Karthik Subbaraj says 'Retro' starring Suriya is a love story at heart

Filmmaker Karthik Subbaraj, known for films like ‘Jigarthanda’ and ‘Pizza’, has opened up about his experience working with Suriya in 'Retro.' The director revealed that the film carries the visual grammar of a 'vintage gangster flick, but for Subbaraj, it’s all in service of something deeper.'
“People expect me to do crime, thrillers, dark comedies, but Retro is a love story. That is what it is at its heart,” he said, as reported by IANS.

The film is set in the 1990s with nostalgia, style, and action. “Even in my earlier films, there’s always been a personal core, often emotional. But this time, I wanted romance to be the driving force. Not just love between a man and woman, but love as a transformative force, something that pushes the character to evolve.”

Talking about Suriya, his character is a once-feared gangster trying to escape his violent past, and is pulled into an emotional reckoning when he falls in love. “It’s not the usual arc of redemption,” Karthik said.

He added: “It’s about a man who doesn’t even know what peace feels like until he meets someone who makes him believe it’s possible. That tension between who he was and who he wants to be that’s where the romance breathes.”

The director said working with romance as the central motif came with its own challenges. “It’s easy to make action look cool. But to make love feel real, especially in a world like this — that’s the challenge. You have to earn it.”

Talking about Suriya and Pooja Hegde, he said: “Their chemistry, their silences, the way they look at each other… It’s about subtle shifts, glances, restraint.” “At the end of the day, style can grab your attention, but it’s emotion that stays with you. And in Retro, that emotion is love.” ‘Retro a romantic action film, hwas shot in theAndaman and Nicobar Islands, Ooty, Kerala , and Chennai. Itis scheduled to be released worldwide on 1 May.