'Dorothy' review: Karthik Subbaraj's most daring, accomplished film is powered by phenomenal turns from Rishikanth and Sananth

Some films can put you completely at ease even when they occasionally tread dark, disturbing territory because of the filmmaker’s complete command of the craft. Karthik Subbaraj is currently in the kind of enviable position that many aspiring filmmakers wish to be in. “Dorothy” is, by leaps and bounds, a major upgrade from the misfire that was “Retro”. Despite being blessed with opportunities to pull off something bigger, more ambitious with any of the big superstars in Tamil cinema — he is yet to work with Kamal Haasan, no? — he instead chose something that similar filmmakers who have attained blockbuster success, even in Hollywood, would find difficult to go back to: a film smaller in scale, with both up-and-coming and established actors who aren't yet burdened by their stardom. But smaller in scale doesn't necessarily mean an easier subject — in fact, it's far more difficult than what you would see in a big-scale action spectacle, a lighthearted comedy or a terrifying horror adventure. “Dorothy” is his most complex undertaking yet.

The last time Karthik Subbaraj attempted a more serious gender-focused subject was a decade ago, through “Iraivi”. But masculinity and its many variations have been a recurring focus in many of his films, where various protagonists presented their ideas of what it means to be a man, how a man is supposed to behave, what a man should or shouldn't do... “Dorothy” changes the game completely. Here, this expression of masculinity is more strongly pronounced than in any of his earlier films. 

The title holds special meaning within the context of the film's pivotal events, and beyond, for those willing to look it up. Some should already be aware. In the film, this name belongs to a character whose presence brings clear allegorical implications. Saying further would be spoiling it. Suffice it to say that Keerthy Suresh, who plays this character, was cast for a reason. She is not the main character, but her background and her actions in the story hold, like the title, special significance. 

The main characters are, of course, played by two phenomenal actors, Rishikanth (“Modha Rathri”) and Sananth (a frequent Karthik Subbaraj collaborator who has appeared in “Petta” and “Mahaan” among others). It's not surprising that the filmmaker assigned the modified versions of his first and last names for these characters. They have to be that personal. It's not surprising that he chose to tell the story of Karthik (Rishikanth) and Subbu (Sananth) through themes that bind all his films: crime and violence. It's not surprising that the filmmaker placed these characters in the gritty and moody ambience we most often associate with him. 

And it's only fitting that Karthik Subbaraj, arguably the most visually inventive cinematic filmmaker working in the Tamil language currently, makes CINEMA a prominent visual in “Dorothy”. After all, aren't movies that, for some of us, play a profound and transformative role in the process of sexual awakening? Isn't it the glowing screen of a theatre or a digital device that serves as a safe, low-stakes environment to discover, explore, and validate our desires before we ever express them in the real world? Throughout history, film has functioned as a cultural mirror, a taboo-breaker, and an accidental guide to human intimacy. In the world of “Dorothy”, too, cinema functions in the same way. 

We see the two men first as kids, sitting in a theatre watching an adult film. They learn how to make love, how to be a man. Years later, we see them as adults watching another adult film in the same theatre.  By then, some changes have already happened, both internally and externally. Rishikanth's Karthik, who will soon face his life’s biggest trial, begins to resemble Rajinikanth, an actor associated with some of the manliest hero roles. Sananth's Subbu, on the other hand, has been bearing the weight of a secret known only to two people. Some tragic events are anticipated, while others take you by surprise. Fortunately, the melodrama, which was, for me, one of the main shortcomings of “Iravi”, is kept to a minimum. 

There is tragedy, but there's redemption, too. There's a light at the end of the tunnel, with ample support from Ilaiyaraaja's soul-stirring music, timed to accompany complementary images, without interrupting the storytelling; in fact, the images (this is a gorgeously shot film from first frame to the last) and music achieve a divine synergy, notably during an early wedding sequence and during the third act when a strong moment of realisation hits a principal character — a moment of liberation, for Karthik Subbaraj, too. We are taken to some of the most breathtaking locations in Tamil Nadu that, perhaps, have appeared in other Tamil films; however, not this way, I believe — through the lens of cinematographer Thirru and, of course, Karthik Subbaraj. We get beautiful, wide-open spaces that create a striking contrast with the claustrophobic confines of not just the characters’ own homes but the stifling conditioning of a harsh, unforgiving society brainwashed by pride and prejudice.

“Dorothy” finds the writer-director breaking the shackles of convention and familiarity by taking paths often traversed — by himself, even — for a certain period, before venturing far out, into spaces both liberating and comforting, even when we know that the world at large wouldn't find some things acceptable, no matter how many years and decades would have passed. The vile homophobic reactions to this film, even before it has even come out (no pun intended) on its home turf, are evidence enough. I mean, how fragile is some people's heterosexuality to feel threatened by the arrival of a film that they haven't seen yet? Who are they to tell a filmmaker what he should or shouldn't do? 

I'm glad filmmakers like Karthik Subbaraj exist. With “Dorothy”, he has made a film that's far braver than what Geetu Mohandas did with “Moothon” or Jeo Baby did with “Kaathal – The Core”. By this, I'm not seeing them as lesser films — after all, an actor of Mammootty's stature taking on such a role in the latter is undoubtedly regarded as boundary-breaking as it is, or what Nivin Pauly did in the former — but “Dorothy” pushes further past what those two films managed to do. In short, it's going to make a lot of people uncomfortable. By people, I mean the homophobic variety who make the choice to see the film regardless of knowing what it is about. They'd probably get a heart attack after seeing it, especially the ending... Earth-shattering, to say the least.   

The others, though, wouldn't have to worry about their “earths” shattering — the open-minded ones; the ones with high self-confidence and secure self-esteem; the ones that don't constantly worry about “proving” their straightness; the ones that are comfortable hugging friends of the same sex, wearing what they want, or appreciating someone's attractiveness without a crisis of identity; the ones that don't experience the toxic defence mechanisms (like sudden aggression or overcompensation) that stem from a fragile ego.

Film: Dorothy

Director: Karthik Subbaraj

Cast: Rishikanth, Sananth, Keerthy Suresh, Jeeva Subramanian, Muthu Kumar

Rating: 5/5