6 months ago
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A cutting-edge, critically acclaimed movie that has achieved a cult presumption implicit clip turned 30 connected Thursday (October 23, 2025). Kuruthipunal, released during Deepavali successful 1995, was rather the rage among assemblage goers and the larger set of fans and the public.
The Kamal Haasan-Arjun starrer, directed by ace cinematographer P.C. Sreeram, was a remake of Govind Nihalani’s much-acclaimed Droh Kaal. The communicative astir cops, the Naxal movement, friendship, trust, betrayal and bloodshed, was handled deftly done a taut screenplay.
Back successful the Madras of the 1990s, the eventual tribute for a Tamil movie was the pursuing remark: “English padam mathiri irunthathu” (It was similar an English film). Kuruthipunal earned that remark from those who thronged the theatres, and even Ananda Vikatan, finicky successful giving marks, gave it 45 retired of 100, a bully people by the magazine’s standards.
The affectional enactment flick besides offered galore dialogues that person go portion of Tamil popular culture. The lines about veeram (bravery), breaking-point and Kamal’s dialogues successful the gut-wrenching climax, are each uttered adjacent now, and immoderate person recovered abstraction successful modern films. The movie has acquired a larger-than-life meta-feel implicit the years with nostalgia adding a chiseled sheen.
Shot similar a noir film, and without songs, a commercialized hazard that Kamal, arsenic the producer, bravely took, Kuruthipunal hit the saccharine spot successful municipality centres. Devi connected Mount Road was each agog, and a Pallavan autobus that went past institutions similar Loyola, Women’s Christian College and Ethiraj, brought successful the young brigade by the droves for the noon show. Afternoon classes were skipped, and the adjacent day, sheepish excuses were offered to irate professors, but it was each par for the course.
Kamal, with a penchant for making his favourite directors enactment successful his films, made K. Viswanath play a important role. Years later, helium made his mentor K. Balachander enactment in Uttama Villain. Nassar arsenic the antagonist, was menacing, and his interrogation country by Kamal, is 1 for the ages. Arjun played his portion well; known arsenic the ‘Action King’, helium was the cleanable foil to Kamal. Gouthami and others held their abstraction excessively adjacent if the movie was mostly astir men and their motives and conflicts.
Kuruthipunal won galore awards and remains to this day, a slick movie with the close doses of action, suspense and an affectional heartbeat. It broke done the accustomed commercialized clutter of 5 songs and 3 fights, and carved a unsocial path. It is simply a movie that has aged well, and 1 that volition clasp a chiseled borderline successful Kamal’s varied filmography.
----------------------------------Eom.
