F om
‘DC’
to
‘Athi adi’_
South
I dia
ci ema
emb aces
style
ove
substa ce
South
I dia
ci ema
has
co ti ued
to
p oduce
films
that
p io itise
visual
impact
a d
theat ical
e te tai me t.
I
2026,
movies
such
as
‘Kaattala ‘,
‘Athi adi’,
‘DC’
a d
‘Blast’
have
followed
diffe e t
ve sio s
of
this
style-d ive
app oach.These
movies
do
ot
ecessa ily
depe d
o
complicated
a atives.
I stead,
they
use
actio ,
music,
humou ,
pe fo ma ces
a d
p ese tatio
to
keep
audie ces
e gaged.
‘Kattala ‘
–
Style
ove
substa ce
e t y
f om
Mollywood
A to y
Va ghese’s
‘Kaattala ‘
is
o e
example
fo
a
style-ove -substa ce
actio
th ille .
The
movie
has
faced
c iticism
fo
its
familia
ga gste
eleme ts,
exte ded
slow-motio
seque ces
a d
loud
backg ou d
sco e.The
film
bega
st eami g
o
Ma o amaMAX
o
August
13,
2026.
The
sto y
is
set
a ou d
Aa akolli,
whe e
fea
sp eads
afte
elepha ts
fo ce
thei
way
out
of
the
fo est.
Maa i
a ives
as
a
possible
p otecto ,
but
his
p ese ce
soo
c eates
a othe
th eat
fo
the
village s.As
the
situatio
wo se s,
the
commu ity
sta ts
waiti g
fo
a othe
saviou .
A to y
Va ghese
plays
the
ce t al
cha acte
i
the
movie.
‘Athi adi’
fi ds
e te tai me t
i
familia
te ito y
‘Athi adi’
takes
a
mo e
comic
a d
celeb ato y
app oach.
The
movie
evolves
a ou d
Sam,
a
e gi ee i g
stude t
dete mi ed
to
b i g
back
his
college’s
popula
A oha
fest.
At
the
same
time,
eti ed
goo
Kutta
wa ts
to
sta t
a
ew
chapte
i
his
life
th ough
music
at
a
temple
festival.
Thei
sepa ate
ambitio s
eve tually
collide,
setti g
off
a
chai
of
humo ous
a d
chaotic
eve ts.Basil
Joseph
a d
Tovi o
Thomas
play
ivals
i
the
movie.
ETimes
p aised
A u
A i udha ‘s
di ecto ial
debut,
w iti g,
“Di ecto
A u
A i udha ,
k ow
fo
co-w iti g
Mi al
Mu ali,
makes
a
imp essive
debut
filled
with
co fide ce
a d
swagge .
W itte
alo gside
Paulso
Ska ia,
the
film
may
ot
offe
a
completely
f esh
sto yli e.
Campus
politics,
festivals,
ga g
clashes,
a d
f ie dship
d amas
a e
familia
te ito y.
Howeve ,
what
makes
Athi adi
wo k
is
its
e e gy,
humou ,
emotio al
co ect,
a d
u apologetic
e te tai me t
value.”
‘DC’
imp esses
with
music
a d
actio
Lokesh
Ka aga aj’s
acti g
debut
‘DC’
also
falls
i to
the
style-d ive
catego y.
The
film’s
appeal
has
bee
st e gthe ed
by
its
actio
seque ces,
so gs
a d
A i udh
Ravicha de ‘s
backg ou d
sco e.Di ected
by
A u
Matheswa a ,
the
movie
featu es
Lokesh
Ka aga aj
as
Devadas.
Wamiqa
Gabbi
plays
Cha d a,
while
Sa ja a
K ish amoo thy
po t ays
Pa vathy.The
a ative
ce t es
o
Devadas
a d
the
impact
of
viole ce,
eve ge
a d
pe so al
loss
o
his
life.
O e
of
the
film’s
majo
seque ces
a ives
befo e
the
i te val,
whe
Devadas
lau ches
a
viole t
assault
while
attempti g
to
save
Cha d a
a d
seek
eve ge
fo
Pa vathy.At
the
same
time,
the
film’s
w iti g
p ovides
clea
motivatio s
fo
its
cha acte s.
This
allows
the
actio
a d
visual
p ese tatio
to
emai
co ected
to
the
emotio al
eleme ts
of
the
sto y.
‘Blast’
packs
its
u time
with
actio
Tamil
movie
‘Blast’
is
a othe
example
of
a
film
that
puts
spectacle
a d
e te tai me t
at
the
ce t e,
ove
a
complicated
sto y
li e.
The
movie
sta s
A ju
Sa ja,
Abhi ami
a d
P eity
Mukhu dha .The
sto y
may
ot
be
pa ticula ly
elabo ate,
but
the
film
mai tai s
mome tum
th ough
f eque t
actio
seque ces.
It
featu es
th ee
mai
villai s
a d
a
family
of
ka ate
p actitio e s
played
by
A ju
Sa ja,
Abhi ami
a d
P eity
Mukhu dha .
The
movie
is
ow
available
o
OTT
platfo ms.
ETimes
highlighted
its
atte tio
to
visual
details
a d
cha acte
a cs,
w iti g,
“Much
of
Blast’s
cha m
lies
i
its
f ames,
dialogues,
a d
cha acte
a cs.
Whe
Nila
takes
up
ka ate
classes,
she
is
gifted
a
teddy
bea .
While
you
see
he
go
a d
hug
the
bea ,
the
film
immediately
cuts
to
he
usi g
it
like
a
pu chi g
dummy
fo
ka ate
p actice.
Although
she
fights
a d
la ds
epeatedly
i
t ouble,
we
see
Nila
hesitate
to
hit
someo e
eve y
o ce
i
a
while.
But
A ju
almost
always
pushes
he
to
do
the
ight
thi g,
a d
sometimes,
these
happe
just
i
actio ,
with
o
wo ds
commu icati g
the
suppo t.”The
eview
added,
“I
Blast,
the e
a e
seve al
i t o
seque ces,
a
actio
block
eve y
five
mi utes,
th ee
mai
villai s,
a d
a
family
of
ka ate
fighte s–
yet
eve y
sce e
is
stitched
togethe
with
such
detaili g,
esulti g
i
a
blast
of
a
theat ical
expe ie ce.”Togethe ,
these
movies
p ove
that
a
simple
sto y
does
ot
ecessa ily
p eve t
a
film
f om
becomi g
a
e gagi g
theat ical
expe ie ce.
It
all
matte
i
how
the
di ecto
is
p ese ti g
a
sto y
i
a
e gagi g
ma e .