🔴 Kaantha Movie Review
Movie: Kaantha
Actor: Dulquer Salmaan
Actress: Bhagyashree Borse
Important Character: Samuthirakani
Police Role: Daggubati Rana
Director: Selvamani Selvaraj
Music: Jhanu Chanthar (Songs), Jakes Bejoy (Background Score)
Language: Telugu
Genre: Drama / Thriller
🔴 Kaantha Movie Review – A Closer, Honest Look
Kaantha feels like a very personal story more than a regular film. It carries a lot of emotional weight, creative differences, ego, and plenty of tension between the main characters. Selvamani Selvaraj brings together Dulquer Salmaan, Bhagyashree Borse, Samuthirakani, and Rana Daggubati for a film that tries to explore what happens when two people with strong personalities are forced to work together again after a big fallout.
🔴 Story: Ego, Hurt, and a Film That Returns From the Dust
Years ago, Dulquer and Samuthirakani started a film called Shantha. It went smoothly for a while, but both of them had such strong individual visions that the project collapsed halfway through. The fights, disagreements, and personal clashes made the producer halt everything. That decision affected his production house badly, and the loss stayed with him.
Now, after many years, the same producer approaches them again because the production house is sinking. He needs this film to save everything he built. Dulquer and Samuthirakani agree to restart the movie, but with zero warmth between them. Dulquer even renames the movie as Kaantha, which immediately creates friction again. The story mainly revolves around how these two men handle their wounded pride while trying to finish what they abandoned long ago.
🔴 First Half Analysis
The first half works pretty well. The film jumps between past and present, slowly revealing why their relationship broke. The scenes between Dulquer and Samuthirakani feel genuine and raw. There’s a lot of silent tension between them, and the film lets those moments breathe instead of rushing.
For the first 50 minutes, it holds attention. You feel the discomfort and pressure both characters are dealing with. But somewhere after that mark, the pace dips. A few scenes stretch beyond what’s needed. Then comes the interval twist — the murder of Bhagyashree Borse’s character. It does push the story forward but doesn’t hit as hard as it could have.
🔴 Second Half Analysis
The second half moves into a crime-investigation track, with Rana Daggubati entering as the police officer handling the case. The shift seems interesting at first, but the screenplay slows down again. The investigation feels straightforward, almost predictable.
Dulquer ends up carrying most of the second half by himself. His emotional scenes and expressions keep the film afloat. Rana does well in the role he’s given, but the script doesn’t let him make a strong impact. The flow drags in several places, making the emotional high points from the first half fade away.
🔴 Performances
Dulquer Salmaan
He is easily the strongest part of the entire film. The frustration, guilt, pride — everything comes through clearly.
Samuthirakani
He brings maturity to the role and matches Dulquer’s intensity in their combined scenes.
Bhagyashree Borse
Limited presence but leaves a surprisingly strong impression. Probably her best role so far.
Rana Daggubati
Delivers what the script demands, but his character could’ve been written with more depth.
🔴 Technical Aspects
– Songs by Jhanu Chanthar blend naturally with the film
– Jakes Bejoy’s background score carries a lot of emotional weight
– Cinematography is visually neat; the mirror scene is a highlight
– Editing in the second half feels slow at times
🔴 Positives
– Dulquer’s standout performance
– Emotional scenes between Dulquer and Samuthirakani
– Strong presence by Bhagyashree Borse
– Mirror scene execution
– Good background score
🔴 Negatives
– Slow narration in both halves
– Several lag-heavy scenes
– Predictable second half
– Script feels slightly below Dulquer’s potential
– Investigation track drags
🔴 Final Verdict
Kaantha is a film that tries to blend emotion and ego, and at many points, it succeeds purely because of Dulquer and Samuthirakani. The idea behind the story is strong, but slow pacing stops it from becoming the gripping drama it could’ve been.
Even then, for the performances and the emotional beats, it’s worth a one-time watch.
Overall Rating: 2.7/5
