Rana Daggubati gives the first review of Kaantha, hails Dulquer Salmaan's performance: ‘After this film, I am his fan’

Kaantha is co-presented by Dulquer Salman's Wayfarer Films and Rana Daggubati's Spirit Media. It will be released in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam.

Updated on: Nov 6, 2025, 19:30:04 IST

By Santanu Das

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Expectations are high for Kaantha, the upcoming Tamil film starring Dulquer Salmaan in the lead role. The trailer of the period film was released on Thursday, and fans are intrigued to see what the actor has in store. Meanwhile, the cast members were present for the trailer launch event, where they spoke about the film at length. Actor and producer Rana Daggubati hailed Dulquer and said that he became a fan after watching his performance in Kaantha.

Kaantha stars Dulquer Salmaan in the lead, while Rana Daggubati also plays a pivotal part.

What Rana said

Talking to the press on stage, Rana said: “Nadippu Chakravarthy Dulquer Salmaan, you’ll hear this chant all over Tamil Nadu after Kaantha releases. I think if someone writes a period story for India, they come to Dulquer first and if his dates are not available then they will go other actors. He has been a friend always and he is such a dear film lover that I knew, but after this film… Man, I am a fan. What an amazing, amazing actor he is truly, and just watching this film you can just watch him perform. My father watched the film and said, ‘Dulquer is so good, I can just keep watching him.’”

About Kaantha

Dulquer Salmaan plays the role of T. K. Mahadevan in Kaantha, which is set against the backdrop of 1950s Madras. Alongside Dulquer, the film stars Samuthirakani, Bhagyashri Borse, Rana Daggubati, and Ravindra Vijay. The film explores the strained relationship between a legendary Tamil director, Ayya, and the movie star he helped achieve fame, Chandran.

The film's trailer showed an egotistical war between mentor and protege when Chandran decides to rename Ayya’s female-centric film, Shaantha, to Kaantha. The war between the two appears to escalate from bruised egos to physical altercation, a development confirmed by the trailer.

The film’s release was initially scheduled for September 12, but it was postponed to allow Lokah: Chapter 1 – Chandra, which was released on August 28 to continue its successful run. It will now release on November 14.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Santanu Das
Santanu Das is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with over 5 years of experience, writing on films, pop culture and film festivals. He has a keen interest in writing about South Asian independent films and has covered several film festivals, including Sundance and CPH: Docx. He also brings a sharp perspective to the monthly column called The Fault in Our Stars, where he writes about a recent film/series and what stops the ‘good’ from becoming ‘great’. A gold medalist from Banaras Hindu University, Santanu completed his postgraduate studies in English from Jadavpur University. He is also a Rotten Tomatoes-certified film critic. When not watching films or speaking to celebrities, Santanu can be found reading a book. Some of his favourite films are Aparajito, Ponyo and The Double Life of Veronique. His favourite books include The Corrections, The God of Small Things and A Room of One's Own. Santanu continues to write passionately about films and celebrity culture. He brings a relatable, as well as critically informed, lens to entertainment and culture for a wide audience. Find him on LinkedIn: santanudasfilm Instagram: @santupechaRead More

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