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Humans are the soul of this film
Karuppu: Flawed yet beautiful humans are the soul of Suriya-Trisha Krishnan's film, not guardian deities
Karuppu: Flawed yet beautiful humans are the soul of Suriya-Trisha Krishnan's film, not guardian deities
RJ Balaji's Suriya and Trisha Krishnan-starrer Karuppu might be about a guardian deity but the film's strength lies in its humans. Here's why.
May 22, 2026, 16:23:10 IST By Neeshita Nyayapati Share via Copy link On the surface, RJ Balaji’s Karuppu almost plays out like every other mass masala film you have seen growing up. The more the hero is painted into a corner, the more the villain challenges the hero, the more people around him suffer, the more he rises to save the day. But what do you do when your protagonist is a literal guardian deity and not just a demigod that cinema loves to prop up? You rely on the beauty and ugliness of humanity around him. *Spoilers ahead* Indrans, Anagha and Suriya in stills from RJ Balaji's Karuppu.What is Karuppu all about?
Baby Kannan (Balaji) is the kind of lawyer you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy. Irrespective of your woes, he will squeeze out every last remaining drop of your savings and smile devilishly while at it. The court he works at reflects his rotten core. Not more than ten people can climb its stairs at a time, for fear of it falling, and the judge is always wary of when the ceiling will crumble and kill him. This decayed court and this corrupt lawyer are the ones that those having the worst time of their lives turn to, only to find that their lives can always get infinitely worse. When almost everyone around Baby, excluding advocate Preethi (Trisha Krishnan), fall in line with his evil ways, who can even stop someone like him? Definitely not the statue of Gandhi, which stands on the premises like the biggest irony. A Karuppuswamy idol outside the court, to which the heartbroken offer ground red chillies in desperation, holds the answer. In comes the God as advocate Saravanan (Suriya) to save the day. But when even a guardian deity can be manipulated and given the runaround by an evil human, the road to justice gets rockier than ever.The heart of Kauppu is in its humanity
Karuppu might be about the heroism of the titular God, but its heart lies in its humans. The film begins by introducing us to Binu (Anagha Maaya Ravi) and her father, Sukumaran (Indrans), who travel from Kerala to Tamil Nadu. Binu needs a liver transplant, and her father hopes the 60 sovereign gold they have is enough to cover the cost. Except, it gets stolen. And then begins the grind of approaching the police and going to court just to get the recovered gold back. Day after day, Binu and Sukumaran feed Baby and his team biryani. Their bills go up, but the court never works in their favour. Some might call the direction the film takes next pessimistic, but inside this mass film, Balaji takes a moment to reflect on reality. Balaji, Indrans, and Anagha sell it to you so well that your heart breaks when even God cannot save humans from themselves. Sukumaran eventually gets back his stolen gold by legal means, but it’s too late. A man who was once so innocent has been proven wrong. Saravanan/Karuppu might have followed the law to the T, but at what cost, questions Baby. The God, who previously promised the lawyer he wouldn’t use his powers, is only able to bring about any real justice when he does. It might be too late for Binu and Sukumaran, but a man struggling to prove he has been alive for 30 years and a woman who wants to put her powerful abuser behind bars, only finally receive justice when Karuppu wields his power. At one point, Preethi asks the deity why he couldn’t step in earlier, when he saw people struggling for justice, and he almost defensively answers that he has always been there; she didn’t know it. The film exposes humanity in all its beauty and ugliness, happiness and sorrow, love and heartbreak through its characters, who remain its soul. Balaji’s Karuppu seems to say that, for people to receive justice in this country on time, divine intervention is needed. And even then, there’s only so much a celestial being can do when humans are hell-bent on ruining themselves. If that’s not an apt depiction, I don’t know what is. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Neeshita Nyayapati Despite having a Master's degree in Journalism and over a decade of experience in print and digital media as a field reporter and sub-editor at organisations such as The Times of India and Reader's Digest, Neeshita Nyayapati remains a movie buff first and a Chief Content Producer second. She fell in love with movies in childhood and believes nothing matches the magic of watching a good film that moves you with a warm tub of popcorn in hand. Her love for writing about cinema follows that. Come Friday, you'll find her at her happy place, the movies, catching the latest rom-com or masala offering, for reviews or otherwise. As for the rest of the week, she's here reporting the juiciest news in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi or bringing out the best of celebs in interviews. While her niche is Telugu cinema, Neeshita likes to dabble in a little bit of everything to stay up to date. From film announcements to scandals and hard news angles, she has explored it all. A good book, a comforting cup of hot chocolate, puppy kisses and a stunning beach view are all she needs to unwind. Her passion for biking and travelling has taken her to various places across the country. She has found peace in everything from the frozen lakes of Gangtok to the coffee plantations of Coorg and the dense forests of Bandipur, to the monasteries of Darjeeling. But no matter where she goes, Neeshita loves coming across inspiring and moving stories.Read More Rj Balaji Suriya Trisha Krishnan Amazon Summer Sale is here! Splurge and save now! Click Here!.Get more updates from Bollywood, Taylor Swift, Hollywood, Music and Web Series along with Latest Entertainment News at Hindustan Times. Home/Entertainment/Tamil Cinema/Karuppu: Flawed Yet Beautiful Humans Are The Soul Of Suriya-Trisha Krishnan's Film, Not Guardian Deities See Less
On the surface, RJ Balaji’s Karuppu almost plays out like every other mass masala film you have seen growing up. The more the hero is painted into a corner, the more the villain challenges the hero, the more people around him suffer, the more he rises to save the day. But what do you do when your protagonist is a literal guardian deity and not just a demigod that cinema loves to prop up? You rely on the beauty and ugliness of humanity around him. *Spoilers ahead*
When almost everyone around Baby, excluding advocate Preethi (Trisha Krishnan), fall in line with his evil ways, who can even stop someone like him? Definitely not the statue of Gandhi, which stands on the premises like the biggest irony. A Karuppuswamy idol outside the court, to which the heartbroken offer ground red chillies in desperation, holds the answer. In comes the God as advocate Saravanan (Suriya) to save the day. But when even a guardian deity can be manipulated and given the runaround by an evil human, the road to justice gets rockier than ever.
Some might call the direction the film takes next pessimistic, but inside this mass film, Balaji takes a moment to reflect on reality. Balaji, Indrans, and Anagha sell it to you so well that your heart breaks when even God cannot save humans from themselves. Sukumaran eventually gets back his stolen gold by legal means, but it’s too late. A man who was once so innocent has been proven wrong. Saravanan/Karuppu might have followed the law to the T, but at what cost, questions Baby. The God, who previously promised the lawyer he wouldn’t use his powers, is only able to bring about any real justice when he does.
It might be too late for Binu and Sukumaran, but a man struggling to prove he has been alive for 30 years and a woman who wants to put her powerful abuser behind bars, only finally receive justice when Karuppu wields his power. At one point, Preethi asks the deity why he couldn’t step in earlier, when he saw people struggling for justice, and he almost defensively answers that he has always been there; she didn’t know it. The film exposes humanity in all its beauty and ugliness, happiness and sorrow, love and heartbreak through its characters, who remain its soul.
Balaji’s Karuppu seems to say that, for people to receive justice in this country on time, divine intervention is needed. And even then, there’s only so much a celestial being can do when humans are hell-bent on ruining themselves. If that’s not an apt depiction, I don’t know what is.
Source: HindustanTimes
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