wasnt the recent prakash jha movie more on the lines that you told (not the kid growing up to be a collector though).
As far as the messed up climax is concerned - well at that time i felt happy for not seeing Rajini's character in a body bag - later on - i wonder thats the best that can be done with a commercial hero like Rajni in your project - so that is a maaf.. - Though I loved Rajini's raw display of vengeance on kali varadhan and co..