Karuppu () is a 2026 Indian Tamil-language fantasy action drama film directed by RJ Balaji from a screenplay he co-wrote with Ashwin Ravichandran, Rahul Raj, T. S. Gopi Krishnan and Karan Aravind Kumar. Produced by Dream Warrior Pictures, the film stars Suriya, Balaji and Trisha, alongside Indrans, Anagha Maya Ravi (in her Tamil debut), Sshivada, Swasika, Natty Subramaniam and Supreeth Reddy. In the film, the guardian deity Vettai Karuppu disguises himself as a lawyer to fight corruption in a court system.
The film was officially announced in October 2024 under the tentative title Suriya 45, as it is the actor's 45th film in a leading role. Principal photography commenced the following month in Pollachi and was completed by early 2026. The official title was announced in June 2025. The film has music composed by Sai Abhyankkar, cinematography handled by G. K. Vishnu and editing by R. Kalaivanan.
Karuppu was originally scheduled for release in India on 14 May 2026, but the release was cancelled at the last minute due to unforeseen circumstances; following the resolution of the issue, the film was released on 15 May 2026. The film has received mixed reviews from critics. Karuppu was a massive box-office success and became the highest-grossing film of Suriya's career.
Plot Binu and her father Mattancherry Sukumaran are traveling from Kerala to Chennai by train for Binu's liver transplant treatment, carrying 60 sovereigns of gold meant to fund the surgery. During a halt at an intermediate station, a group of thieves steal their bag. The duo file a complaint at a nearby police station, where the police later claim to have recovered only 45 sovereigns of the stolen gold. They are informed that the jewels can only be returned through a Return of Property petition filed in court.
Desperate to recover the gold, Binu and Sukumaran approach Baby Kannan, a powerful advocate who controls the local court through corruption and influence. Instead of helping them, Baby Kannan deliberately drags the case for money, exploiting the family until they slowly lose hope of getting the jewels back. Unable to bear the injustice any longer, Sukumaran prays to and seeks help from Vettai Karuppu, the guardian deity of the Seven Wells, also known as Ellaswamy. Karuppu decides to punish Baby Kannan and enters the court disguised as a newly transferred advocate named Saravanan to fight Binu's case legally.
Saravanan soon learns how deeply corrupted the court system is. He also meets Advocate Preethi, who explains Baby Kannan's influence over the entire court. During the first hearing, Baby Kannan manipulates the proceedings by creating confusion through multiple petitions filed under different advocates, causing the hearing to become invalid. Saravanan secretly uses his supernatural powers to counter the corruption, which is witnessed by both Preethi and Baby Kannan. Baby Kannan then challenges Saravanan to win the case without using any of his powers. Despite several obstacles, Saravanan eventually succeeds in retrieving the jewels. However, the victory comes too late, as Binu dies before she can undergo the transplant. Saravanan then decides that nobody else seeking justice at the court shall be delayed or denied.
Saravanan takes up a sexual assault case involving a woman. Realising that powerful men connected to Baby Kannan are behind the crime, Saravanan entrusts the case to Preethi. Earlier, Preethi had wished for a modern court where nobody could lie and where old unresolved cases would finally receive justice. During the first hearing of the assault case, Baby Kannan unexpectedly finds himself unable to lie in court and is forced to reveal the truth. His confession angers a minister connected to the crime, who decides to eliminate him. Baby Kannan slowly realises that these changes are part of Karuppu's divine intervention. Karuppu also begins eliminating crime within the boundaries of the Seven Wells, leading to old cases being resolved and preventing new crimes from taking place. Baby Kannan notices that even the minister's men are unable to commit crimes within the area protected by Karuppu, whose powers are limited only to the Seven Wells.
Determined to escape Karuppu's influence, Baby Kannan plans to relocate the court outside the protected area. He murders the judge who opposes the move, then engineers chaos inside the court complex, causing the building to collapse. Using the incident to his advantage, he successfully pushes for the relocation of the court temporarily in another locality, in Sriperumbudur IT park. However, Baby Kannan's license to practice law gets suspended when he attempts to bribe the new judge, and he continues to be haunted by Karuppu's presence and warnings. During the inauguration ceremony of the new court, Baby Kannan arrives with armed men to threaten everyone present. They are stopped by the Deputy superintendent of police Durai Singam, who is revealed to be Kaaval Karuppu, the guardian deity of the new area. The deity ultimately executes Baby Kannan, ending his reign of corruption. Later, Preethi visualises Binu and her father eating biryani together peacefully as Binu wished.
In a mid-credits scene, the opposition party in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly criticises Chief Minister Usilampatti Karuppiah Gandhi (UKG) for failing to address the demands of the judiciary. During the vote of trust, UKG proves he has the support of the majority. He is opposed only by Karuppu, who is now seen in the opposition party as an MLA.
Cast
Balaji, besides portraying Baby Kannan, appears briefly as Usilampatti Karuppaiah Gandhi (UKG), paying homage to his role as the title character from the 2019 film LKG. Suriya, besides playing the title character, appears as Durai Singam (from the Singam film series) towards the climax.
