Karappu - It's a god thing

Karappu

2026, Tamil

Genre: Satirical Comedy

Director: RJ Balaji

Stars: Suriya, RJ Balaji, Trisha, Indrans, Anagha Mayi Ravi

Mohan's Measure ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Suffice it to say, Tamil religion in its original form is not Hinduism. Hinduism suggests that the gods are there for us, our propitiations being the way for them to be pleased and in turn bless us with things we want, in some cases up to and including liberation. 

Tamil religion suggests that we are there for the gods, recipients of their unconditional grace and blessings that is demonstrated  in all that we are and all that we have. As such, life is a celebration of sharing our gifts with others. It is our forgetting this and choosing our own  course that depresses them and, in the case of one particular Tamil god... 

Suriya plays this powerful village guardian,  Karappanar, aka Karappu, with such intensity, that we cannot help but be reminded of Kantara. But, unlike this film,  Karappu is a lighthearted comedy by RJ Balaji in the vein of Mukutthi Amman. This time the comedy attacks the ridiculously corrupt justice system, in which the scales tip towards whomever puts out the most cash. The director himself plays the conniving Baby Kannan, who milks a poor old man and his daughter to the point of death, and couldn't care less when it happens. 

Enter the god of justice, the dark one, the fiery one, who is at first challenged by BK to remain human, but by the second half has lost patience with BK and his gang of ne'r do wells. What results is the stuff of terrific screwball comedy. As a movie lover, I laughed out loud through the liitany of film quotes and scenes from previous films, including films of some of the leads.

We find out, however,  that like all Tamil gods, Karappu's powers are limited to a specific area, an interesting concept called by anthropologists as territorial theology. So, what happens if the villains leave the area?  Simple,  another Karappu takes over. And this one, you don't want to mess with.