The devotional film genre had disappeared from mainstream Tamil cinema for a while until radio jockey turned actor turned director RJ Balaji brought it back with his 2020 directorial debut ‘Mookuthi Amman’. For his third film, RJ Balaji dives back into the genre, this time teaming up with actor Suriya for ‘Karuppu’, a devotional-courtroom-masala film centring the guardian deity Karuppuswamy.
The film follows Binu (Anagha) and her father (Indrans) who find themselves stuck within the Tamil Nadu legal system when travelling to Chennai. They fall into the clutches of the corrupt lawyer Baby Kannan (RJ Balaji) who is bent on financially bleeding the pair dry. Karuppuswamy is summoned out of desperation and the remainder of the film follows the deity in his determination to fix the corrupt judicial system.
The devotional film is Kollywood’s version of regional cinema; a demarcation of a certain flavour that is uniquely their own, tying mythological tales into modern day scenarios. Mythological films were some of the most successful films all throughout Tamil film history – the first Tamil talkie featured a cameo from Goddess Kali. Even actor Suriya’s father Sivakumar played Lord Muruga on numerous occasions. However, where ‘Karuppu’ stumbles slightly is the attempted fusion of contemporary action masala with this genre. It is certainly not impossible – commercial Tamil films often have the scent of superhero films and this style of devotional film is not a step too far.
However, Balaji’s execution is not quite watertight, which results in an unbalanced final product. The highlight of the film is the final showdown between Karuppu and Baby Kannan, a scene bathed in bright red, featuring fantastic choreography resembling classical dance. However, this scene required a much better written film preceding it. The Kannada language ‘Kantara’ films – which have seen pan-Indian success – seem to be a heavy inspiration for the film.
The humour in the film mostly does not work. The gags are either too cartoonish, references to meme material or lazy meta jokes – the film makes nods to many of Suriya’s previous ‘avatars’. This hallmark of the Kollywood masala film, however, leads to another aspect of why Balaji’s experiment should have worked. In a Nietzschean world, many are confronted with replacing the God-shaped hole in their lives. For many Tamil speakers, Tamil films and filmstars have often been the answer for this, viewing actors as saviours. ‘Karuppu’ revels in this mix-up, which I could not help but sometimes feel queasy about.
The weak screenplay does not give the cast much to work with. Suriya comes up trumps in the project; his charisma and screen presence carries the film. Trisha Krishnan’s Preethi and even RJ Balaji’s own character Baby Kannan both feel underwritten and underperformed. The side characters that shine are Indrans, Anagha Maaya Ravi and Swasika – all three more subtle in their portrayals in comparison to the surrounding roles.
Technically, the film is solid. The scenes lit in red were interesting. There are numerous instances of creative camerawork by GK Vishnu. What could be deciphered from the scenes of violence (which were unfortunately censored out in the UK) seemed influenced by the works of AR Murugadoss and Atlee. The score by Sai Abhayankkar helps elevate the film, however the soundtrack falls slightly short, apart from the first single ‘Verappa’, a fiery hype track.
Overall, ‘Karuppu’ is uneven in its execution of giving a classic genre a modern spin. If you enjoyed this film, I would recommend watching Chimbu Deven’s 2008 film ‘Arai En 305-il Kadavul’ for a similar style of divine intervention, Bala’s 2009 film ‘Naan Kadavul’ for a darker, more realistic exploration of the theme or the 1965 film ‘Thiruvilaiyadal’ for a classic interpretation of the genre.
Gopi's rating: 2 stars
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Official trailer for film below.