Karuppu

Karuppu does not fully reconcile all of its ideas, but its combination of cultural specificity, social anger and star power gives it a distinct presence within contemporary Tamil cinema. Karuppu may not achieve perfect balance between mythology, message and mass entertainment, but it remains an ambitious and often compelling film whose strengths outweigh its shortcomings.

One of Suriya's strongest performances in years is delivered in a film that is only half as good as he is. Suriya is why this film works and why he is worth watching. Karuppu is flawed in ways it cannot hide. But it has Suriya at his most committed, a first half that delivers, and enough big moments to make the ticket worth it.

Director RJ Balaji's Karuppu, starring Suriya, Trisha and himself, is a fantasy courtroom drama that exposes how corruption is deeply ingrained in the system. While the film taps into a familiar idea, it doesn't capitalise and use it to its full potential.

Karuppu is most compelling when man challenges God, not the other way around.

Karuppu begins with a striking idea of God battling a broken justice system, only to turn into a routine Suriya mass spectacle. The trouble is that R J Balaji and his team of writers seem to run out of ideas about how best to execute it, eventually settling for the safest and most unimaginative route possible. It is unfortunate that in doing so, the second half nosedives so dramatically and never truly recovers.

RJ Balaji's Karuppu almost plays out like every other mass masala film you have seen growing up, but what distinguishes it is that when your protagonist is a literal guardian deity, you rely on the beauty and ugliness of humanity around him rather than typical heroic tropes.