| Director: | Samjad |
| Producer: | Anne Sajeev & Sajeev P K |
| Cinematography: | Vijay |
| Editing: | Mahesh Bhuvanend |
| Music: | Aby Salvin Thomas |
| Studio: | Fragrant Nature Film Creations |
| Country: | India |
| Language: | Malayalam |
Golam is a 2024 Indian Malayalam-language Investigation crime thriller directed by Samjad who made his directorial debut.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
The dead body of Issac John, the MD of V-Tech Company, is found inside the restroom at his office with the door locked from the inside. The police is called in and the inquest begins. Initially it is presumed to be a case of accidental death from a head injury sustained during a slip and fall, and more apparently so with no signs of forced entry or confrontation on the body or the surroundings. However, his instincts cause investigator ASP Sandeep to suspect murder. John is also found to have been suffering from COPD. Police initially suspect Gibson George, John's business partner. All the employees present at the time of the death are questioned individually. Gibson arrives, who upon questioning reveals that according to John's will, after John's death, his USA-based brother, Evan, would inherit all his business, ruling out a possible motive. One of the employees is found carrying sleeping pills in her bag. Upon further follow up supplemented by the location details on their phones, it is found out that majority of the employees were patients of Dr. Kuriakose, a neuropsychiatrist-neurosurgeon, who the ASP is acquainted with. Though he initially denies knowledge of the company or its employees, Dr. Kuriakose later reveals that one of the employees, Meera, who was Dr.Rachel, his wife's patient while pregnant, was under his treatment for depression, after suffering an inexplicable stillbirth. On further evaluation, a sort of foreign content, mutagens, capable of altering the DNA, was found in her blood. Strikingly, the same was isolated from the blood samples of two other employees as well, who had consulted him with complaints of headaches and sleeplessness. As per his instruction, more employees with some sort of health issue were brought to him by the two. The water and snacks provided at the office were also tested chemically. John was found to be the co-founder of V-Pharma Pharmaceuticals. Some files secretly extracted from John's PC were brought to the doctor by the employees, including a blue print of the office punching machine. After examining and correlating the data available, he had concluded that the pharmaceutical company was working on an antidote, a futuristic vaccine for HMV (Human Mutagen Virus), aka Red Virus, (with the objective of creating a supply and demand situation) and that the employees were his guinea pigs with the antidote being given to them through snacks and water provided by the company. They were being monitored and evaluated regularly through the DNA extracting punching machine. The antidote being tested on them was unfiltered and only in its first stage leaving the employees with permanent health issues and consequent emotional distress. The enraged victims had sworn vengeance, as they knew John could easily escape law, thanks to his wealth and connections. They, however, never disclosed their plans to the doctor. ASP Sandeep after examining the CCTV footages from their office deduces their method of murder. Each of the employees had collectively and step by step, participated in the same, except Rajiv. Their plan involved directing John to his restroom to wash off a deliberate coffee spill from his clothes, where he was ensured to be locked in and made to succumb to carbon dioxide poisoning, with any cries for help drowned out by an operating vacuum cleaner. Sandeep reports the case to be an accidental death, as his conscience deems them not guilty. It is revealed that Gibson, also a biochemical scientist, is involved in the illegal and unethical activities of V-Pharma as well. Sandeep, with the information obtained from Dr. Kuriakose, sets out to investigate their lab. In the end, Gibson, now MD of V-Tech, is shown occupying the late John's cabin with the employees eyeing him testily.