Release Date: May 01, 2025
Rating: 2.75/5
Starring: Suriya, Pooja Hegde, Jayaram, Joju George, Karunakaran, Nassar, Prakash Raj & others
Director: Karthik Subbaraj
Producers: Jyotika, Suriya
Music Director: Santhosh Narayanan
Cinematographer: Shreyaas Krishna
Editor: Shafique Mohamed Ali
Retro, featuring Suriya and directed by Karthik Subbaraj, generated considerable pre-release excitement. The film is now in cinemas across multiple languages, including Telugu. Here's an assessment of its strengths and weaknesses.
Synopsis:
Tilak (Joju George) is a prominent gangster involved in illegal activities. His adopted son, Paarivel Kannan (Suriya), falls in love with Rukmini (Pooja Hegde) and resolves to abandon his criminal past, sever family ties, and seek a peaceful existence. However, Tilak is fixated on obtaining a mysterious object known as the 'Gold Fish,' and Paarivel possesses knowledge of its location. Following his arrest, Paarivel escapes from custody with assistance from King Michael's (Vidhu) associates. The narrative then explores Paarivel's reasons for his escape, Vidhu's motives, and the lengths to which Tilak will go to acquire the Gold Fish. These revelations form the core of the film.
Positives:
Suriya delivers a committed performance, appearing in various looks that align with the story's timeline. He excels in action sequences and brings intensity to significant emotional moments.
Pooja Hegde looks elegant on screen. While her character is important to the plot, she has limited opportunities to demonstrate her full acting range.
Joju George performs adequately within the confines of his role. Vidhu makes an impression as the unpredictable antagonist, contributing to the tension in the film's latter part.
Certain action sequences are well-executed, and the single-shot sequence preceding and following the "Kannamma" song is noteworthy. Santhosh Narayanan's music significantly enhances several scenes, adding both energy and emotional depth. The supporting cast performs reasonably well.
Negatives:
The film attempts to blend multiple genres—romance, action, and others—but suffers from a lack of clear direction. It begins as a love story, transitions into a crime drama, and shifts again near the climax, leaving the audience uncertain about Karthik Subbaraj's central message.
The narrative's coherence is a major issue. The film begins promisingly but quickly loses momentum. The second half, in particular, feels disjointed and lacks focus, resulting in an underwhelming experience.
The screenplay lacks depth, and many scenes fail to deliver a meaningful emotional impact. Character development and relationships are weakly established, diminishing the impact of crucial moments.
Jayaram's role feels insignificant, Nasser is underutilized, and Prakash Raj is relegated to delivering a few generic lines. With stronger writing, these actors could have contributed substantially more to the film's emotional and narrative substance.
Technical Evaluation:
Director Karthik Subbaraj aims to create a genre-bending story with Suriya as a central, almost savior-like figure. While this ambition is evident, the film is hampered by a lack of narrative coherence and structural discipline. The first half is passable, but the second half falters under its own weight.
Shreyaas Krishna's cinematography is decent, with a few visually striking moments. Santhosh Narayanan's music is a definite highlight, injecting energy into otherwise sluggish sections. The editing by Shafique Mohamed Ali could have been tighter—many scenes feel unnecessarily prolonged, negatively affecting the pacing. On the positive side, the production values are solid, and the film has a polished visual presentation.
Conclusion:
Overall, Retro is a film that has moments that work, but struggles with its overall execution. Suriya's performance and the music are clear strengths, but the film is ultimately let down by its confused storytelling and a disappointing second half. What begins with potential ultimately fizzles out. Beyond dedicated Suriya fans, general audiences may find it challenging to remain fully engaged. It's best to approach this film with moderate expectations, if at all.
Rating: 2.75/5
