He recognizes that Vinayak possesses a unique ability to see beyond the obvious and uncover hidden truths. On the other hand, Vinayak’s top student, Sandhya Mohanraj, is overseeing the high-profile murder case. Since, Sandhya is nervous, she wants Vinayak to help her with the case. However, Vinayak is reluctant to take on the case or any others because he’s going through a difficult time in his personal life. His relationship with his wife, Yamuna, is strained, and he’s not in the right mental state to investigate anything.
Does Vinayak Decide To Investigate The Case?
Despite Vinayak’s exceptional skills in cracking cases, he carries a heavy burden when it comes to his personal life. He believes he’s failing as a father and a husband, especially after an accident that landed his daughter Ammu in the hospital. Vinayak’s guilt stems from forcing Ammu to go out on that fateful day, leading to her accident. This overwhelming guilt has caused a rift between him and his wife, Yamuna, and it’s also the reason he distances himself from his investigative career. Ammu held resentment towards Vinayak for seemingly valuing his career over family time. In an attempt to create lasting memories before she left for college, Vinayak insisted on going out, which Ammu resented. However, as Kolai delves into the details of the accident, it becomes evident that it wasn’t Vinayak’s fault.
Luckily, Vinayak decides to assist Sandhya, motivated to help Leila get justice. Despite the tragic loss of his daughter Ammu, Vinayak’s sense of fatherly love and determination compels him to seek justice for Leila. As Vinayak continues his investigation, he questions various individuals linked to Leila, such as her boyfriend Sathish, the maid Megala, and the guards Marimuthu and Marudhu. He discovers that only Sathish and a man named Babloo, who identified himself as Leila’s manager, were frequent visitors to her. The case takes a perplexing turn when Vinayak realizes that Leila was found dead in a locked room with no signs of forced entry. Marimuthu’s testimony about hearing a man’s voice in her room after Sathish left adds more confusion. Vinayak deduces that two people are involved, using fingerprints as a clue. The room’s disarray is a setup meant to mislead the police. Through careful observation, Vinayak concludes that a witness was present and hiding in the wardrobe, unbeknownst to the killer.
How Does The Complexity Of Leila’s Case Increase As The Investigation Progresses?
In the story, there’s another model named Minu who collaborates with the renowned photographer Arjun. Arjun played a significant role in launching Leila’s modeling career, but he’s known for his violent and abusive behavior. Arjun initially didn’t share the complete truth about his involvement in the case. When Vinayak interrogates him, Arjun admits that he received a call from Leila on the night of her murder, instructing him to enter through the emergency exit. He went there and tried calling her, but that’s when Arjun heard another man’s voice on the call. When Leila didn’t respond, Arjun left her place. However, Vinayak suspects there’s more to the story, as he is sure that someone had to have opened the door for Arjun and disabled the emergency exit doorbell.
In the investigation, it’s revealed that Leila’s agent, Adithya Koushik, also attempted to enter her house through the back door, with help from Babloo, to get her to sign a modeling contract. Vinayak notices a missing ice cube from the fridge, which was used to disable the emergency exit door alarm. This could allow someone to enter without triggering the alarm. With this information, two possibilities arise: either Adithya or Arjun could be the murderer. Both of them visited Leila that night, making Babloo the third person who witnessed everything and knows the truth about the actual murderer. This adds complexity to the case, creating multiple suspects and motives.
Who Had Killed Leila?
As Vinayak delves deeper into the case, he uncovers a complex web of deception. Babloo, who had witnessed Leila’s murder, is killed, leading Vinayak to suspect Sathish as the mastermind behind it all. Sathish manipulated Leila’s recorded voice and used a fake-generated voice to create an alibi with Marimuthu. He lured Arjun to the scene to further frame him. Sathish realized someone witnessed the murder when he noticed that the emergency exit door was already open. This led to Babloo’s death, and then he drugged and killed Arjun to divert suspicion. However, Sathish’s obsession with a tattoo on Leila’s arm connected him to another murder case involving a girl named Yamini, who was killed by her father.
Despite knowing Sathish’s role as the murderer, Vinayak wanted to uncover his motive. Through a paper with words written by Yamini’s father, Vinayak found the link that connected the two cases, unveiling the truth behind Leila’s murder. In the final revelation of Kolai, the story takes a chilling turn back to Sathish’s childhood. A traumatic incident from his past is unveiled, where he locked his sister Yamini inside a chest and watched as she struggled. This dark incident marked the beginning of Sathish’s sadistic tendencies. As the events unfold, Sathish’s obsession with Leila’s tattoo triggers memories of his sister Yamini. This guilt and haunting memory seemed to have created a warped connection in his mind, as if Yamini’s spirit controlled him.
Sathish even created a mental image of Yamini, which played a role in driving him to murder Leila. Sathish believed that if Leila was eliminated, his connection to Yamini would finally go back to normal, allowing him to regain control of his own mind. This eerie revelation sheds light on the deep psychological motives behind the murders in the story. As Kolai reaches its conclusion, Officer Mansoor jumps to conclusions and publicly accuses Arjun of the murder without considering solid evidence. However, a twist emerges when Vinod, a young and tech-savvy individual connected to Leila, takes matters into his own hands. Vinod is close to Leila and her best friend, and he decides to take justice into his own hands by killing Sathish, Leila’s murderer, and then taking his own life. This shocking turn of events brings an end to the injustices and discrimination that marred the case.
Vinod’s intelligence and technical skills allowed him to meticulously monitor the case from the beginning, ensuring that justice was ultimately served. Kolai‘s ending is poignant and bittersweet as Vinayak witnesses the spirits of Leila and Ammu, his own daughter, holding hands and walking away together into the afterlife. This symbolizes that Ammu has found peace, and it’s Leila’s way of expressing gratitude for Vinayak solving her murder case. The movie ends on a thought-provoking note, showcasing the complex interplay between justice, retribution, and closure. Overall, Kolai has a compelling storyline, but it could have been even better if it had focused on a more straightforward narrative instead of incorporating poorly crafted CGI and unnecessary additional leads, which could make the viewing experience more enjoyable.
