Kaantha

Plot

Set in 1950s Madras, the film revolves around the legendary director Ayya, and his strained relationship with T. K. Mahadevan (Thiruchengode Kalidasa Mahadevan), a film star he helped establish and popularise. Mahadevan is a talented actor who has risen from humble roots to superstardom. He often has ego clashes with Ayya. The film starts with "Modern Studios" owner Martin calling Ayya to his office to tell him that he can start his earlier shelved film 'Shaantha', as financiers have agreed to produce the film as long as Mahadevan is cast as the star. 'Shaantha' is the maiden horror female-centric film based on Ayya's mother.

Initially, Ayya refuses to direct the film with Mahadevan as the lead actor. However, he gives in after Martin convinces him to do it for the sake of the studios. Mahadevan changes the film's name from 'Shaantha' to 'Kaantha' to suit his own image and cater to his fanbase. He also changes the plot of the film, which originally had the hero die in the climax, telling Ayya to sit in a corner and watch as he directs the film instead.

Kumari, a Burmese immigrant, is cast as heroine of the film, a character based on Ayya's mother. In the first joint scene of Kumari and Mahadevan, Kumari asks Ayya to instruct and direct her which hurts Mahadevan's ego. Mahadevan gives a performance which impresses everyone on the set. A flashback shows Ayya criticising Mahadevan for his acting skills the first time the movie was being filmed before it was shelved. Back in the present, Mahadevan sits in the director's chair and takes charge of the film, ignoring Ayya, leading to Kumari scolding him.

In the next scene being shot, in which Mahadevan's and Kumari's characters argue about the husband having an affair, Kumari slaps Mahadevan where the script only has her crying holding Mahadevan's hands. Mahadevan asks Kumari to slap him exactly the same way again. Kumari, feeling guilty, is unable slap him again the same way until several re-takes. Kumari is now upset with Ayya for making her slap Mahadevan. Kumari enquires about why Ayya and his former protégé Mahadevan had a falling out, and over subsequent days she becomes closer to Mahadevan.

One day, a journalist comes to watch and write about Mahadevan and his performance. The journalist writes negatively about how Ayya treats Mahadevan. Enraged fans of Mahadevan attack Ayya, injuring his leg. Ayya and Kumari stop coming to the set. Mahadevan goes to Ayya's house, where Kumari is staying, to try to persuade her to come back to the set, which she refuses out of loyalty to Ayya. Mahadevan discloses that Ayya had him arrested on a false police report when they had an argument the first time the movie was being filmed.

Production

Development

In late-July 2023, Dulquer Salmaan was announced to join hands with Selvamani Selvaraj in a period film set in the 1950s in Madras. The film was announced to jointly be produced by Rana Daggubati and Salmaan under their Spirit Media and Wayfarer Films banners respectively. Apart from Salmaan, the film stars Samuthirakani and Bhagyashri Borse in other prominent roles, while also marking the latter's Tamil debut. The technical team consists of Spanish cinematographer Dani Sanchez-Lopez who earlier worked in Mahanati (2018), editor Llewellyn Anthony Gonsalvez and the background score is composed by Jakes Bejoy while the songs have been composed by Jhanu Chanthar.

Filming

Production began on 9 August 2024 at Rama Naidu Studios in Hyderabad with the inaugural clap given by Venkatesh Daggubati.

Marketing

The film announcement was made by Rana Daggubati by sharing a first-look poster coinciding with Dulquer Salmaan's birthday in 2023. Coinciding Salmaan's 13-years in the film industry, a character-reveal first-look poster was released. On Valentines Day of 2025, the lead actress, Bhagyashri Borse's poster was released. On 26 April 2025, coinciding Samuthirakani's birthday, a similar character-reveal poster of him, playing the role as Ayya was released. Coinciding Salmaan's birth anniversary in 2025, the teaser was released to garner positive reviews. Through the teaser, Salmaan was revealed to play the role of an actor Chandran in the film. The trailer was released on 6 November 2025.

Music

The background score is composed by Jakes Bejoy while the songs have been composed by Jhanu Chanthar in his third collaboration with Selvamani Selvaraj after Nila and The Hunt for Veerappan. The first single titled "Panimalare" in Tamil and "Pasi Manase" in Telugu was released on 9 August 2025. The second single titled "Kanmani Nee" in Tamil and "Ammadive" in Telugu was released on 22 October 2025. The third trilingual single titled "Rage Of Kaantha" jointly written and performed in English, Tamil and Telugu was released on 30 October 2025.

Release

Theatrical

Kaantha was released in theatres worldwide on 14 November 2025 in Tamil and Telugu. The release was initially slated on 12 September 2025, but was postponed without announcing a new release date. In a joint statement, Dulquer and Rana Daggubati announced that the release of Kaantha was postponed in order to allow Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra (2025) to continue its successful run. In Malaysia, the film was distributed by DMY Creation.

Home media

The film was streaming on Netflix from 12 December 2025.

Reception

Abhinav Subramanian of The Times of India gave 4/5 stars and wrote "Where Kaantha stumbles is in its transparency. Red herrings get tossed around, but once the pieces align, the trajectory feels obvious. There's also a curious lack of discretion in how the affair unfolds. [...] The film knows it's trafficking in archetypes and classical mechanics, and instead of trying to subvert them, it just plays them straight with enough craft to make the old moves land. Sometimes commitment beats cleverness." Kaushik Rajaraman of DT Next gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "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 actors in the 50s and even today, Kaantha strikes the right chord." Anandu Suresh of The Indian Express gave 3/5 stars and wrote "The Selvamani Selvaraj directorial stands as a testament to the outstanding showmanship of Dulquer Salmaan, Samuthirakani, and Bhagyashri Borse, with Dulquer delivering one of the finest performances of his career."

Avinash Ramachandran of Cinema Express gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Dulquer Salmaan's Kaantha is really held together by superlative performances and the superior production value of the film, which makes you forgive a fair share of flaws." Goutham S of Pinkvilla gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Kaantha is an engaging watch when it remains a period drama. But once it transitions into an investigative thriller, it struggles to maintain the same impact and loses sight of key elements introduced in the first half." Neeshita Nyayapati of Hindustan Times gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Kaantha, much like the film industry it is set in, has much to offer in terms of dizzying fame, passionate affairs and unchecked ego. However, the highs and lows of the film seem starkly in contrast, [...] It’s the performances that make the uneven tone of the film worthwhile."

Anusha Sundar of OTT Play gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "Kaantha is anchored well with some great performances poured in by Dulquer, Bhagyashri, and others, but the gaps in writing, are evident too. The imbalance lays the film bare of its shortcomings, standing tall between enjoying the indulgent path it takes." Janani K of India Today gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "Powerful performances and excellent making see the film soar, and then plummet when it becomes an investigation drama." Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hindu wrote "Kaantha is sincere and compelling in parts, which helps balance the portions that feel less fully realised."

Box office

In Malaysia, the film opened at 7th place at the box office.