My Review of Kaantha (2025)!!!- (⭐⭐⭐⭐½ /5)

Kaantha is the latest period drama from renowned actor Dulquer Salman, pairing up with a not-so-famous director: Selvamani Selvaraj. Going into this film, I kept my expectations quite high after seeing the mysterious and intriguing trailer. Safe to say, I was not disappointed at all.

I expected this script to be extremely rigid and cliché: ego clashes, relationship dynamics and an egoistic actor. However, this is one of those silent movies that slowly sneaks up on you and shocks you when you're at your weakest. At its core, Kaantha is a character-driven piece. The film introduces us to TK Mahadevan and Ayya, whose internal lives are rich, tense and full of drama. Their conversations, silences, and even small gestures are rich in subtext. The director does a wonderful job of letting character development take centre stage, gently peeling back layers through both dialogue and visual storytelling.

This is DQ's strongest performance yet, blending moments of quiet confrontations and raw emotion to showcase a man that is slowly being consumed by his internal greed. Samuthirakani has always been one of the most versatile Tamil actors, but to see him portray such a complex character that deals with the fragile male ego and destruction of his protégé simply blew my mind. The performance that shocked me the most was Rana Daggubati, effortlessly pulling off the comedy needed in the 2nd half and effectively portraying a confused police officer.

Visually, Kaantha is a certified masterpiece. The cinematography by Dani Sanchez-Lopez leans toward natural, powerful frames. Whether the camera lingers on a character's face, a heated confrontation, or the silence: each frame feels purposeful. There are no over-the-top long shots or ambitious grandeur, but the setting is instead captured in a raw and natural manner.

The shift between black and white/colour to symbolise the past and the present elevates this film to the upper echelon of the Tamil industry. The pacing and cinematography go hand-in-hand for this one. The first half slowly unfolds, allowing each character to be developed perfectly and establishing tension, while the second half completely flips the movie on its head with the murder-mystery theme introduced. I couldn't take my eyes off the screen even once because the film had completely immersed me in its world and had me on the edge of my seat.

I didn't have any real flaws to point out in the film; however, this might not be a great film for everybody. The 1st half is quite slow as it needs to properly set the stakes, the lack of violence may disinterest viewers, and the older portions of the film may bore some.

Jaden's Verdict

For me, this is one of the greatest Tamil movies to come out this year and I was completely shocked watching it's layers slowly unravel on screen. A masterclass of a film.

⭐ Rating: 9/10 and catch this one in theatres NOW!!