There’s a moment in DC where Devadas, played by Lokesh Kanagaraj, stands at the edge of violence and longing, a man who cannot decide whether to reach for Chandra’s hand or the gun at his hip. That tension, between passion and peril, is the film’s beating heart, and for a while, it’s enough to carry the entire 142-minute runtime.
Arun Matheswaran’s Tamil romantic actioner, loosely adapted from the 1917 novel Devdas, is a strange, smoky creature, part love story, part crime drama, all atmosphere. It’s a film that wants to be felt more than understood, and when it works, it works in hushed, violent whispers.
Lokesh Kanagaraj trades his director’s chair for a rebel’s rage
The man who gave us Leo and Vikram steps in front of the camera, and it’s a revelation. Kanagaraj’s Devadas isn’t the weepy, self-destructive Devdas of old, he’s a coiled spring, a man whose rebellion is written in his clenched jaw and restless eyes.
His chemistry with Wamiqa Gabbi’s Chandra crackles in the quiet moments, but it’s in the action beats where he truly surprises. He moves like someone who has directed these scenes a hundred times, which, of course, he has.
Arun Matheswaran’s direction is bold, but the screenplay stumbles
Matheswaran, known for the brutal Saani Kaayidham, brings a painterly eye to this romance. The frames are composed with care, and the world, a dangerous, grimy underworld, feels lived-in and tactile.
The flaw? The middle act sags under the weight of its own brooding. The screenplay, co-written with Arun Ranjan, meanders where it should tighten, and Franklin Jacob’s dialogues sometimes feel too literary for the grit on screen.
The genre-core: a romance that bleeds
As a romantic action film, DC understands that love and violence are two sides of the same coin. The central alliance between Devadas and Chandra is forged not in candlelight but in bloodshed, and every tender moment is shadowed by the threat of a bullet.
The action choreography is lean and brutal, favoring close-quarters chaos over spectacle. It’s not the balletic violence of a Rajinikanth vehicle, it’s messier, more desperate, more human.
But the romance itself needed more oxygen. The film’s best scenes are its quietest ones, and when it oscillates between those and the gunfights, the tonal whiplash is jarring. The pacing in the first half is deliberately slow, and while that builds atmosphere, it tests patience.
For more Tamil romantic actioners and crime dramas that walk this same tightrope, browse our Tamil Action reviews.
Wamiqa Gabbi and Sanjana Krishnamoorthy hold the emotional core
Wamiqa Gabbi is the film’s secret weapon. Her Chandra is no damsel, she’s a survivor, a woman who meets Devadas’s fire with her own. Gabbi plays the ambiguity beautifully, never letting you know if she’s saving him or using him.
Sanjana Krishnamoorthy’s Parvathi is the quieter tragedy. She represents the life Devadas could have had, and Krishnamoorthy’s wide-eyed sorrow in her scenes with Kanagaraj gives the film its most heartbreaking undercurrent.
Her casting signals a deliberate choice by Matheswaran, to make the “other woman” not a villain but a victim of the same storm.
The music carries what the screenplay can’t
Anirudh Ravichander’s soundtrack, released on 24 July 2026, is the film’s true MVP. Tracks like “Bloody Valentine” and “Raga of Revenge” do the emotional heavy lifting, filling gaps where the dialogue falls silent.
The album’s range, from the seductive “Hangova” to the playful “Bum Baa Diga Diga”, mirrors the film’s split personality. It’s a score that understands the romance needs melody and the crime needs menace, often in the same track.
There’s no political firestorm around DC, which is refreshing. The conversation instead has been about its craft, whether the slow burn justifies the payoff, and whether Kanagaraj the actor can match Kanagaraj the director. The jury is still out, but the debate itself is the point.
If you’re here for the romance, you’ll leave satisfied. If you’re here for the action, you’ll get your fix. But if you’re here for both in perfect balance, you might feel like something’s missing.
DC is a film that demands patience and rewards it in fits and starts. It’s best watched on a big screen with a crowd that feels the silence as much as the sound. Go in for Kanagaraj’s performance, stay for Gabbi’s fire, and forgive the middle act its indulgences.
DC is a flawed, fascinating experiment, a 3 out of 5 that will frustrate you as often as it moves you, but one that proves Lokesh Kanagaraj is as compelling in front of the camera as he is behind it.
For a similar study in lead performance carrying uneven material, check out Srinivasa Mangapuram review.
And if you want to see another film where a charismatic lead anchors a wobbly script, Pluto verdict offers a different kind of uneven ride.
Ankit Jaiswal is the Chief Author, covering Indian cinema and OTT releases with honest, no-filler criticism. An SEO strategist by background, he brings a research-driven approach to film writing, cutting through hype to tell you exactly what's worth your time.
