'Kaantha' film review: An all-round show that clearly wins

Cast: Dulquer Salmaan, Samuthirakani, Rana Daggubati, Bhagyashri Borse, Ravindra Vijay, Aadukalam Naren, Vaiyapuri, Gayathri Shankar, Brijesh Nagesh, Bucks, Barathan, Nizhalgal Ravi and Java Sundaresan.

Director: Selvamani Selvaraj

Music director: Jhanu Chanthar (songs), Jakes Bejoy (Background score)

Rating-3.5/5

Synopsis: All is not well between ‘King of Acting’ TK Mahadevan and his mentor, director Ayya as ego takes over their collaboration Saantha. But what unfurls inside Modern Studios during the shoot of Saantha nails the fate of people involved both on and off the camera

Just when Tamil cinema is running over a thorn every Friday with a dearth of good big films that will end the drought of box-office collection, comes Kaantha. There are big names from south films involved—Dulquer Salmaan and Rana Daggubati, the second and third generation visionaries in cinema from their respective lineages, who have come up with a straight Tamil film. A debut director Selvamani Selvaraj, with a challenging task of handling a star ensemble on a big scale. Has he succeeded in extracting the best out of what he was offered in terms of making and the actors? The answer is a straight ‘yes’. Kaantha is a winner but why and how?

The story opens in Chennai’s Modern Studios, approximately in the 50s. The time when studios were the secret society of several early stars of the south (who have been duly paid tribute to in the opening scene). “Whatever happens inside the studios, stays inside the studio.” This is Kaantha’s core with fictitious characters. You can let your imagination play around with the name of stars to your liking. But producer Martin (Ravindra Vijay) calls on Ayya (Samuthirakani) and requests him to resume shooting of the shelved film Saantha with TK Mahadevan. This film is the only option to resurrect the studio that is drowning in debt. Ayya agrees and so does Mahadevan. But tables are turned as Mahadevan is now a star and Ayya is past his prime. The film is now being shot in Mahadevan’s terms. He ghost directs with Ayya as a mere spectator. However, heroine Kumari (Bhagyashri Borse) strongly vouches for Ayya, as she is his find in the Burma refugee camp. Mahadevan too was Ayya’s find but ventures out on his own after getting a glimpse of stardom. The female-centric Saantha is now titled Kaantha. Kumari, though unhappy, is swayed by Mahadevan’s charm. Off screen, Mahadevan is married to Devi (Gayathri Shankar), the daughter of a media doyen. Over a period of time, Mahadevan too falls for Kumari, much to Ayya’s dislike. There is chaos off camera and more chaos in front of it. The filming reaches the climax and Mahadevan disagrees to be a part of the original climax in which he dies. These scenes make for the first half of Kaantha, where you would watch it without a blink of your eye. The making and screenplay go from good to brilliant as scenes pass by.

Dulquer is indeed a ‘Nadippu Chakaravarthy’ as he is called in Kaantha by his fans. Samuthirakani impresses us as usual and is on par with DQ’s performance. Their ego game and how Kumari plays the bridge to bring her two favourite men together assures that the second half is packed with twists and turns. Every scene keeps us guessing which 50s star’s life would be Kaantha. But we realise that it is pretty much a mashup of every actor’s life and Dulquer has portrayed them all in his own, dominating screen presence.

The second of Kaantha introduced us to Phoenix (Rana Daggubati), the dramatic, over-the-top police officer. Since, almost every character was introduced in the first half, the story keeps moving but with some lag. The film is 163 minutes long and the drama majorly unfolds in the second half. Since the first half is pacy and packed, the second half might look tedious but the drama still keeps us intrigued along with the making and performances. While DQ and Samuthirakani dominate the first half, Bhagyashri in her Tamil debut steals the show with her varied emotions in the second half. It is wonderful to see how she outshines seasoned actors in a few of the scenes. She is a talent to reckon.

The music is another hero of this film with Jhanu Chanthar’s songs and Jakes Bejoy’s background score ranging from classical to modern, refreshing sounding in each of the scenes. The climax is where Kaantha rises again with an unpredictable end to the film. We couldn’t resist but applaud. Overall, Kaantha is the film that the Tamil industry badly wanted to sign off the year on a good note. For movie buffs, who have been closely following the lives of actors in the 50s and even today, Kaantha strikes the right chord. Overall, the film is a complete package of performances and technicalities. It is a sensitive story dealt with eye for detail and is a winner.