Dulquer Salmaan's Kaantha has a digital streaming date. Nearly a month after its theatrical release, the Selvamani Selvaraj feature, will have its OTT premiere on Dec. 12.
The period drama-thriller follows the turbulent relationship between a superstar and his mentor while working on a new film directed by the latter. Samuthirakani plays the latter, while Rana Daggubati appears in the second half as a cop tasked with investigating a murder.
During its theatrical run, Kaantha wasn't well-received by certain section of audiences despite Dulquer Salmaan's performance getting raves and mostly positive critics' reviews for the storytelling.
Among the key reasons for the waning interest is the near-three-hour runtime. Taking into the account the feedback of some viewers, the makers even went to the extent of releasing a trimmed version in theatres. It's not yet known if Netflix will release the original cut or the latter.
In its review of the film, THE WEEK praised the performances of Dulquer and Bhaghyashri Borse. "Dulquer gives a thoroughly committed performance that eerily recalls some of his father's dark early roles. In fact, in one emotionally overpowering scene, he delivers an exclamation often associated with some of the celebrated Mammootty performances — and never does it appear awkward or imitative at all! It feels... genuine. Had some other actor done the same, it would've been potential troll material. Mahadevan is undoubtedly Dulquer's most memorable, strongest role yet," it said.
On Bhagyashri's performance, the review said that the newcomer is "fortunate to get a part that, we eventually realise, forms the emotional fulcrum of Kaantha. Kumari comes with a background that adds an interesting layer to her personality. It’s a solid example of a woman's stunning old-school beauty and charm not interfering with her performance."
