Just like the lull before the storm which incidentally lasted much longer than any of us would have liked, the Malayalam film industry finally had its first major release since the theatres reopened to 50% capacity. The production house that decided to take the plunge was DQ's Wayfarer films as Srinath Rajendran's "Kurup" hit the screens y'day & the reception that it received in the leap up to its release was bombastic to say the least. I guess that would have also partly influenced Antony Perumbavoor to release "Marakkar" in theatres on Dec 2nd. Based on the infamous fugitive, Sukumara Kurup, "Kurup" has been in the news ever since this project began; for obvious reasons. After all, it would be preposterous if that cold blooded murderer was shown in a glorified manner. So what kind of an approach did the makers adopt???
After an illustrious professional career, DSP Krishnadas (Indrajith Sukumaran) was getting retired & as his office was being cleaned up, his subordinate happens to find a journal titled 'Kurup'. Apparently, it was about the elusive criminal, Sudhakar Kurup who made a mockery of the law & judicial system for more than two decades. As the pages gets turned, we are introduced to the world of Gopi Krishna (Dulquer Salmaan), who didn't bat an eyelid before deceiving anyone to achieve his intentions. So how did he attain the name Kurup & manage to outsmart the police even after his accomplices were caught???
This is Srinath's third directorial venture which might come across as a surprise at least for a few since we usually remember him only for "Second Show" though he had also crafted "Koothara" subsequently in 2014. As part of this project, he collaborated with Jithin K Jose, K S Aravind & Daniel Sayooj Nair who has penned a script that is understandably a concoction of fact & fiction. Compared to "NH 47" & 'Pinneyum" also loosely based on Kurup, I felt the trio has done a better job. They take a significant amount of time in building the back story of the protagonist but at no instance do they try to justify his flawed character. However, due to DQ playing the lead role, subconsciously many might root for his character coz of his charm & pretty high likable quotient especially the portions where he repeatedly stays a step or two ahead of the police.
The biggest positive of the movie is the non linear narrative employed by Srinath that keeps us engaged & guessing at numerous instances, whereby we might feel certain sequences to be incomplete but it is revisited later on from a different person's perspective. At the same time, I felt the screenplay was pretty average when it dealt with the investigative angle which had ample scope & ought to have been covered in much more detail as DySP Haridas & the force had invested years of effort into it. Unfortunately, I felt that that aspect was handled rather lazily & the subsequent fictional portion felt way too outlandish.
Technically, this was fantastic & the first name that needs to be praised is Vinesh Banglan & Manoj Arakkal for their production & art designs which captured the various periods authentically. Equally impressive was Sushin Shyam's BGM while Nimish Ravi's visuals and colour tone does justice to the overall mood. On the performance front, DQ has done a fine job as he was able to convey effectively the art of deception with his charm. But the one who absolutely rocked was Shine Tom as his body language, mannerisms & piercing looks does sent a chill down our spine. To his credit, we absolutely hate his character as he commits the crime with absolutely no remorse. Indrajith was fine though he deserved a much more better written role while the rest of the cast be it Shobita, Vijaykumar (as Ponnachan), Sunny Wayn, Bharath, Tovino etc did their parts aptly.
Verdict: In all probability, this will become the biggest blockbuster in DQ's career & a much needed relief that our box office desperately needed. On the whole, it was a well crafted movie with contributions from a talented cast & crew. Did they glorify the murderer? well certainly not for the horrific crime that he committed but when they go overboard towards the end; I felt they kinda did. Personally, I felt the investigation portion ought to have been covered much better as that was the portion that most of us were more interested in. Anywaz despite that, it is still an engaging watch & well worth a watch!!!
Rating: 3/5
Regards...Ben
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