Latest news with #KarthikSubbaraj
Pink Villa
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Suriya's Retro tanked at box office because of 'paid negative campaign'? Director Karthik Subbaraj makes SHOCKING claim
Suriya 's action-packed film Retro managed to generate massive hype among fans before its release. However, it witnessed a flat box office response after hitting the big screens, which was quite an unusual fate for a film directed by Karthik Subbaraj. And now, the filmmaker has opened up on his side of the story and made some shocking claims about what actually might have panned out for the film's failure. Karthik Subbaraj tags 'paid negative campaign' behind Retro's failure During an interview with Galatta, Karthik Subbaraj blamed 'paid hatred' and 'negative campaigns' as the deciding factor for most films' success or failure. He cited the example of his film, Retro, and revealed how he got to know that every actor has an enemy camp on social media. In his words, 'Even I heard from somebody that every actor has an enemy camp on Twitter, they are paid to run a campaign and discredit someone who shares good things about a film. Not just that, they have an office, and they get paid for it.' Karthik Subbaraj found Retro's negative reviews 'shocking' Moving on, the filmmaker looked back at the result of Retro, which fell victim to a malicious negative campaign. He expressed his shock at his film getting many negative reviews, while on the contrary, people told him they liked it. He said, 'Everyone whom I spoke to liked the film, they told me they are confused as to why the film got negative reviews. This paid campaign is very dangerous, and it is very shocking.' Retro's underwhelming box office collection after its theatrical run Speaking about Retro's box office collection, it ended its theatrical run after failing to hit even the Rs. 50 crore mark across Tamil Nadu. While the movie saw an initial boost on opening day, it fell significantly within the next couple of days. Retro's OTT release and verdict After a disappointing run in the theaters, Retro was released on Netflix for its OTT run from May 30 onwards. It began airing with a promising note, and audiences poured in their reviews shortly after. Despite a disappointing record at the box office, the romantic action thriller was successful on OTT. Viewers felt that the first half, interval block, and massy scenes were tailored to perfection and justified the hype.
India Today
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- India Today
Retro director explains why Netflix rejected limited series pitch for Suriya-starrer
After the release of 'Retro', directed by Karthik Subbaraj and starring Suriya, fans and critics were divided in their response. While the film generated strong pre-release hype and opened to a lukewarm response, its box office performance fell short of expectations. Now, Karthik Subbaraj is hoping to give the story a second life, this time, as a limited a recent interview with Galatta Plus, Karthik revealed that much of the story had to be cut short due to the film's two-and-a-half-hour runtime, limiting both character development and emotional engagement. 'The main hindrance was the runtime,' he explained, noting that it stopped the audience from truly connecting with the characters' shared that the host of the interview had seen a 37-minute sequence, which had to be cut down to just 10 to 15 minutes in the final film. This portion included training montages, flashbacks involving the romantic lead, and key emotional moments, such as the backstory behind the 'Daddy Daddy' song. 'That section had emotionally driven reasons for not fighting back, conveyed through those flashbacks,' he said. He admitted that the problem started right at the writing stage. 'Once you start writing, you get indulged in the character, and when you read it, there are techniques in books, like one page equals one minute, but it doesn't always work,' Karthik said. Despite getting help from his direction team and editors, the final output often turned out longer than planned. 'It will be correct,' was the typical response he received when asked to cut scenes, but the final edit still ended up exceeding the desired runtime. advertisementGiving an example, he said, 'Retro has a mirror scene in which he goes and tries to smile for the first time. That was just one line in that thing (script), but when he performed it, it was a single shot - like nearly 1 minute and 20 seconds.' In the film, this moment was trimmed through Subbaraj is now hoping to expand the story into a limited series on Netflix to explore these layers more deeply. However, Netflix has rejected the proposal. He added that the OTT platform is not willing to do it, but he is trying harder from his side to release 'Retro' as a web series.'Retro' tells the story of Paari, the adopted son of a crime lord who's been raised to be a violent enforcer. But when Paari falls in love with Rukmini, he attempts to leave the world of crime behind, creating tension with his father and triggering its pacing issues, 'Retro' was appreciated for its visual storytelling, performances, and ambition. The film stars Suriya in the lead role, with a powerful ensemble including Pooja Hegde, Joju George, Jayaram, Nassar, and Prakash the work front, Suriya is currently filming his next movie, tentatively titled 'Suriya 45', directed by RJ Balaji, and set to co-star Trisha Krishnan. He has also begun work on 'Suriya 46', with 'Lucky Bhaskar' director Venky Atluri at the Reel
Time of India
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Karthik Subbaraj wants to recut 'Retro', Will Suriya's starrer get an extended version on OTT?
