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Giri Shankar’s revenge takes hold

Kooman, translated as Owl, is a 2022 Indian Malayalam-language crime thriller directed by Jeethu Joseph and written by K. R. Krishna Kumar. Asif Ali plays Giri Shankar, a young C.P.O. at a village police station. Renji Panicker, Jaffar Idukki, Baburaj, Hannah Reji Koshy and Meghanathan also star. The story begins with Giri’s aptitude for close observation and finding clues, talents that earn encouragement from his senior officers, CI Pillai and SI Sukumaran Nair, while provoking jealousy among some fellow constables.

Giri is also routinely frustrated by villagers who dismiss and disrespect him. His attempt to file a drug-smuggling case against a young man brings a rebuke from Pillai, after the man tells Giri to remember his place as a constable. Pillai retires, and Harilal takes over as CI. The new officer is egoistic and repeatedly insults Giri. When Harilal humiliates him at a kabaddi match, Giri decides to take revenge.

He turns to Maniyan, an old thief, who teaches him how to rob his neighbours. A string of robberies follows, and Harilal and two constables are suspended because they cannot solve them. Giri’s kleptomania worsens, and he is caught while attempting to rob Ramakrishna. He flees to Tamil Nadu, only to learn the next day that Ramakrishna has been found hanging from a tree.

Letters, deaths and a hidden pattern

Giri has previously seen a similar hanging and suspects that Ramakrishna’s death is murder rather than suicide. He confesses his role in the robberies to Pillai and explains his doubts. Though upset by Giri’s actions, Pillai tries to help him address his disorder through counselling with a psychiatrist.

Giri asks permission to investigate the deaths and related incidents in Tamil Nadu, information about which he receives from Senthil Kumar, a constable with the Tamil Nadu Police. The number of similar cases is high, and the incidents follow a pattern. Giri identifies a shared connection among those believed to have died by suicide. A recent murder victim found in a field is also linked to the serial killer, and she carries a mysterious letter in her wallet. Giri discovers that people who died in comparable circumstances possessed letters of the same nature.

The trail leads Giri to a Tantric Acharyan. The man speaks of a former student expelled for using immoral black magic, and of a forbidden book that disappeared afterward. Giri identifies Karuppu Durai as the person behind the deaths, which are connected to a black-magic ritual. His search brings him to an ancient abandoned temple where Durai practises black magic, and Lakshmi appears to be the next intended victim.

A 32-day production and critical response

Kooman was announced on 2 February 2022 with a title motion poster, and Joseph described the project as a thriller. Principal photography began with a switch-on ceremony on 24 February 2022. The shoot took 32 days. Post-production started in March, while promotions were under way, and Joseph announced the release date himself. Vishnu Shyam composed the original background score and songs.

The official trailer arrived on 27 October 2022. Kooman was released in theatres on 4 November 2022. It received positive reviews, drew critical acclaim from critics and audiences, and was a commercial success at the box office. S.R. Praveen of The Hindu wrote that the investigative thriller was an area in which Joseph seemed most comfortable, while the thread involving Asif Ali’s vengeful character kept the interest alive. Shajin Shrijith of The New Indian Express wrote that the film exercises the brain, and referred to what happens to Giri’s career in the climax.

Film details from the Wikipedia article “Kooman (film)”. Text adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0.