The movie Kurup is loosely based on the life of Sukumara Kurup, a notorious Indian criminal who is currently on the run. The movie takes the liberty of enhancing the already infamous story’s drama. The movie jumps around in time, going from the 1960s to the 1970s, the 1980s to the 1990s, and even the 2000s. using popular culture references deftly to recreate the past, such as the television scene in which Helen and Amitabh Bachchan appear intermittently while the song Yeh Mera Dil (Don) is playing at a local bar. Not only does the time frame change, but also the locations, from Kerala to Dubai via Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and Kerala. Kurup plays around with a well-known narrative, but he still holds the audience’s attention with one revelation after another.
Kurup Plot Summary
When a police officer discovers a diary that is filled with images and notes from the infamous case, the story of Kurup begins to fall apart. The police officer reads the account of the criminal mastermind as DYSP Krishna Das prepares to retire in the distance. Kurup, who was then known as Gopi Krishnan and was an Air Force officer, frequently arrived late for police training exercises and desired more from life than simply carrying out the responsibilities of an officer. He took a month-long sick leave after being transferred to Mumbai, and when he returned home, it was discovered that he had killed himself. At this point, Gopi Krishnan changed his name to Sudhakara Kurup and began a new life in Persia/Iran.
The movie makes the decision to weave the story from the viewpoint of what the police discovered from their associates. Kurup was caught by the police after he plotted to kill a man who looked like him in order to collect his life insurance. The police found numerous pieces of evidence to show that Charlie’s death was not an accident but rather a murder. The police apprehended Kurup’s associates while the audience is left to speculate as to what Kurup’s true motivation might be and what exactly he did after changing his identity. Krishna Das and Kurup then engaged in a pursuit as the police showed up at each spot they had been notified about.
The perspective switches from the police to Kurup at the halfway point of the movie, and he tells his story. Several truths come to light at this point, including the most crucial one: what precisely did Kurup do in Persia? Kurup’s trajectory from engaging in arms dealings with well-known mafia to selling wine from the Air Force cafeteria illegally is traced. He negotiates with the cops with exceptional intelligence and ultimately disappears.
The Review
Dulquer Salmaan does a fantastic job of portraying Kurup by not only assuming a similar appearance but also taking on the wily nature of the character. He frequently altered his look throughout the police chase and had multiple close encounters with them. Despite the public’s familiarity with Kurup’s story, Dulquer Salmaan kept the character engaging through multiple layers of falsehoods and treachery. As the astute policeman Krishna Das, who found this case to be the most memorable of his career, Indrajith Sukumaran is compelling. The criminal’s whereabouts through a lot of intriguing turns, with the authorities seizing control in a number of situations. The devoted wife of Kurup is portrayed by Sobita Dhulipala, who is well-known for her work on the television show Made in Heaven. With the extended chase and multiple escapes, the Srinath Rajendran-directed movie sputters toward its conclusion. The movie is well-shot, taking into account the many time periods and places. Sushin Shyam’s music deserves recognition since it always strikes the proper note.
Will There Be A Kurup Sequel: Alexander?
The movie adds various imaginary plots to further enhance the narrative by only using a portion of the genuine crime scenario. Kurup is still untraceable in real life, but the movie follows a different path. Kurup demonstrated how the police were aware of his whereabouts and instead of formally arresting him, they opted to turn him over to his betrayed boss for a much worse punishment. Although it is revealed in the epilogue that Kurup was aware of this possibility and used the assistance of his criminal friends to assassinate his boss.
Alexander Gotmoshy, a new alias Kurup assumes to carry on with his criminal activities, is the name under which he is subsequently introduced. Alexander is seen in Helsinki, where a photographer shoots him dead while taking images of him for intelligence purposes. This information makes it evident that a sequel movie, which would further examine his illegal activities and life after eluding the Indian police, is in the works. Kurup, aka Alexander, will undoubtedly return in the sequel, but it is unclear who will pursue him.
Srinath Rajendran is the director of the 2021 Indian biopic crime thriller movie Kurup. Netflix offers a streaming version.