Suriya 's action-packed entertainer 'Retro,' which hit theatres on May 1, 2025, later made its OTT debut on Netflix. Now, in an interesting twist, director Karthik Subbaraj has revealed his wish to reintroduce the film in a completely new format. In a recent conversation with Galata Plus, the filmmaker shared that he is interacting with Netflix to adapt 'Retro' as a limited series, characterizing extended footage, heightened emotions, and a more nuanced story. Karthik Subbaraj proposed an extended series cut to Netflix Karthik Subbaraj clarified that the plan wasn't to simply release deleted scenes but to present a richer, episodic experience. 'I pitched the idea of releasing an extended version within three months of the OTT release. It would have included deeper emotional arcs and elaborate action sequences. But they're hesitant since they have their own original series,' Karthik explained. Despite Netflix's reluctance, the director still hopes to find a way to share more of the world he built with 'Retro. ' 'Retro' director sees potential in a 4-5 episode format According to Karthik Subbaraj, if the film were restructured into a limited series, it would span four to five episodes, each around 40 minutes. 'The spiritual, cult, and comedic elements would have received more detailing. I really wanted to show some of the nuances that we couldn't include in the theatrical cut,' he said. His intent is to explore the film's themes and subplots with greater depth for audiences who are connected with the story. 'Retro' follows Paari's journey of rebellion and redemption 'Retro' revolves around Paari, played by Suriya, the adopted son of a crime lord (Joju George), raised as a weapon of violence. Striving to change his fate after falling in love with Rukmini ( Pooja Hegde ), he rebels, triggering chaos and heartbreak. As he searches for a purpose beyond bloodshed, he discovers that an entire village awaits his return. With a strong supporting cast, the gangster drama has music composed by Santhosh Narayanan .
The Hindu
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
‘Retro': Karthik Subbaraj plans to release Suriya-starrer as a limited series
Ace filmmaker Karthik Subbaraj on Monday (June 16) revealed that he is planning on releasing a limited series version of his recent release, Retro, starring Suriya. This comes just weeks after the film, which hit theatres to mixed responses on May 1, began streaming on Netflix on May 31. In an interview with film critic Baradwaj Rangan of Galatta Plus, Karthik spoke about how he isn't a writer who pens a screenplay keeping the stipulated two-and-a-half-hour runtime as a yardstick, and revealed that he had a lot of footage from Retro that didn't make it to the final cut. 'We tried this one-page-equals-one-minute technique when we write our scripts, but it never worked out. We even give our draft to our editors to get their opinion on what could be removed from the script. But what inadvertently happens is that when we begin to shoot a scene, it ends up becoming longer on screen; for instance, a dialogue that looks small on paper might take up quite some time when performed,' he said, adding that he had to cut down significantly to fit to the runtime stipulated for a theatre release. 'But OTT has become big, and it allows you to have a longer format.' Karthik added that he tried something for his previous release, the widely acclaimed Jigarthanda Double X. 'I tried talking to the streaming service to see if we could release a limited series version of the film on streaming. I told them, 'See, anyway the film is releasing in theatres, and you are buying it and releasing it on OTT. So let it run there for three to four months, and after that, I will give you a limited series version.' By that, I don't just mean a version with more deleted scenes, but it's a version where the emotions will be deeper and the action more detailed. But they didn't agree for that.' For Retro, the director added, he wished to try it since the film had many exciting portions that didn't make the final cut. 'There are four to five episodes of 45 minutes each. This version will have more details and explanations about the many themes we have touched on in the film. So I want to somehow bring all that to the audience. I am not sure how, but I am trying.' Karthik even went on to take the example of how Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight has a limited series version exclusively streaming in the US. 'That version is actually on Netflix, and so whenever I meet them (Netflix), I tell them, 'hey, you are giving that option in the US, why can't you do it here?.'' Karthik added that if this is the idea of a limited series version for a film finds takers, 'there won't be a restriction for the filmmakers. Even if they something more, they will find an avenue to showcase it.' Starring Pooja Hegde as the female lead, Retro also features Joju George, Nassar, Jayaram, Karunakaran, and Prakash Raj, with a cameo by Shriya Saran. Produced by Stone Bench Films and 2D Entertainment, the film has music scored by Santhosh Narayanan.
Pink Villa
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Retro director Karthik Subbaraj gets bitter reactions from netizens after reviewing Kamal Haasan's Thug Life
Thug Life starring Kamal Haasan and Simbu in lead roles had hit the big screens on June 5, 2025. Following the release, the film has been receiving mixed-to-negative reviews, but director Karthik Subbaraj had otherwise to say. In a recent post on social media, the filmmaker was seen talking about the Kamal Haasan starrer and complimented it with kind words. With a write-up, the Retro director said, 'Felt & relished the OG #Mani sir vibes in most of the scenes... Loved it #Thuglife. #ManiRatnam Sir - The Master of Vintage Gangster Dramas. Kamal Haasan Sir's performance was, as usual, a masterclass in acting.' Continuing his words, the director praised Silambarasan TR for his swag and lauded the entire cast for their performances. Subbaraj concluded by even how AR Rahman and DOP Ravi K Chandran weaved their magic in the film. Karthik Subbaraj reviews Thug Life While the director's words may have been of bliss, netizens seemed to have a different attitude towards it. Many of the users on X (formerly Twitter) hit out against him with one user saying, 'Hope you watched the same version as we did. Nothing as such happened in our version.' Another user in a similar fashion said, 'Same content/copy paste for big star movies, brother. Seriously worse review as of now.' Netizens lash out against Karthik Subbaraj's review Talking about the film, Thug Life features the tale of Rangaraaya Sakthivel, a gangster who once adopted a young boy, Amaran, after his biological father died. Years later, the foster son grows up to become a formidable member of the mafia. After an altercation and imprisonment, Sakthivel returns to his home only to see his empire now under the control of Amaran. With animosity brewing between them, the rest of the film focuses on the bad blood shared by the once-loving father and son. With Haasan and STR in the lead, the movie had Trisha Krishnan, Nassar, Joju George, Aishwarya Lekshmi, and more in key roles. On the other hand, Karthik Subbaraj was seen helming the romantic actioner Retro starring Suriya and Pooja Hegde. The movie is currently available for streaming on Netflix.
