Dhanush & Mari Selvaraj unites for the first time in Karnan. Their previous works Asuran and Pariyerum Perumal were both impactful for their bold and strong content and the way that it has been delivered to the audience. With Karnan, they both step ahead by sincerely pulling off a deeply sensitive social issue on-screen. Well, Mari Selvaraj proves once again that he is a visual storyteller. He uses the brilliant village backdrop, costumes, natural lightings & characters to blend his vision in a well-constructed real world (Karnan's world). Karnan is realism. The film is really hard-hitting and each and every frame would be real. The beauty of the film lies in the visually pleasing cinematography. Mari Selvaraj tells his story with beautiful shots. The angles capture the emotion of each and every character. I would salute Mari Selvaraj for taking up such a serious social issue presenting it in a well-written film. Karnan's major strength is the writing, especially of the characters. Every character has a purpose and a scope to perform. After a remarkable performance in Asuran, Dhanush comes back, even more, stronger than Karnan, an angry young man who is in search of justice for his people. His performance can be easily categorized as one of his best. His intensity in his actions, his braveness in his attitude, and his pain in his eyes reflect the reality of an angry young man. Dhanush's performance is pure and intense especially in the climax which made the film outstanding and even more emotional. Lal's performance needs a standing ovation. I was mindblown by his natural and realistic performance which was the heart and the soul of the film. The rest of the casts including Yogi Babu were exceptionally great. They played a major part in building the so-called Karnan's world. Another major pillar of Karnan is Santhosh Narayanan. His songs are impactful and his background score is pulsating. In fact, his musical score helps the film to be more relatable to the audience. It makes us feel and emote for the characters in the film. Overall, Karnan is a very strong social issue-based film.
