<p>A Jungian interpretation of the “hero’s monomyth” explains why audiences love movies about characters overcoming odds to win a “treasure.” The “treasure” has changed as a subject over time. In the early American Westerns, it was the hero besting the rugged terrain and championing the unknown. While the trail-blazing, anarchic, outlaw was celebrated, his achievements became legends for the common folk to follow. </p><p>In film history, over time, this stereotype has turned into an industry norm. ‘Karuppu’ from the word go, wears the same garb. </p>.<p>Saravanan, a lawyer (played by Suriya), wounded by hunger, beaten and battered by the corruption of the courts, embodies a local deity (Kaval Deivam), a vicious enforcer of ‘dharma’. The first half sets up the plot well. However, the second half fails by using tired clichés of good versus evil. This failure leaves the movie with no saving grace. </p><p>Films must work in cohesion with the narrative as a whole, not in parts. Unnecessarily shrill, glamourised, and hyped, it appears as though the star power, and not the script, is the film’s priority. Amidst all of this, Kamashi, a fellow lawyer (Trisha), is almost entirely sidelined, as though her importance in Saravanan’s journey is irrelevant — further aggravating the patriarchal norms of the hero’s journey. </p><p>The film climaxes with a courtroom battle, where the urgency of the deity’s mythical enforcement of justice triumphs over the lethargic legal system, with the deivam and Suriya being harbingers of goodness. </p>.<p>In short, a disappointing and predictable watch. It seems like ‘Karuppu’ is a sharp reflection of a film industry that “manufactures” films instead of making them with artistic zeal. </p>
<p>A Jungian interpretation of the “hero’s monomyth” explains why audiences love movies about characters overcoming odds to win a “treasure.” The “treasure” has changed as a subject over time. In the early American Westerns, it was the hero besting the rugged terrain and championing the unknown. While the trail-blazing, anarchic, outlaw was celebrated, his achievements became legends for the common folk to follow. </p><p>In film history, over time, this stereotype has turned into an industry norm. ‘Karuppu’ from the word go, wears the same garb. </p>.<p>Saravanan, a lawyer (played by Suriya), wounded by hunger, beaten and battered by the corruption of the courts, embodies a local deity (Kaval Deivam), a vicious enforcer of ‘dharma’. The first half sets up the plot well. However, the second half fails by using tired clichés of good versus evil. This failure leaves the movie with no saving grace. </p><p>Films must work in cohesion with the narrative as a whole, not in parts. Unnecessarily shrill, glamourised, and hyped, it appears as though the star power, and not the script, is the film’s priority. Amidst all of this, Kamashi, a fellow lawyer (Trisha), is almost entirely sidelined, as though her importance in Saravanan’s journey is irrelevant — further aggravating the patriarchal norms of the hero’s journey. </p><p>The film climaxes with a courtroom battle, where the urgency of the deity’s mythical enforcement of justice triumphs over the lethargic legal system, with the deivam and Suriya being harbingers of goodness. </p>.<p>In short, a disappointing and predictable watch. It seems like ‘Karuppu’ is a sharp reflection of a film industry that “manufactures” films instead of making them with artistic zeal. </p>