1 week Ago By Suhas Sistu
Karthik Subbaraj, known for breaking genre conventions with films like Pizza and Jigarthanda, is charting a new emotional territory with his upcoming film Retro, starring Suriya. While the stylish gangster backdrop and 90s nostalgia are unmistakable, Subbaraj insists the true soul of Retro is love. “People expect me to make thrillers, crime dramas, or dark comedies," Karthik smiles.
"But at its heart, Retro is a love story." Set against the vibrant backdrop of the 1990s, Retro fuses vintage aesthetics and action with a deeper, emotional core. "Even my earlier films had a personal emotional thread.
But here, romance isn’t just part of the story — it drives it," he explains. "It’s about love as a force of transformation, about a man confronting who he is and who he wants to become." Suriya plays a once-feared gangster seeking to leave his violent past behind, only to find his path altered by an unexpected romance.
"It’s not a typical redemption arc," Subbaraj shares. "It’s about a man who doesn’t even know what peace feels like — until someone shows him it’s possible." Bringing this layered love story to life are Suriya and Pooja Hegde, whose chemistry, Subbaraj says, lies in the unsaid moments — glances, silences, and restraint.
"Making action look stylish is easy," he adds, "but making love feel authentic in a gritty world — that’s the real challenge." For a filmmaker often praised for his edgy style, Retro promises a more emotionally transparent experience. "Style grabs attention, but it’s emotion that lingers," Karthik reflects.
"In Retro, that emotion is love." Retro may be wrapped in 90s flair, but at its core, it tells a timeless story of transformation through love..
