Cast: Prithviraj Sukumaran, Roshan Mathew, Mamukkoya, Srindaa, Murali Gopi
Music: Jakes Bejoy
Direction: Manu Warrier
Malayalam cinema is going through a phase that Tamil cinema went through a couple of years ago, the thriller films phase. There was a series of Tamil thriller films which released one after the other post the massive success of Ratchasan. Now, there have been a similar trend in Malayalam too with continuous release of thriller films. The recent one is Kuruthi which is streaming on Amazon Prime.
The film opens with three different scenes edited in an intercut fashion. Most thriller films opens with a scene which might serve as an integral part of the narrative. Here its three scenes. Following which, we get introduced to the characters and their background. Similarly here we get introduced to Ibrahim (Roshan Mathew), who is a devoted Muslim living in grief after the death of his wife and daughter. He is now living with his almost bedridden father, Moosa (Mamukkoya) and his teenage brother, Rasool. He lives in a secluded place near the forest where there is only one another house where Suma (Srindaa) lives. She is a devoted Hindu living with her brother, who is grieving for his lost wife.
The film constantly keeps building up the tension by putting its characters in a dilemma. The film deals with a very sensitive e issue and it’s quite amazing how the writer has handled it. Each character is well-written with proper character arcs. Each character has a purpose to be present in the film and the actors are terrific. Prithiviraj Sukumaran as Laiq is menacing and Roshan Mather is amazing as always. But the character that took me by surprise was Moosa (wonderfully played by Mamukkoya). Not just the performance, the character is also intelligently written. The character, who is quite old doesn’t care about history/ old times, who is sarcastic and also thoughtful. One of the best characters of recent times. The film sticks to its genre, home invasion thriller and serves as a brilliant genre film.
Verdict: A nail biting thriller on a sensitive issue with some well-written characters
Cinephile's Amigo 