Kurup (film)

In mid-2018, Dulquer Salmaan announced the title of the film through social media, directed by Srinath Rajendran which marks their second collaboration after their debut film Second Show.[14] Rajendran stated that it took five years of research to get the film on the floors.[15] The film is about one of the most wanted criminals in Kerala, Sukumara Kurup. He murdered Chacko, a man of similar appearance, in order to falsify his own death and claim insurance money.[16]

The film, which is backed by Dulquer Salmaan's[17] home banner Wayfarer Films is jointly producing Kurup with M-Star Entertainments. The entire production process took six months with the shoot alone taking up 105 days. The locations include Kerala, Mumbai, Dubai, Mangaluru, Mysuru, Gujarat and Ahmedabad.[18]

Principal photography began on 1 September 2019 with a customary pooja function held at Palakkad, Kerala.[19] Indrajith Sukumaran joined set the sets on 7 September 2019.[15] Sobhita Dhulipala joined the sets on 21 September 2019.[20] The first schedule was wrapped on 23 September 2019 with completing all the shoots in Kerala.[21] The second schedule was held in Mumbai and Ahmedabad. In mid November 2019, Dulquer Salmaan joined the shooting in Dubai.[22] The final schedule of the film shooting was held in Mangaluru.[23] Filming was wrapped on 23 February 2020.[24]

Malayalam (Kurup)

During May 2021, it was reported that Netflix had acquired the rights of Kurup. On December 15 2021, Kurup released on Netflix in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi.

Kurup became the first Indian film to release a series of NFTs as part of the promotion.[28] As part of the promotion, film merchandise was also released.[29] A pre-release event had took place at Hyderabad on November 9, 2021[30] Ahead of the film's screening, the visuals and the trailer shots were showcased at Burj Khalifa, Dubai on 10 November 2021, which is the first time for a Malayalam film.[31]

The Times Of India gave a rating of 3.5 on 5 and wrote that, "The story is a tough one to tell, but the makers keep you on the edge of the seat, even when the narration goes back and forth in time to chart Kurup’s mysterious misdeeds."[32] S. R. Praveen of The Hindu commented that, "Dulquer Salman’s crime biopic takes too many liberties with a real-life story. One of the things the film gets right is the production design, especially in scenes set in the bygone era, with tastefully-done recreations of the 1970s and 80s."[33] Sify rated the movie with 3.5 on 5 and said that, "Kurup is not an easy film to make considering almost everyone knows the facts and the fables that the story is based on. Still it is to be applauded that this has been made into a gripping adventure drama."[34]

Hindustan Times wrote that, "Kurup, a compelling crime drama, attempts to narrate the story of the notorious, elusive criminal in the most realistic fashion while taking certain cinematic liberties. Spanning over three decades, Kurup manages to impress, especially in recreating the mood of the times. Dulquer Salmaan plays the elusive fugitive with swag and sincerity in this Srinath Rajendran film."[35] Sajin Srijith of The New Indian Express wrote that, "Kurup' movie ia a stunningly designed, globe-trotting crime epic. Every frame in this film looks like a million bucks. Its top-notch production value is on par with anything seen in Hollywood. The real star of the film is Shine Tom Chacko as Kurup’s accomplice, Bhasi Pillai. If you thought you saw all the dimensions of the actor before, wait till you see this one.[36] Manoj Kumar of the Indian Express gave the film a 2.5 out of 5 writing "It is criminal that the filmmakers have tucked away a compelling idea about a larger-than-life wicked phantom in the footnote of the movie. Towards the end, Kurup takes the shape of an urban mythical character. "[37] News18 gave a positive review from the film, praising the cast especially Shine Tom Chacko's performance in addition to narration, music, background elements and climax.[38] A reviewer from The News Minute criticised for the characterization of Kurup.[39]