South Indian movies have always managed to intrigue the audience with their stunning plotlines and out-of-the-box visual representations. From cars flying everywhere to the male lead jumping off buildings like it was a walk, the movies have managed to keep the entertainment level up in every regard. Malayalam-language movies are often acclaimed for their mysteries and thrillers. A story may start with a tale of a simple family, but it may spawn a cat-and-mouse chase involving everyone around them. They have the most unthinkable of plot twists, but these plot twists also make sense at the end of the film. Each twist has a justification that ties up the story beautifully. One such story is “Kooman: The Night Rider.” The movie starts off with the tale of a policeman who turns into a kleptomaniac, but it soon makes way for a larger conspiracy happening around the town.
Spoilers Ahead
Plot Synopsis: What Happens In The Film?
“Kooman: The Night Rider,” is a movie that tells the story of Giri, a constable at a local police station in Kerala. His town is located on the border of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. He is easily provoked and ends up harming the ones who provoke him. He turns to kleptomania after he finds people boasting about their wealth being safe in their houses. He meets with Manniyan, a local thief, and learns the tricks of the trade from him. He abides by his rules and goes about town stealing from people. His crime is never caught, though his fellow policemen do have their suspicions about him. He always conducts the investigation in such a manner that suspicion always lands on others.
He is close with a former policeman, and the two often discuss cases and other trivial life matters. Suspicious suicides start happening in the town, and the police are under immense pressure to find the culprit. One of the driving forces for Giri to do his best at the job is the provocation of a crime. This provocation leads him to look into the finer details and solve the cases regardless of the path he takes. The suicides that happen in the town have left the people worried for their families as well. He starts with a thread, which leads to a big spool of conspiracy taking place in the heart of the town. He has his suspicions that these suicides are actually homicides. He starts his own investigation on the side with the help of his former police friend.
When he finds out that all the people who committed suicide carry a paper with a peculiar scent on it, he starts to grow suspicious. He also finds a similar paper at his home, and he goes to investigate the matter. When he finds out that it could be a case of black magic and human sacrifices, his investigation deepens. He goes out of his way to find out all about the crimes happening due to black magic. He reaches out to a station in Tamil Nadu as well and soon uncovers a plethora of similar crimes happening in the area. Such crimes have happened on a regular basis for the past two years in both states, and each death has been cast aside as a simple case of suicide. Giri is on the cusp of finding out the real culprit when he finds that his love interest Lakshmi is also one of the targets. He goes to save her and finds that all this time, it has been Lakshmi who had been performing those human sacrifices. That is when all the pieces of the puzzle fit into place, and he learned that Lakshmi was born as a transgender woman and was conducting those rituals to attain a supposed higher form, which is promised by the said practice of black magic.
When the investigation finally ends, everyone in the town is shocked. Even after all this, Giri’s kleptomaniac tendencies have not ended. When he receives a promotion letter from a higher office, a policeman also informs the officer about a robbery that took place earlier that night. Inspector Sukumaran, who is present at the scene, looks at Giri, who instead feigns ignorance.
‘Kooman: The Night Rider’ Ending Explained – What Happens To Lakshmi And Giri?
The second half of the movie really catches up on the pace. Giri and his investigation take a shaky and snaky turn as they come across people who have practiced forbidden black magic. Giri is diagnosed with a psychological disorder, and he continues to act against the slightest of provocations. Despite being a police officer, he lets his ego get the best of him and goes on to commit crimes, which is very much against the appropriate conduct of a policeman. At the end of the movie, we find that Lakshmi, who had been confused and worried about her sexuality, resorts to black magic to help with her situation. She, having received no support from her family, had to take extreme measures to find her way in the world. Gender identity and sexuality are topics that are still under a long discourse to be understood well by all members of society. Despite there being awareness, understanding, and acceptance in the city and metropolitan areas, the rural and suburban areas are largely in the dark. Lakshmi’s sexuality is taken as something that would bring shame to her family. Instead of sitting together and finding a way through the path, Lakshmi’s family uprooted her identity and forced her to live a lie. Lakshmi is just one of the many cases of people who receive little to no support from their families and friends when they come out about their sexuality.
As for Giri, he is a man who is not open about his feelings. He keeps most things to himself and is easily provoked. His only confidante is the ex-policeman. It is only when Giri talks to the policeman that he finds out about his condition. His compulsion to steal objects and react wildly at any provocation is something of a psychological disorder. Therapy and counseling can solve these issues, but it is a slow process. At the end of the movie, it is still unclear if he actually went to those counseling sessions. If the last scene is any indication, then he still continues to steal from people’s houses and still continues his crimes outside of his work. Giri’s unstable nature often becomes a point of conflict in his work and also in his personal life. Giri, as a character, has a lot to learn. His character tells the people that it is important to have a confidante and that reacting to any and all provocations is not always a good thing. When things get complicated and start to turn against him, he is quick to put the blame on others. Despite his righteousness in uncovering the truth behind the suspicious suicides, Giri is very much a scaredy cat when it comes to owning up to his crimes.
Movies like “Kooman” leave the audience with a lot to ponder long after the story is complete. “Kooman” touched upon several topics in its runtime of over two and a half hours. The movie is also aptly titled “Kooman,” which translates to “owl,” for Giri has big round eyes like those of an owl, and most of his work happens in the dark shadows of the night as well. Like an owl, which has its eyes over everything in the forest, Giri, too, has his finger on the pulse of the town when it comes to solving crimes. The Asif Ali starrer film could also have been two different movies instead. One that focuses on Giri and his kleptomaniac tendencies and how he falls into his own trap. The first would be an investigation into the suicides happening at random and frequently in the town. The threads tying these two incidents together are loose and somehow askew as well. Giri’s tendency to act at provocation is seen less as he goes on to investigate the case of black magic practice. The initial plot of Giri and his rash reactions is somewhere lost as Giri goes deep into the investigation. But regardless of this plot point, the movie manages to keep the reader’s attention on the screens. It is one of the beauties of Malayalam cinema that the makers take their time to unfold the story and give ample backstory to the characters for the viewers to ponder over. It is a whole stage set up down to the finest details to make the experience worthwhile.
“Kooma: The Night Rider” is a 2022 Malayalam film streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
