Star
Cast:
Dulquer
Salmaan,
Indrajith
Sukumaran,
Shobita
Dhulipala,
Shine
Tom
Chacko
Director:
Srinath
Rajendran
Kurup,
the
crime
thriller
that
features
Dulquer
Salmaan
in
the
lead
role,
has
finally
hit
the
theatres
today.
The
Srinath
Rajendran
directorial
has
got
a
record
release
in
the
history
of
Malayalam
cinema,
with
around
2500
shows
on
its
day
1.
Kurup,
which
features
Dulquer
Salmaan
as
India's
longest-wanted
fugitive
Sukumara
Kurup,
is
bankrolled
by
the
actor's
home
banner
Wayfarer
Films
and
M-Star
Entertainments.
*No
Spoilers
Ahead*
What's
Yay:
Performances
Making
Background
Music
Technical
Aspects
What's
Nay:
The
slow-paced
first
half
Plot
Krishna
Das
(Indrajith
Sukumaran),
a
senior
police
officer
retires
from
the
force
after
a
praiseworthy
service
that
lasted
for
over
3
decades.
His
junior
officer
(Saiju
Kurup)
goes
through
Krishna
Das's
diary,
which
narrates
the
story
of
India's
longest
wanted
fugitive
Gopi
Krishnan
aka
Sudhakara
Kurup
(Dulquer
Salmaan).
What
happened
in
Kurup's
life
forms
the
crux
of
the
film.
Script
&
Direction
Director
Srinath
Rajendran
and
writers
trio
Jithin
K
Jose,
Daniell
Sayooj
Nair,
and
KS
Aravind
have
crafted
an
engrossing
slow-burn
thriller
that
emerges
as
an
enjoyable
theatre
experience.
Kurup
narrates
the
real-life
tale
of
India's
longest-wanted
fugitive
with
an
ample
dose
of
cinematic
liberties.
The
narrative
unfolds
with
a
slow-paced
first
half
that
takes
its
own
sweet
time
to
establish
the
premise
and
characters.
The
non-linear
way
of
storytelling
seemed
messy
in
the
first
half,
but
all
the
loose
ends
were
connected
in
the
highly
engaging
second
half.
The
biggest
positive
factor
of
Kurup
is
that
it
does
not
celebrate
or
glorify
the
absconded
criminal.
The
Srinath
Rajendran
directorial
also
doesn't
restrict
itself
as
a
mere
spectator
of
Kerala's
most-discussed
crime
story.
Instead,
what
the
movie
puts
forward
is
a
mix
of
the
story
which
is
known
to
all
and
the
fictional
world
where
Kurup's
journey
as
an
individual
was
set
in.
Kurup
is
going
to
be
a
bumpy
ride
for
the
viewers
who
watch
it
expecting
a
thorough
entertainer
with
some
'mass' moments.
But,
for
those
who
are
willing
to
surrender
themselves
completely
to
the
film
without
prejudice,
Kurup
is
going
to
be
a
fascinating
movie
experience
that
unfolds
rather
slowly.
Dulquer
Salmaan
sheds
his
boy-next-door
image
and
delivers
one
of
the
most
powerful
performances
of
his
career
as
Kurup.
The
actor
deserves
special
applause
for
choosing
a
negative
role
without
inhibitions
and
letting
his
co-stars
take
the
center
stage
when
it
is
needed.
What
a
brave
career
choice..!!
Indrajith
Sukumaran
amazes
with
the
exceptional
underplay,
and
once
again
proves
his
expertise
in
playing
cop
roles
in
the
role
of
DYSP
Krishna
Das.
But
it
is
Shine
Tom
Chacko
as
Bhasi
who
steals
the
show
with
his
performance,
which
is
one
of
the
best
we
have
seen
in
Malayalam
cinema
in
recent
times.
Shobita
Dhulipala
impresses
with
her
subtle
portrayal
of
Kurup's
wife
Sharada.
The
rest
of
the
star
cast,
including
Sunny
Wayne,
Bharath,
late
P
Balachandran,
Vijayaraghavan,
Saiju
Kurup,
Hareesh
Kanaran,
Sudeesh,
MR
Gopakumar,
Surabhi
Lakshmi,
Maya
Menon,
Vijayakumar,
Shivajith
Padmanabhan,
and
others
have
played
their
parts
well.
The
special
cameos
definitely
worked
well
too.
Technical
Aspects
Nimish
Ravi's
excellent
visualisation
and
Banglan's
fantastic
production
design
have
played
a
major
role
in
building
the
universe
of
Kurup
with
absolute
conviction.
Vivek
Harshan
scores
with
his
editing
skills,
which
has
enhanced
the
non-linear
narrative.
But
it
is
Sushin
Shyam,
the
music
composer
who
emerges
as
an
absolute
star.
The
young
musician
once
again
astonishes
with
the
haunting
background
score,
which
has
played
a
major
role
in
bringing
life
to
the
universe
of
Kurup.
The
songs
are
good,
except
'Dingiri
Dingale'
which
looked
rather
unnecessary.
Verdict
Kurup
is
an
engrossing
slow-burn
thriller
that
stays
true
to
its
genre.
Exceptional
casting,
brilliant
making,
and
technical
aspects
make
this
Dulquer
Salmaan
starrer
a
fantastic
theatre
experience.