One year of Farhana: Aishwarya Rajesh’s film is a winner and here are 5 strong reasons why

Farhana, the Tamil film starring actor Aishwarya Rajesh in the lead role, has clocked one year since it was released. The film, directed by Nelson Venkatesan, is a thriller drama that hit theatres on May 12 last year. Farhana is one of the best Tamil films to have come out in 2023 and certainly demands a re-watch for many reasons. The film is available for streaming on SonyLIV and OTTplay Premium.

Farhana is a must-watch on SonyLIV and OTTplay Premium for these reasons

Enjoy 20 OTT platforms streaming South content including SunNXT, aha, ManoramaMAX, ZEE5 and more at just ₹75. 

Lead characterisation

Farhana is about the titular character, played by Aishwarya Rajesh. Her characterization is one of the reasons why Farhana is worth watching. Farhana, who hails from a middle-class Muslim family, wishes to improve her family conditions and joins a call centre job. Tempted by more incentives, she shifts departments where she has to have casual conversations with lonely strangers, one of whom happens to be Dayalan, played by Selvaraghavan. Aishwarya Rajesh plays Farhana to perfection, while maintaining a balance between subtlety and bravery.

Thrilling cat and mouse chase

The film's major portions are a cat-and-mouse chase between Farhana and Dayalan. After the duo bond over each other after their endless telephonic conversations, Farhana wishes to meet him in person but backs out at the last moment. This makes Dayalan spiral down into a vengeful person who takes it as an insult and begins to blackmail Farhana with their phone recordings. The film takes the turn of a thriller in the most unexpected manner, which sets the pace for the climax.

Authentic portrayal

Farhana is perhaps one of the few and most authentic portrayal of a Muslim household in Tamil cinema. The film stars Jithan Ramesh as Farhana’s husband, who comes to her house to stay, as is the tradition in Muslim households. Farhana is also part of a handful of films that carefully evade Islamaphobia and have a central character who is a Muslim.

Also read: Farhana on SonyLIV: Aishwarya Rajesh's thriller flick opens to mixed response posts its OTT premiere 

Subtle but interesting performances

The cast of Farhana put together a poignant thriller drama with their subtle performances. Aishwarya Rajesh and Selvaraghavan’s onscreen chemistry, from that of telephone buddies to contradicting personalities, is surely one of the highlights of the film.

Nelson Venkatesan’s direction

Director Nelson Venkatesan, who also wrote the script, soothes in the audience for the tonal shift from drama to thriller with ease. There is plenty of world-building done in the film to show who Farhana is and from where she is coming from. The film also does not paint its characters in negative shades but brings out drama in the most sophisticated manner.

Also read: Farhana review: Aishwarya Rajesh shoulders this engaging suspense-laden drama with a neat supporting cast