Production Development In September 2024, it was reported that Suriya would collaborate with RJ Balaji for the former's third directorial venture. Balaji had written a script which was initially narrated to Vijay for his 69th film, but did not progress. He subsequently met Suriya before the release of Kanguva (2024) and narrated the same script, which impressed the actor, who agreed to take on the role. The film was intended to commence after Suriya had completed shooting for Retro (2025). The project was reportedly produced by S. R. Prabhu and S. R. Prakash Babu's Dream Warrior Pictures, marking the actor's second collaboration with the production house after NGK (2019).
The company made a public announcement on 14 October 2024, confirming the project, tentatively titled Suriya 45, as it was the actor's 45th film in a lead role. The announcement poster, released on the same day, featured a collection of lengthy sickles and spears with a horse galloping between them, leading to speculation that the film would be a Hindu mythological or fantasy drama. Ashwin Ravichandran, Rahul Raj, T. S. Gopi Krishnan and Karan Aravind Kumar co-wrote the script with Balaji. In late November, G. K. Vishnu was confirmed as the cinematographer, returning to Tamil cinema after six years since Bigil (2019). The following month, editor R. Kalaivanan, production designer Arun Venjaramoodu and action choreographer Vikram Mor were announced as part of the technical crew. The film's official title, Karuppu, was announced on 20 June 2025, coinciding with Balaji's birthday.
Casting In November 2024, it was reported that Trisha had been cast as the lead actress, pairing with Suriya for the fourth time after Mounam Pesiyadhe (2002), Aayutha Ezhuthu (2004) and Aaru (2005). Her participation was officially confirmed on 14 December 2024. Trisha's voice was dubbed by Chinmayi. On 15 December 2024, the producers confirmed the casting of Indrans and Swasika, although the latter had earlier hinted at her involvement through social media. Subsequently Alappuzha Gymkhana and Kaathal: The Core fame Anagha Maya Ravi, Sshivada, Natty Subramaniam and Supreeth Reddy were announced as part of the cast in the same month. The film marked Anagha's Tamil debut. Aju Varghese appeared in a cameo role without remuneration. Indrans, a native Malayalam speaker, was initially apprehensive about acting in the film due to his limited grasp of Tamil but was encouraged by Balaji who revealed that the character was a Malayali. Sandy Master and Janany Kunaseelan appear in cameo roles, reprising their roles from Leo (2023). Sandy had grown a beard for another film, which became a problem for his Karuppu cameo which required he recreate his Leo looks, so he had to attain permission from the producers of his other film to remove his beard for Karuppu. Arya filmed a cameo, but his scenes did not make the final cut.
Filming Principal photography began with an inaugural puja ceremony on 27 November 2024 at Masani Amman temple in Pollachi with the presence of the film's cast and crew. The first schedule commenced the following day in Coimbatore. In early December, pictures from the sets leaked online which featured Trisha and Suriya dressed as lawyers, leading to speculation about their characters. By mid-February 2025, the team planned to shoot key sequences at the East Coast Road (ECR) in Chennai. During filming at Velichal in the Kelambakkam–Vandalur stretch, makeshift platforms erected by the art direction team caused unexpected roadblocks, prompting local residents to alert authorities. Police subsequently intervened and halted filming, citing the production team's failure to obtain the necessary permissions. Officials advised the makers to secure prior approval from the Tambaram Metropolitan Police Commissioner's office, resulting in the cancellation of the planned schedule.
In early March 2025, the production moved to Hyderabad to film a crucial sequence at Ramoji Film City. Later that month, the team shot a festive song sequence featuring over 500 dancers alongside the lead actors. Production designer Arun Venjaramoodu constructed a massive set at Adityaram Studios in ECR for the sequence, which was choreographed by Shobi. In early May 2025, reports stated that filming was expected to wrap later that month. However, by August 2025, production had yet to be completed. In late October 2025, Balaji revealed that approximately three-fourths of the film had been completed. In early 2026, it was officially confirmed that filming had been completed; however, six months later, parts of the Kaaval Karuppu portions in the climax had to be reshot despite the film having been locked as Balaji was no longer satisfied; though Suriya was already filming for Vishwanath & Sons in Hyderabad, he came to Chennai and completed the reshoots in two days.
Music
The soundtrack was initially announced to be composed by A. R. Rahman in what would have been his fourth collaboration with Suriya in the lead role after Aayutha Ezhuthu (2004), Sillunu Oru Kaadhal (2006), and 24 (2016). However, Rahman opted out for undisclosed reasons, and on 9 December 2024, Sai Abhyankkar was announced as the replacement composer.
The first single, "God Mode", was released on 20 October 2025 during Diwali. The second single, "Naanga Naalu Peru", was released on 23 March 2026. The third single, "Raathu Raasan", was released on 14 April 2026 on the occasion of Tamil New Year. The song featured vocals by Sai Abhyankkar and V. M. Mahalingam in their first collaboration, while also reuniting Abhyankkar with rapper Paal Dabba after "Oorum Blood" from Dude (2025). The lyrics were written by Vivek. On 13 May 2026, the extended version track "Verappa Extended" was released digitally on Spotify. The audio launch event was held on 26 April 2026 at Solamalai College of Engineering in Madurai. The entire album was released on 25 May 2026.
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