If you look at movies like LKG and Mookuthi Amman, where RJ Balaji is a creative contributor, either as a director or a writer, one can see that he has a soft corner for the idea of satire. In one, he was mocking politics, and in the other, he was questioning the blind belief system of religious people. In his latest directorial venture, Karuppu, which is huge in terms of scale, the core idea has a fantasy element that involves God. While the first half of the movie is an enticing blend of commercial masala flavors and an interesting concept, the second half runs out of ideas, and it does not even have clarity on how to reach an effective culmination. With the movie excessively depending on Suriya’s aura to stay lively, RJ Balaji’s attempt at making a Shankar film ultimately felt like a lost opportunity to get the best out of Suriya.
So the story is set against the backdrop of a court, and the top lawyer, Baby Kannan, is a crooked one who just eats up the money of those poor people seeking help from him. His tie-up with the judge has delayed justice for many, including a father and daughter from Kerala, who just wanted to get their gold from the court, which was obtained by the police. What we see here are the events that unfold in this setup when a third party arrives on the scene, who is determined to provide justice.
Spoilers ahead if you haven’t seen the movie’s trailer. If you have seen the movie’s trailer, it is kind of guessable that there is a supernatural element in the movie, and even the title refers to that force. In a way, I would say the germ of the idea had that potential to blend two zones of masala filmmaking in Tamil. We have the conventional Jailer, Vikram-like movies that are over the top, but a bit newer in terms of visual aesthetics. The second one is the Viswasam and Annatthe kind of films that depend on over-the-top emotions, and in Tamil Nadu, the B and C centers are the areas where this sort of film works. If you look at the first half of Karuppu, RJ Balaji introduces this God figure as a savior, while also giving the God a challenge. It is almost like a Mudhalvan kind of challenge. And with extremely emotional sequences that are grounded, and extremely over-the-top action that feels pulsating, Balaji gives you hope that he may deliver a good fan service with generic beats.
The issue with the movie lies in the second half. The challenge that was in front of God quickly fades away, and the screenplay becomes a series of events where God is flexing his powers. The Baby Kannan vs Saravanan game becomes a fan service package for Suriya’s fans who may have enjoyed even his screamings in Kanguva. Unlike usual films, the scenes establishing the power and range of God happen in the second half, and all of it has a very broad stroke nature. Looking at the way the movie felt very grounded in the first half, the collection of hero-worshipping moments that happen in the second half feels very hasty. In order to cover up for the blandness, they are even adding Ajith, Vijay, and even Surya’s films and references. While some of it landed really well in a funny manner, the mass ones clearly exposed the writing’s cluelessness and desperation for theatrical moments. GK Vishnu has a love for color-saturated frames, and here also we can see him playing with these red and black. The use of slow-motion is done to create that mass appeal, and I really loved the moments where slow-motion and the Verappa track from Sai Abhyankkar, elevated the movie.
Suriya’s eyes are a major feature that adds to his aura, and the character in this movie is all about having that grace, and the man presents the swagger perfectly on screen. The fight sequences and furious dialogues are all performed extremely well by him. The way this movie has presented Suriya actually gave me more hope about his film with Jithu Madhavan. RJ Balaji himself is playing the negative character in this movie as Baby Kannan. It is a character that fights more on an ideological level, and hence, the comical nature of that character wasn’t really a problem. Trisha Krishnan, as the heroine, gets this character with an evenly distributed screen time. Natarajan Subramaniam plays the role of the judge in the movie. Anagha Maya Ravi delivered a really memorable performance. My favorite performance came from Indrans. He and Anagha are playing Malayali characters, and it was good to see a Tamil cinema where the Malayalam and Malayalis sounded real. Towards the interval block, there is a scene in the premises of the court where you get to see the range of Indrans as an actor. From showing vulnerability to displaying genuine anger, he even sidelines someone like Suriya in that scene.
If you are a hardcore fan of Suriya, watching this movie is like getting the raw footage to edit a mashup video for his birthday. From songs, stunts, dialogues to slow-motion walks, the movie is celebrating him so much that it decided to sideline the interesting concept it had and went after a tried and tested formula of one man providing justice. And much like many films in the recent past that lacked confidence in their content, this one also announces a sequel whose chances of getting greenlit are very bleak.
