Karuppu
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| |
| Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | RJ Balaji |
|---|---|
| Produced by | S. R. Prabhu, S. R. Prakash Babu |
| Story by | |
| Starring | Suriya, Trisha Krishnan, RJ Balaji |
| Music by | Sai Abhyankkar |
| Cinematography | G. K. Vishnu |
| Edited by | R. Kalaivanan |
| Production company | Dream Warrior Pictures |
| Distributed by | See below |
| Release date | May 15, 2026 |
| Running time | 152 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
| Budget | est. ₹130–140 crore |
| Box office | est. ₹207 crore |
Karuppu (Black) is an Indian Tamil-language action drama film is directed by RJ Balaji and produced by Dream Warrior Pictures. Suriya and Trisha Krishnan play the main roles of the film together with RJ Balaji, Indrans, Natty Subramaniam, Swasika, Sshivada, Supreeth Reddy and Yogi Babu. The film will be released to theaters around the world on 15 May 2026.
Plot
Binu and her father travel from Kerala to Chennai for her liver transplant surgery, carrying 60 sovereigns of gold to pay for the treatment. During the journey, thieves steal their bag. Although the police later recover only 45 sovereigns, the family is told they can get the gold back only through a court petition.
They seek help from the powerful but corrupt lawyer Baby Kannan, who intentionally delays the case for money and exploits the family. Heartbroken and helpless, Binu’s father prays to Vettai Karuppu, a guardian deity also known as Ellaswamy. Karuppu takes the form of a new lawyer named Saravanan and enters the court to fight the case legally.
Saravanan discovers that the entire court system is controlled by Baby Kannan. With the help of Advocate Preethi, he fights against corruption and finally succeeds in recovering the jewels. However, the victory comes too late, as Binu dies before receiving her transplant.
Angered by the injustice, Karuppu decides to cleanse the court system and ensure justice for everyone. He helps solve criminal cases, including a sexual assault case, and uses divine power to stop people from lying or committing crimes within the Seven Wells area.
Baby Kannan tries to escape Karuppu’s influence by shifting the court outside the protected area. After creating chaos and causing the old court building to collapse, he temporarily relocates the court to Sriperumbudur IT Park. But during the inauguration of the new court, he is confronted by DSP Duraisingam, who is revealed to be Kaaval Karuppu, the guardian deity of the new area. The deity defeats Baby Kannan and ends his corrupt rule.
Cast
- Suriya as Karuppuswamy / Saravanan / DSP Durai Singam
- Trisha Krishnan as Preethi (voice dubbed by Chinmayi)
- RJ Balaji as Baby Kannan (BK) / Usilampatti Karuppaiah Gandhi (UKG)
- Indrans as Mattancherry Sukumaran, Binu's father
- Anagha Maaya Ravi as Binu Sukumaran
- Natty Subramaniam as Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Rajanayagam
- Swasika as Baby Kannan's assistant
- Sshivada as Kanmani
- Supreeth Reddy as a lawyer and Baby Kannan's aide
- Mansoor Ali Khan as Cold
- Karate Karthi as Cold's henchman
- George Maryan as Court Clerk
- Aadukalam Naren as Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Soundarapandiyan
- Namo Narayana as Thaniga, Baby Kannan's assistant
- Vela Ramamoorthy as V. M. Pandian, Law Minister
- Deepa Shankar as Selvi
- Lollu Sabha Maaran as S. Kumaran
- Ramachandran Durairaj as Priest
- Jaffer Sadiq as Stone
- Unnimaya Prasad as Inspector Thangameena
- Giant Zanjeer as himself in the song “Naanga Naalu Peru”
- Aju Varghese, Sandy Master and Janany Kunaseelan appear in cameo roles, with Sandy Master and Janany Kunaseelan reprising their roles from the film Leo.
Production
Development
Suriya and RJ Balaji will work together for Balaji's third film as director according to reports which emerged in September 2024. The project was officially announced on 14 October 2024 under the tentative title Suriya 45, marking Suriya's 45th film as a lead actor.[1][2][3]
The screenplay was co-written by RJ Balaji, Ashwin Ravichandran, Rahul Raj, T. S. Gopi Krishnan and Karan Aravind Kumar. G. K. Vishnu joined the project as cinematographer, while R. Kalaivanan handled editing. The official title Karuppu was announced on 20 June 2025.[4]
Filming
Principal photography started on 27 November 2024 in Pollachi with a puja ceremony at Masani Amman Temple. The crew filmed in Coimbatore, Chennai and Hyderabad while working at Ramoji Film City.
Adityaram Studios built a massive festive song set in Chennai which included more than 500 dancers. The filming process reached its conclusion during the early months of 2026.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack and background score were composed by Sai Abhyankkar. Initially, A. R. Rahman was announced as the composer before exiting the project.
Singles
- "God Mode" – released on 20 October 2025
- "Naanga Naalu Peru" – released on 23 March 2026
- "Raathu Raasan" – released on 14 April 2026
Release
The movie will be shown in theaters starting on 14 May 2026.[5] The release date which originally scheduled for Diwali 2025 needed to be shifted because post-production work remained incomplete.[6][7]
The film's Telugu dubbed version has been named Veerabhadrudu.[8]
Marketing
The first teaser of the film was released on 23 July 2025 on the occasion of Suriya's birthday. The teaser revealed Suriya's character name as Saravanan and hinted at him playing a lawyer.
The audio launch event occurred on 26 April 2026 at Solamalai College of Engineering which is located in Madurai.
External links
See also
References
- ↑ 'ദളപതി 69'നായി കഥ പറഞ്ഞത് ഇരുപതോളം സംവിധായകർ,രണ്ട് തവണ വിജയ് സാറിനോട് ഞാൻ കഥ പറഞ്ഞിരുന്നു; ആർജെ ബാലാജി . In Reporter TV (19 November 2024) . Retrieved 20 November 2024
- ↑ விஜய்யுடன் மூன்று முறை நடந்த மீட்டிங்..ஜஸ்ட் மிஸ்ஸான தளபதி 69 வாய்ப்பு..ஆர்.ஜே பாலாஜி சொன்ன காரணம்..!, by S வினோத்குமார் . In Samayam (19 November 2024) . Retrieved 20 November 2024
- ↑ Suriya 45 update: Suriya, RJ Balaji's film to start rolling soon; AR Rahman joins the team?, by Akhila Menon . In OTTPlay (7 October 2024) . Retrieved 14 October 2024
- ↑ Suriya - RJ Balaji film officially titled 'Karuppu', title look poster out now . In DT Next (20 June 2025) . Retrieved 9 May 2026
- ↑ Suriya Starrer Karuppu Finally Gets A Release Date, Makers Unveil New Poster, by Akriti Anand . In News18 (March 19, 2026) . Retrieved 20 March 2026
- ↑ RJ Balaji confirms ‘Karuppu’ to release next year; Says, 'Film has been delayed due to technical reason' . In The Times of India] (2025-10-13) . Retrieved 2025-11-23
- ↑ Suriya's Karuppu to release after elections in TN, says RJ Balaji . In DT Next (2026-02-16) . Retrieved 2026-02-17
- ↑ Suriya's Karuppu titled Veerabhadrudu in Telugu . In Cinema Express (2026-04-12) . Retrieved 2026-04-06