Karthik Subbaraj on why romance is the soul of Suriya's Retro
Karthik Subbaraj, the director behind 'Jigarthanda' and 'Pizza' opens up about exploring love in his latest film with Suriya.Karthik has never been one to tread predictable ground. From the psychological chills of 'Pizza' to the meta chaos of 'Jigarthanda' and its audacious sequel, he has built a reputation for subverting genre expectations. But with Retro, his upcoming film starring Suriya, Subbaraj is returning to something more primal and vulnerable — love. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Karthik Subbaraj (@ksubbaraj)advertisement"People expect me to do crime, thrillers, dark comedies," he says with a smile, "but 'Retro' is a love story. That is what it is at its heart."
Set in the 1990s, with nostalgia, style and action, 'Retro' may carry the visual grammar of a vintage gangster flick, but for Subbaraj, it is all in service of something deeper. "Even in my earlier films, there has 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 a woman, but love as a transformative force, something that pushes the character to evolve."Suriya's character, a once-feared gangster trying to escape his violent past, is pulled into an emotional reckoning when he falls in love. "It's not the usual arc of redemption," Karthik explains. "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."advertisement Known for his grungy aesthetics and twisty plots, Subbaraj says working with romance as the central motif came with its own challenges. He adds, "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."And that is where Suriya and Pooja Hegde come in. "Their chemistry, their silences, the way they look at each other It's about subtle shifts, glances, restraint," he says.For a filmmaker who is often labelled as 'stylish' or 'dark', Retro is perhaps his most emotionally transparent film yet. "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' may come dressed in 90s swagger, but its beating heart is timeless romance.Trending Reel
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