Kaantha - Fatal Abstractions

 

Kaantha

Tamil, 2025

Genre: Film noir

Director: Selvamani Selvaraj

Stars: Dulquer Salmaan, Samuthirakani, Rana Daggubati, Bhagyashri Borse

Mohan's Measure ⭐⭐

Let us state for the record, M.K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar was a Carnatic musician and actor who gained fame in his title role in the devotional film Haridas. He and his colleagues were arrested for murder and later vindicated, but this resulted in the end to the career of a man who was otherwise known for his honesty, self-discipline, and faith.

Kaantha has nothing at all to do with the above and to promote it as such puts to question the intelligence of the audience to which the movie is geared. The movie is supposed to be set in the 50s, but it reflects nothing of the culture, fashion, or even language of Madras Cinema in those days.  It is a relatively good attempt at film noir, reminding me of two films in particular: Laura, which highlights the conflict between two men who are in love with the same woman for different reasons, and The Barefoot Contessa, which shows the inevitable tragedy that stardom brings.

Bhagyashri Borse serves in the pivotal role of femme fatale. Her performance is convincing at times, but at other times she comes across like Keerthy Suresh doing an imitation of Rashmika Mandanna. Her role is important to the film, and we must consider how this is very difficult for a first-time actress to pull off. But surely, her demeanor in what is a serious film could have been worked, as too the dubbing.

As for the males in this film, both Mr. Samuthirakani and Mr. Salmaan are brilliant in their respective roles as the stoic mentor and the self-obsessed star.  The conflict between the two of them are based on one man's experience and the other's ego, and this is presented in a clear and direct way.

Too direct, however, is Rana's character as the cop.  This movie is not Knives Out: Glass House, so there is little need for him to play his character with such hyperbole and anger.  An understated character would have made his role believable and would have balanced the emotional confrontations of the other characters. 

But therein lies the problem. True film noir is a stylistic approach to film making that isn't just about being filmed in black & white.  There is an overarching sense of a poetic and punishing justice that underscores the grey morality and hedonism of the characters in the film. In the end, nobody wins. They are left as shells unto themselves, with only a bittersweet understanding of how life is not theirs to own. 

But such stories are found in the low budget cinema and Catholic aura of Malayalam film. As the producer and creative inspiration for this film, Mr Salmaan, like the actor he plays, seems to have forgotten his roots.