Retro

You can say many things about a Karthik Subbaraj movie, but one thing you can never accuse it of is being lazy—be it ideation, fine use of technology, great performances, shock value, irony, smart humour, or just the world he creates. And, with every film, you can see that he’s developing a stronger voice on what he wants to say. Jigarthanda DoubleX was an example. But, the one thing that is sorely missing in his films with the same intensity is emotion—that one thing which brings the rest together, and makes them work. Retro, starring an effervescent Suriya, falls in the same category.

Suriya was left bruised and bloodied — figuratively speaking — after the release of his much-hyped film Kanguva. Years of promotions pitched it as Tamil cinema’s answer to Baahubali, setting up massive expectations among audiences. But when the film finally released, it fell woefully short of delivering on that promise. To make matters worse, it became a target of a systematic and persistent online attack that further ensured its disastrous box office run. Kanguva’s failure was especially brutal — it visibly shook Suriya’s confidence. That uncertainty was evident in the way he promoted Retro. He avoided overhyping it, spoke cautiously, and refrained from the aggressive push we’ve seen from him in the past. Once bitten, twice shy, right?

Retro is Karthik Subbaraj’s intent to make a campy film that aims to bring back a unique flavour of Indian cinema, which was heavily influenced by the likes of Enter The Dragon. It is particularly amusing how Karthik has attempted to use the tropes of the Blaxploitation genre in an Indian setting that hits out at colonialism. He first did it with Jigarthanda Double X, which is Karthick’s tryst with Westerns. He has done it again with Retro, which is his tryst with the 90s martial arts film. Like how Hollywood westerns had an influence on Indian films, the likes of such martial arts action films also made an impression on our filmmakers. However, the former style is more pronounced in our pop culture than the latter. It could be the reason that Retro doesn’t make the same impact as Jigarthanda Double X. Here, Karthik is lost in finding the distinct texture which is elusive for him.

Has there ever been another Tamil filmmaker as obsessed with the idea of irony as Karthik Subbaraj? You find this obsession in his earlier works too, including the very concept of making a feminist film by giving us the stories of three flawed men. Or the way in which the government’s indifference towards workers who suffered mercury poisoning was addressed in a silent film. Most recently, he also gave us a schoolteacher named Gandhi who goes on to become the biggest bootlegger in Tamil Nadu. But in his latest Retro, irony isn’t just in the details that make up the subtext; it is very much a part of the text as well. This includes something one of the character calls “beautiful irony,” like how a laughter therapy clinic is set up in the same spot that once housed the gallows. Or the cheeky fun Subbaraj is having when Santosh Narayanan plays a tune that resembles a lullaby, as Suriya’s character Paari schools a bunch of bad guys while they call him Doctor Chaplin. You find the same irony coming to the fore when he decides to write a love story about a violent, relentless fighter like Paari, who falls for Pooja Hegde’s Rukmini, a doctor, a healer, who is against violence in any form.

How does one know their purpose in life? Who tells them? What makes them realise? Does everyone realise their purpose? And why are some happier being the conduit in someone else’s story rather than being the hero of their own? But isn’t that purpose even bigger than the purpose of the ‘hero’? Retro is director Karthik Subbaraj talking about a political issue that is closest to his heart. Armed with immense filmmaking knowledge, supported by a strong technical team that understands the assignment, Karthik asks himself an important question through the actions of his protagonist, Paarivel Kannan, played by a terrific Suriya.

What is the purpose of life? Some figure out on their own. Some people need a guiding light. Some die struggling. Director Karthik Subbaraj’s ‘Retro’ is a story of an orphan with a Trishul (a trident) birthmark, who has a strong purpose in life. ‘Retro’ is Subbaraj’s ‘Jigarthanda Double XL’ meets Arun Matheswaran’s ‘Captain Miller’. Is it as effective as ‘Jigarthanda Double XL’? Let’s find out! Paarivelkannan (Suriya) gets adopted by Sandhya (Swastika) and her gangster husband Thilagan (Joju George) after the two follow a few spiritual signs. Thilagan despises Paari as he is not his kid. His childhood drama rips off his smile and happiness, leaving him brooding all the time. When Sandhya dies, Paari is left with no one, but in a quick turn of events, Thilagan accepts Paari when he gives first-hand proof of how he can be an A-class henchman. This whole episode also brings Paari and Rukmini together - both of whom are also grieving the loss of their mother. 14 years later, when Paari meets Rukmini in Coorg, sparks fly. After four years of courtship and several changes in his personality, Paari is now a transformed man, ready to leave his gangster life behind. But, is there a way out when you are neck-deep into a life that’s all about gore and blood? Director Karthik Subbaraj answers this and more in over two hours and 48 minutes.