Churuli: Movie Review

WRITTEN BY ILLUSTRATED BY

Karthik Sunil Freya Parekh

Mechanical 3rd Year ECE 2nd Year

“Seems like a different place, Shajiva ‘’ ASI Anthony tells PC Shajivan as they enter the thick dense forest of Churuli. As the undercover cops Shajivan and Anthony try to settle in this uninviting village, Churuli slowly starts to unravel its true colors. Puzzling trails, hostile residents, and violent wildlife. This is not the place you want to book your next vacation to.

Churuli, meaning ‘Labyrinth’, is a Malayalam language thriller directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery that follows two Crime Squad officers who were assigned to nab a slippery fugitive named Myladumparambil Joy. APC George and constable Joy disguise themselves as diggers who came to work in Churuli, a village giving refuge to wanted criminals. Initially, the villagers seem to be good hosts, but as we progress through the movie, they get more hostile, vulgar, and violent. Shajivan and Anthony slowly start to lose track of time and it becomes more difficult to catch their target. They hopelessly wander around the unforgiving village with an eye on their back, trying their best to not blow their cover.

The immersive cinematography coupled with the sound design does a splendid job of bringing out the beauty and ruthlessness of the forest. Churuli’s eerie nature and its weird inhabitants are brilliantly portrayed through the cast, who are shown as dangerous, godfearing people. Lijo Jose Pellissery is famous for adding flavor and depth to the background characters and he hasn’t disappointed his fans with Churuli. The aggressive swearing brings out raw emotions that help the viewer settle in the atmosphere of the cold village. The movie has an extra-terrestrial undertone that convolutes the story, keeping the viewers in a constant state of confusion and curiosity.

The striking feature of Churuli is how Lijo Jose Pellissery was able to mesh extra-terrestrial elements into the plot and keep it interesting. Previous attempts at