Karuppu (film)

Development

In September 2024, it was reported that Suriya would collaborate with RJ Balaji for the former's third directorial venture.^[10] Balaji had written a script which was initially narrated to Vijay for his 69th film,^[11][12][13] but did not progress.^[b] He subsequently met Suriya before the release of Kanguva (2024) and narrated the same script, which impressed the actor, who agreed to take on the role.^[10] The film was intended to commence after Suriya had completed shooting for Retro (2025).^[16][17] The project was reportedly produced by S. R. Prabhu and S. R. Prakash Babu's Dream Warrior Pictures, marking the actor's second collaboration with the production house after NGK (2019).^[18]

The company made a public announcement on 14 October 2024,^[19] confirming the project, tentatively titled Suriya 45, as it was the actor's 45th film in a lead role.^[20][21] The announcement poster, released on the same day, featured a collection of lengthy sickles and spears with a horse galloping between them, leading to speculation that the film would be a Hindu mythological or fantasy drama.^[22] Ashwin Ravichandran, Rahul Raj, T. S. Gopi Krishnan and Karan Aravind Kumar co-wrote the script with Balaji.^[23] In late November, G. K. Vishnu was confirmed as the cinematographer, returning to Tamil cinema after six years since Bigil (2019).^[24][25] The following month, editor R. Kalaivanan, production designer Arun Venjaramoodu and action choreographer Vikram Mor were announced as part of the technical crew.^[26] The film's official title, Karuppu, was announced on 20 June 2025, coinciding with Balaji's birthday.^[27]

Casting

In November 2024, it was reported that Trisha had been cast as the lead actress, pairing with Suriya for the fourth time after Mounam Pesiyadhe (2002), Aayutha Ezhuthu (2004) and Aaru (2005).^[28] Her participation was officially confirmed on 14 December 2024.^[29] Trisha's voice was dubbed by Chinmayi.^[30] On 15 December 2024, the producers confirmed the casting of Indrans and Swasika, although the latter had earlier hinted at her involvement through social media.^[31][32] Subsequently Sshivada,^[33] Natty Subramaniam,^[34] Supreeth Reddy and Anagha Maaya Ravi were announced as part of the cast in the same month.^[35] The film marked Anagha's Tamil debut.^[35] Aju Varghese appeared in a cameo role without remuneration.^[36] Indrans, a native Malayalam speaker, was initially apprehensive about acting in the film due to his limited grasp of Tamil but was encouraged by Balaji who revealed that the character was a Malayali.^[37] Sandy Master and Janany Kunaseelan appear in cameo roles, reprising their roles from Leo (2023).^[38] Sandy had grown a beard for another film, which became a problem for his Karuppu cameo which required he recreate his Leo looks, so he had to attain permission from the producers of his other film to remove his beard for Karuppu.^[39]

Filming

Principal photography began with an inaugural puja ceremony on 27 November 2024 at Masani Amman temple in Pollachi with the presence of the film's cast and crew.^[40] The first schedule commenced the following day in Coimbatore.^[41][42] In early December, pictures from the sets leaked online which featured Trisha and Suriya dressed as lawyers, leading to speculation about their characters.^[43] By mid-February 2025, the team planned to shoot key sequences at the East Coast Road (ECR) in Chennai.^[44] During filming at Velichal in the Kelambakkam–Vandalur stretch, makeshift platforms erected by the art direction team caused unexpected roadblocks, prompting local residents to alert authorities. Police subsequently intervened and halted filming, citing the production team's failure to obtain the necessary permissions. Officials advised the makers to secure prior approval from the Tambaram Metropolitan Police Commissioner's office, resulting in the cancellation of the planned schedule.^[45]

In early March 2025, the production moved to Hyderabad to film a crucial sequence at Ramoji Film City.^[46] Later that month, the team shot a festive song sequence featuring over 500 dancers alongside the lead actors.^[47] Production designer Arun Venjaramoodu constructed a massive set at Adityaram Studios in ECR for the sequence, which was choreographed by Shobi.^[48][49] In early May 2025, reports stated that filming was expected to wrap later that month.^[50] However, by August 2025, production had yet to be completed.^[51] In late October 2025, Balaji revealed that approximately three-fourths of the film had been completed.^[52] In early 2026, it was officially confirmed that filming had been completed.^[53]

