• Crime
• Drama
• History

Kaantha 2025

Kaantha is a 2025 Tamil-language period noir thriller directed by Selvamani Selvaraj that delves into the ego-driven world of 1950s Madras cinema. The plot centers on the intense rivalry between a legendary, principled filmmaker, Ayya (Samuthirakani), and his protégé-turned-superstar, T.K. Mahadevan (Dulquer Salmaan). The mentorship turns toxic when Mahadevan hijacks Ayya’s dream female-centric project, renaming it from Shaantha to Kaantha to boost his own stardom. This creative clash spirals into tragedy with a shocking on-set murder, triggering a high-stakes investigation led by the enigmatic police officer Phoenix (Rana Daggubati). The story serves as a dark deconstruction of fame, artistic integrity, and the "Golden Era" of the film industry. The film features a powerhouse cast led by Dulquer Salmaan, who has been praised for his portrayal of the volatile and arrogant matinee idol, and Samuthirakani as the stoic director. They are supported by Rana Daggubati, Bhagyashri Borse (as the rising actress Kumari), and Gayathrie Shankar. Critically, the film received mixed-to-positive reviews. While critics universally acclaimed the atmospheric production design, the noir aesthetic, and Dulquer’s performance, the screenplay was criticized for losing momentum in the second half, where the transition from character drama to police procedural felt "underwhelming" to some, earning average ratings of around 2.5 to 3 stars. At the box office, Kaantha was a commercial disappointment. Released on November 14, 2025, it had a decent opening weekend but faced a steep drop in collections shortly after. It grossed approximately ₹21–25 crore globally against a reported budget of ₹40 crore, failing to recover its costs theatrically. Regarding streaming, the film has been acquired by Netflix and is scheduled to premiere on the platform on December 12, 2025. Read More

• 2025
• 2 h : 43 min
• 113 views
• 7.654
• U/A 13+