Kuruthi review: Prithviraj-starrer is an impressive and taut socio-political thriller

Manu Warrier’s largely impressive directorial debut Kuruthi, a taut socio-political thriller, explores various facets of Hindu-Muslim communal conflict, and it sees two families at loggerheads over the life of a young Hindu boy. The film raises pertinent questions, without picking sides, about faith and hatred. As much as it’s a straightforward film about communal violence, it’s also an engrossing and tension-filled invasion thriller.    

When a young Hindu boy is taken into police custody over the accidental killing of a Muslim man during a clash, he becomes the prime target of a few men who vow to kill him. These men won’t stop at anything and even if it means going through the police to get to the boy. The boy is then handed over by a sub-inspector to a Muslim family and they’re made to swear to protect him. But how far will they go to keep their word?

Kuruthi is a very interesting film because it boldly discusses the blind faith and hatred usually associated with communal violence. Without sugarcoating things, it explores the various sentiments that usually drive men to commit violent crimes. It’s quite gutsy of Prithviraj to back this project as a producer as well as play a character that reeks of hatred. The film takes its own time to get rolling, but once the tension kicks in, it’s quite gripping until the very last minute. Through the character of an old man, in whose house the Hindu boy takes refuge, the film makes some very interesting observations about communal hatred and how it’s been driving men to commit atrocities for generations.

After the underwhelming Cold Case, Kuruthi is a solid film for Prithviraj both as actor as well as producer. As the hate-mongering Laiq, someone with no morals, he turns in a very powerful performance. At some point, the action and the violence does get repetitive, but you understand the intent behind it when you realize what the film wants to convey – how dangerous hate is. Roshan Mathew and Murali Gopy deliver impressive performances and the latter shines even more despite his limited screen presence. The action choreography and cinematography play crucial parts in elevating the viewing experience and kudos to the team for pulling it off efficiently.

Kuruthi is being streamed on Amazon Prime Video.