The exterior shots of the old court were shot at the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University and the new court's exterior shots were shot at the PSG Convention Centre at the PSG iTech campus, both of which are in Coimbatore.^{[54][better source needed]}

Theatrical

Karuppu was initially scheduled for a release during the occasion of Diwali in 2025, but was postponed due to unfinished post-production works.^[64] In February 2026, Balaji said the film would release only after the elections.^[65] In March, the makers announced that the film would be released worldwide on 14 May 2026.^[66] The film's Telugu dubbed version is titled Veerabhadrudu.^[67]

On the eve of release, S. R. Prabhu stated that the film's early morning shows, which were slated for 9 AM on the day of release, were cancelled.^[68] DT Next reported that this was caused by unsettled debts, including location charges at EVP Studios, Chennai.^[69] On the morning of the initial scheduled release day, the morning, noon and matinee shows across several theatres were cancelled, with reports alleging that financial troubles faced by the production banner had delayed the release.^[70] Though Balaji expressed hope that the film would be released on the evening of 14 May,^[70] it was confirmed later in the day that the film would not arrive on its originally scheduled date.^[71] The same day, the film began illegally screening in certain theatres in North India and clips from those screenings were leaked online.^[72] The film was eventually released worldwide on 15 May 2026.^[73]

Distribution

Sakthi Film Factory acquired the Tamil Nadu theatrical distribution rights for Karuppu.^[74] The film's other distributors include I.M.P Films (Kerala),^[75] Annapurna Studios (Andhra Pradesh and Telangana),^[76] KVN Productions (Karnataka),^[77] Pen Studios (North India),^[78] and Phars Films for overseas distribution.^[79][80]

Home media

The post-theatrical streaming rights of Karuppu were acquired by Amazon Prime Video,^[81] while the satellite rights were acquired by Zee Tamil.^[82]

Box office

On its opening day, Karuppu grossed approximately ₹11.25 crore in Tamil Nadu.^[83] Karuppu set the second-highest opening weekend box office record of Suriya's career, and is also the highest opening weekend box office record for a Tamil-language film so far in 2026.^[84] The film grossed nearly ₹15.50 crores on its opening day in India, with a total domestic box office of approximately ₹18 crores. Its global opening day gross was approximately ₹29 crore. News18 believes that the film's delay seemed to have actually increased audience curiosity.^[83]

Karuppu surpassed ₹100 crore at the global box office within days of its release, and outperformed Singam II (2013) to become the highest-grossing film of Suriya.^[8][9] One week after its release, the makers announced that the film had grossed over ₹100 crore in Tamil Nadu alone. At this point, the film's global box office had reached ₹200 crore.^[85] On May 29, 2026, the makers announced that Karuppu's global box office had reached ₹300 crore.^[4] At this point, the film's total box office in India had reached ₹194 crore, with a net domestic box office of ₹168 crore.^[4]

Critical response

Karuppu received mixed to positive reviews from critics.^[5][6][7] On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 79% of 11 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.1/10.^[86]

M Suganth from The Times of India rated 2.5/5 stars and wrote "As long as it sticks to “just court things”, Karuppu works. But once it goes all out “just God things”, the film swaps human emotion for divine spectacle — and emerges less powerful for it."^[87] Yashaswini Sri from The Indian Express rated 3/5 stars and wrote "A deity walks into a courtroom, that is the premise of Karuppu, and on paper it should not work as well as it does. RJ Balaji wrings the best out of Suriya Sivakumar and delivers a film full of moments the fans will talk about for a while. But as the whistles fade, what is left is a plot that loses its way. One of Suriya's strongest performances in years is delivered in a film that is only half as good as he is."^[88] Bhuvanesh Chandar from The Hindu wrote "Sure, the scenes that show Suriya in 'God mode' are fun to watch, but the emotional scaffolding begins to wither away, especially after the terrific intermission block. As a major hiccup, the film doesn't clearly establish and maintain the rules of its supernatural entity, resorting to them as and when the plot progresses."^[89]