Suriya's 'Retro' struggles to balance style with substance | Movie Review

After a lukewarm response to 'Kanguva' last year, Suriya returns with his first release of the year, 'Retro', directed by Karthik Subbaraj. With two powerhouse names from Kollywood teaming up, expectations were sky-high. As the title suggests, 'Retro' is set in a vintage era, with Suriya playing Paarimel, the adopted son of a gangster portrayed by Joju George. Caught between his violent past and a yearning for a normal life with his love interest Rukmini (Pooja Hegde), Paarimel seeks redemption.

But does 'Retro' deliver? Not quite. While Suriya looks dapper in his retro avatar and the film is segmented across different phases of Paarimel’s life, the story lacks emotional depth. Subbaraj attempts to merge a gritty gangster tale with a love story, but neither arc feels fully developed. The result is a film that feels stylish but hollow, where the audience may cheer for Suriya the star, rather than Paarimel the character.

What happens with 'Retro' is that the movie fails to break away from familiar patterns and stays firmly within the mould. The underdog arc, where the hero is an adopted son who eventually stands up to his father for a greater good, is a template we’ve seen in many Tamil films. 'Retro' follows the same formula. What works in the film’s favour are the well-choreographed stunt sequences and the aura Suriya brings to his character. The movie opens with a 15-minute single-shot sequence that is impressively staged. There are themes of resistance, democracy, and more layered throughout the film, but they don’t blend together smoothly. Suriya is the one element that holds the film together, and regardless of the script’s shortcomings, you still find yourself rooting for him. His screen presence is undeniable. The supporting cast, including Pooja Hegde, Jayaram, Joju George, and Vidhyashankar Neelamegham, all perform their roles well, but none of them truly leave a mark. One of the most important aspects of the film, the love story between Paarimel and Rukmini, feels the weakest. Since the story largely hinges on this relationship, the narrative suffers due to its lack of depth.

Santhosh Narayanan’s music hits the right notes, especially in the slow-motion shots and stylised sequences where Suriya appears in his striking retro look. The score complements the visuals well, enhancing the film’s mood and energy. Shreyaas Krishna’s cinematography is another strong point, capturing the vintage aesthetic with flair. 'Retro' had significant potential with the themes it touched on, but in its effort to craft a mass-appeal vehicle for Suriya, the script ends up feeling undercooked. While the film shines technically, it falters in storytelling. For die-hard Suriya fans, it might still be worth a theatrical watch.