Retro director explains why Netflix rejected limited series pitch for Suriya-starrer

India Today

18-06-2025

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 series.In 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' journeys.advertisementKarthik 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 intercutting.Karthik 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 chaos.Despite 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 Raj.On 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 helm.Trending Reel