‘Kaantha’ movie review: Dulquer Salmaan’s standout performance anchors a film with flashes of brilliance

Should an artist refine his craft for art’s sake, or can he adapt it to suit audiences who respond with applause and make the work commercially viable? And what happens when that applause begins to blunt the craft itself? Kaantha, the Tamil film written and directed by Selvamani Selvaraj and produced by Dulquer Salmaan and Rana Daggubati, poses these questions through a narrative that moves from psychological drama to whodunnit, while consistently acknowledging the art of cinema.

After a brief prologue signalling what lies ahead, Kaantha opens like a love letter to filmmaking. It unfolds in Madras of the 1940s and 1950s, following the making of a film within a film. Dulquer Salmaan’s presence may momentarily recall Mahanati, in which he played Gemini Ganesan. Cinematographer Dani Sánchez López and costume designer Archana Rao, both part of that National Award-winning production, return here as well.

source:thehindu.com