Written by Anucharan Murugaiyan & M. Manikandan
Directed by Anucharan Murugaiyan
India, 2015
Director Anucharan Murugaiyan’s feature debut, Kirumi, is a gritty crime/thriller that explores a selfish young man’s attempts to outmaneuver crime and corruption on the streets of Chennai’s. Murugaiyan and co-screenwriter M. Manikandan have come together to produce a solid script that sets the stage for the film’s examination of a modern day anti-hero. Those with an appreciation of gangster flicks, crime films, and even coming of age movies will find a lot to enjoy in Kirumi.
Kirumi is the story of a young man named Kathir (played by Kathir) who lives in the city of Chennai. Kathir is a selfish ne’er-do-well that spends his days shirking his responsibilities in favour of plotting get rich quick schemes. Kathir is smarter than most of the people around him, but his lack of humility often overshadows his brains, leaving him stuck in a cycle of one step forward and two steps back. After a night of debauchery lands him in a drunk tank, Kathir stumbles into an opportunity to put his street smarts to use working as the (crooked) police force’s lackey. As a henchman for the police, Kathir finally finds the money and respect that he feels entitled to, but it’s not long before he begins scheming. As the police force’s eyes and ears on the street, Kathir uses his influence to position two rival police captains against each other to further his own agenda. As the tension between rival captains and the gangsters they are beholden to come to a head, Kathir unwittingly places himself and everyone that he loves in danger.
Manikandan and Murugaiyan revel in exploring the crooked moral code that exists in Kirumi’s version of Chennai. Television series like The Wire drew critical acclaim for creating a morally ambiguous world where crooks often acted with more nobility than cops. Kirumi takes a similar stance, but deals with the same themes from an even more cynical perspective. Kirumi portrays cops and crooks as essential components of a well-balanced eco system, one so firmly entrenched in the other that they become a legal and political Ouroboros. Kathir comes along and disrupts the natural order of his environment, and all the chaos that ensues and most of the film’s tension comes from the movie’s world finding ways to return to its balanced state. Without going into too much plot detail, Murugaiyan imparts a refreshing perspective into his story, resulting in a unique take on what characters must do to survive in an ethically challenged world.
Murugaiyan imbues Kirumi with a fantastic sense of atmosphere, he makes sure the audience understands they’re in for a gritty crime thriller right from the movie’s opening frame. The film boasts a pulsating score that does an excellent job of getting the audience’s blood pumping at just the right moments. The action scenes are frantic and tense, and convey the feeling that anything can happen at any moment in the “lawless” streets of Chennai. Murugaiyan has a knack for building tension and keeping the audience on the edge of their seat.
Kirumi lives and dies by the strength of Kathir’s performance — the character appears in nearly every scene of the movie — which is a great deal to ask of an inexperienced actor (he’s appeared in just one other film). Fortunately, Kathir possesses the skill and natural charisma to hold the film together. Much of the performance’s credit has to go to the tight script and solid direction that places Kathir in positions where he is most effective, but it is his effortless swagger that allows him to walk the fine line of an anti-hero without ever stumbling into flat out villain territory. Kathir is a protagonist, not a hero, and Kathir (the actor) manages to exude just enough charm to keep the audience rooting for his character even after he keeps making ill-advised and selfish decisions.
Murugaiyan should be applauded for his strong work on Kirumi: he pulled together solid performances from a cast of acting newcomers, told a complex moral story, and produced a technically well-executed film. What’s more impressive is that Kirumi is Murugaiyan’s first feature film as a director. With a great debut under his belt, and offers of movies with bigger budgets and veteran casts sure to come pouring in, audiences everywhere should keep an eye out for what Murugaiyan does next.
