Kaantha movie hits big screens, but is Dulquer Salmaan-starrer really based on MK Thyagaraja Bhagavathar?
Kaantha, a long-awaited period drama starring Dulquer Salmaan, premiered in theaters on Friday, set in 1950s Madras Presidency.
Last Updated: 08.33 AM, Nov 14, 2025
Kaantha, the ambitious project which was in the making for some years now, has finally hit theatres on Friday. The film is headlined by Dulquer Salmaan, and is a period drama which is set in the 1950s Madras Presidency. Taking the audience through the cinema industry of that era, the studio culture, and stardom, Kaantha was widely speculated to be based on the life of Tamil cinema’s first superstar MK Thyagaraja Bhagavathar. While the makers had denied it, the grandson of the yesteryear actor had taken the matter to court. However, with the film now running in theatres, is it really based on the Tamil cinema’s iconic star?
Kaantha: Dulquer Salmaan’s film connected to MK Thyagaraja Bhagavathar?
With Kaantha set in the 1950s, against the film backdrop, and Dulquer having played a yesteryear star already (in Mahanati as Gemini Ganesan), the comparisons were inevitable that in this film too the actor will be portraying a well-known star. Given the era, and how MK Thyagaraja Bhagavathar was known to be the only star of that time, Kaantha began to be called the biopic even before the makers could establish what the story is about. When it was latter tipped off that Kaantha will also take a probe angle, fans were convinced that it is indeed the rise and fall of Thyagaraja Bhagavathar, who faced a similar situation in real life after being jailed for a journalist’s murder.
Before the release of Kaantha, both Dulquer Salmaan and Rana Daggubati who produced and starred in the film, rubbished the biopic rumours. They called the film to be fictional story, inspired from the film culture of that era. However, the grandson of Thyagaraja Bhagavathar had taken it to court, claiming that the film portrays the superstar in wrong light. Even as the hearing has been adjourned to November 18, Kaantha released in theatres on Friday.
Is Kaantha based on MK Thyagaraja Bhagavathar?
With mild spoilers ahead, we report that Kaantha is not based on MK Thyagaraja Bhagavathar. Even as film might borrow some aesthetics and behaviours of actors of that era, Kaantha does not explicitly anywhere take the name of MK Thyagaraja Bhagavathar. Dulquer Salmaan plays the role of actor TK Mahadevan, with the film centring around the egoistic clash between the actor and his director. Further, the film does not have any connection to the infamous Lakshmikanthan murder case, which made MK Thyagaraja Bhagavathar face jail sentence. However that being said, the second half of Kaantha indeed revolves around a murder mystery, but has a fictional take-off, ruling any further possibilities of real-life depiction.
Kaantha, written and directed by Selvamani Selvaraj, also stars Samuthirakani, Bhagyashri Borse, Rana Daggubati, Gayathrie Shankar, and others.
FAQs
Q. What is the new movie of Dulquer Rana?
A. Kaantha is the new movie starring Dulquer Salmaan and Rana Daggubati.
Q. Is Kaantha a biopic?
A. Kaantha is not a biopic but a fictional film loosely based on incidents from the 1950s Tamil cinema.
Q. Where can I watch the Kaantha movie?
A. Kaantha releases in theatres on November 14 with paid premieres a day before.