Kaantha, starring Dulquer Salmaan and Bhagyashri Borse, is directed by Selvamani Selvaraj. Dulquer, who has built a strong fan base among Telugu audiences through back-to-back hits, pairs with Bhagyashri Borse, who has been waiting for a solid break. Set in the 1950s, this period drama explores the emotional and professional conflicts inside a film studio.

Plot Summary
Set in 1950s Madras, the story revolves around a filmmaker named Ayya (Samuthirakani), once a respected director. He decides to complete a film that was halted 12 years ago, a project titled Shantha, named after his mother. Back then, he had cast Mahadevan (Dulquer Salmaan) as the hero. Now, he wants to revive the same film with the same hero.

Mahadevan agrees. Ayya introduces a young Burmese girl, Kumari (Bhagyashri Borse), as the heroine. During the shoot, Kumari observes constant tension between the director and Mahadevan, but neither reveals the reason. Mahadevan changes the title Shantha to Kaantha, which deeply upsets Ayya.

Meanwhile, the bond between Mahadevan and Kumari grows into love and eventually leads to marriage plans. But Ayya dislikes this development, and Mahadevan's closeness with Kumari also troubles his wife Devi. This issue reaches Mahadevan’s father-in-law, creating more conflict. What happens to Kumari? Does she marry Mahadevan? What caused the rift between Mahadevan and Ayya? The rest of the film answers these questions.

Analysis
The plot unfolds entirely around a film studio of the 1950s, focusing on the director, hero, and newcomer heroine. The director wants to launch the heroine opposite the hero he introduced years ago. The film explores how their professional bond and the film they're making begin to affect their personal lives.

From the beginning, the audience keeps wondering about the real issue between the director and the hero. The interval twist builds suspense, and the second half offers multiple turns. The final twist is decent, but the journey until then feels lengthy and tiring.

Although the director names the movie Shantha and the hero changes it to Kaantha, this doesn’t add much value. Since it’s a 1950s setup, the team avoids outdoor shooting, limiting most of the story to a single studio set in both halves. The first half revolves around shooting chaos, and the second half drags with Rana’s police-officer track, making it somewhat exhausting for viewers.

Performances
Dulquer Salmaan and Samuthirakani deliver strong performances as always. Bhagyashri Borse looks beautiful and fits her role well. Rana Daggubati brings his trademark presence as a police officer. Other supporting roles are brief and not very memorable.

Technical Aspects
The story is decent and would have worked well as a stage play or written narrative. But stretching it into a full-length film creates fatigue. The logic of a hero and director, who separated long ago due to serious differences, coming together again so easily feels unconvincing.

Cinematography, background score, and editing are passable. A few dialogues such as “One lie reveals many truths” and “You gave me an opportunity, not a life” stand out.

Final Verdict
Kaantha has an interesting title and a promising 1950s backdrop. But confining the entire story to one set, repeatedly showing shooting sequences, and limited narrative movement make the film tiresome. Despite raising curiosity through its title and premise, Kaantha fails to deliver the expected entertainment content-wise.