Kaantha movie review and rating: Remember director R Balki Shamitabh (2015) or his Chub: The Artist’s Revenge (2022)? I don’t think I’ve seen any other Bollywood films in the last decade that failed to hit the mark so miserably despite their enormous potential. Although Shamitabha and Chup had excellent concepts and interesting stories, Balki was unable to develop them into tight scripts that could keep the audience glued to the screens all the time. Instead, what was left were two films that started promisingly, lost sight of potential midway through, faltered frequently while offering glimpses of what could have been, and simply ended after some point. An exciting drama film by writer and director Selvamani Selvaraj Kantha It falls very much into the same category, with almost all other aspects reflecting superior quality, with the exception of the writing.
While the trailer and other promotional material suggested that Kaantha revolves around the ego-driven battle between…Nadibu ChakravarthyTK Mahadevan (Dulquer Salmaan), the star dominating 1950s Tamil cinema, and his mentor-turned-rival, veteran filmmaker APK known as Ayya (Samuthirakani), the film actually begins with an edge-of-the-seat moment in which one person shoots another and kills another at Modern Studios. Although we have been kept in the dark as to the identity of the victim for a long time, this moment makes it clear that what we initially assumed would be a petty rivalry between two people Much closer, the situation gradually escalates, until it leads to murder.
After years of fallout during the production of Saantha, billed as the first horror film in Tamil, Martin (Ravindra Vijay), the current owner of Modern Studios that financed it, has managed to revive the project with Ayya and TKM themselves. While Aya is determined to bring down his student’s arrogance and make him toe the line, thus producing the film the way he envisioned it, TKM is determined to show him who’s boss now and that the days when he had to listen to everything Aya said are long gone. He even renamed the film as Kaantha, indicating a new climax. Caught between these two egomaniacs is Kumari (Bhagyashri Borse), a novice actress who plays the lead role of Santha. While she is loyal towards Aya, who has given her a new lease of life, Kumari slowly falls in love with screen idol TKM, who also cares for her even though he is married to the daughter of a celebrity. Thus begins a tug of war between TKM and Aya, with Kumari caught between a rock and a hard place. However, after the aforementioned murder, everything takes a dramatic turn, leading to a blame game as well, as Inspector Phoenix (Rana Daggubati) enters the scene to investigate the crime.
Story continues below this ad
Although Kaantha opens strong by throwing us into the middle of a towering ego duel between TKM and Aya, while also offering a fascinating overview of 1950s Tamil Nadu and its cinema, it doesn’t take long for the film’s obvious flaws to become apparent. Although each scene carries a certain degree of tension and drama, which is amplified by the strong performances and even stronger technical aspects, the script’s lack of cohesion leaves many moments in Kantha disjointed from one another, which is palpable and impossible to overlook. Although Selvamani brings gravitas and power to each individual moment, when viewed as a continuous whole, it feels as if each scene is a separate entity that exists only to serve its own purpose rather than to contribute to the larger narrative.
Watch Kaantha trailer here:
(Spoilers ahead) For example, at a crucial point, it is revealed that Aya falsely implicated TKM in a murder, resulting in him being imprisoned for a long time. The director then bails the actor and reveals what he did and why. Although excellent performances and sharp dialogues fuel this moment, they fail to mesh well with the overall personalities of both TKM and Aya, making one wonder if it was included merely to showcase the extremes the old man will go to without ensuring seamless integration into the narrative. In a way, the same can be said about the subsequent murder, which forms the core of the film.
In another key scene, we see the cast and crew of Saantha expressing their love and admiration for the person who was murdered in the Modern Studio; However, this is the first time we’ve shown this feeling, and it hasn’t been implicitly expressed in even a veiled way yet. This raises questions about the rationale behind this creative choice, as it seems very artificial. Also, Selvamani’s minor efforts to make the stories of Kaantha and the film-within-the-film Saantha mirror each other at certain points also failed to yield fruitful results and hence came across as desperate attempts at metamorphosis.
Amidst all the narrative flaws, Kantha is saved by its superior technical prowess.
Although Kaantha’s post-murder transformation is impressive, Selvamani never manages to ensure a smooth progression of this as well. The overt caricature of Phoenix – who might remind one of Sherlock Holmes (particularly Robert Downey Jr.’s version) as well as Knives Out’s Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) – also detracts from the experience, as the tone becomes erratic and quite dissonant with what has been established up until then. While some of Phoenix’s jokes may elicit laughter from some, they confuse someone else as to what Selvamani was trying to accomplish.
Story continues below this ad
Amidst all the narrative flaws, Kantha is saved by its superior technical prowess, especially the director’s presentation of the scenes with a clear idea of ​​how to make the most of the visual language. This was taken to greater levels by DOP Dani Sanchez Lopez and Editor Llewellyn Anthony Gonsalvez. From the placement of each person on screen to the subtle transitions that occur as the scene progresses – all of which carry a precise meaning – and the clever use of light and shadow, Kantha stands as a testament to the vast potential of visual language when in the hands of someone keen to understand it more deeply and unafraid of experimentation.
For example, there is a moment at the beginning of the film where we are introduced to Aya and shown how much everyone around him respects and fears him. Here, Aya is placed inside the studio in a way that allows minimal light to fall on it. Then, the studio doors open, and with a bright light in the background, TKM enters. However, we don’t see it completely either; It’s just a silhouette, which subtly suggests that both characters have dark shades in their nature. Suddenly, those around Aya ran to meet TKM, and they left the director alone. When TKM and Aya come face to face, everyone is on the star’s side – literally and figuratively – but then Kumari cleverly steps in and stands next to Aya, showing where her heart lies.
Kaantha is filled with such visuals, as well as subtle tributes to the film noir of the era, and the clever use of color and monochrome only enhances its overall artistic quality. Ramalingam’s brilliant art direction and exceptional sound design by Alwyn Riju and Sanjay Maurya deserve immense praise for delivering an evocative experience. Although Jhanu Chanthar does an excellent job with the music, Selvamani does not overuse it and smartly embraces silence when that is the optimal choice.
At the end of the day, Kantha stands as a testament to the outstanding showmanship of Dulquer Salmaan, Samutharakani and Bhagyashree Borse. Dulquer gives one of the best performances of his career, deftly channeling the ’50s star through his physique and embracing the typical, extreme melodrama of the era brilliantly, without ever feeling forced. While deftly navigating TKM’s multiple shades, he also ensures that his performance here remains distinct from Saantha’s, maintaining a clear separation between the two.
Story continues below this ad
Samuthirakani, staying true to his character, doesn’t express much, but manages to convey Ayya’s many layers sharply. From subtle smiles to intense anger, he completely owns the character throughout. Considering that Kumari is like a ray of sunshine, Bhagyashree rarely misses the mark and brings warmth to the screen almost effortlessly. Interestingly, her performance shines the most in Santha’s scenes, where she is beyond stunning. Although Rana is fun to watch, he could have benefited from better characterization.
Kantha movie cast: Dulquer Salmaan, Samuthirakani, Bhagyashree Borse, Rana Daggubati, Ravindra Vijay, Bhagavathi Perumal, Nishalgal Ravi
Kantha movie director: Selvamani Selvaraj
Kantha movie rating: 3 stars
(Tags for translation) Kantha
