After finding a method to madness in his impressive debut, Rocky, filmmaker Arun Matheswaran has been struggling to find fresher ways to explore human depravity and celebrate cinematic violence. After Rocky, every successive film has felt less grounded and more emotionally contrived, as if even the slightest scope for lyricism in writing exists only to propel the oncoming action set piece. This is once again the case with his latest film, DC, whose title denotes the two central characters, Devadas (played by filmmaker Lokesh Kanagaraj in his debut lead role) and Chandra (Wamiqa Gabbi).
Arun’s leading men have come across as emotionally stunted, and this is the case with Lokesh’s Devadas as well. He has the same thirst for violence, but the emotional core feels eroded. Chandra, however, refrains from becoming Saani Kaayidham’s Ponni, who appeared manufactured for revenge and cinematic violence. Chandra here, thankfully, is the soul of the story. Her feminine rage often promises to satisfyingly thwart the bloated egos of the men who populate her world, but Arun gives us enough to show us the girl child who has been imprisoned for life.
On one hand, Das is a gangster who is aware of how big his world is, but is fed up with the disparity and injustice in human society. Chandra, meanwhile, is a sex worker who was sold off to pimps at the age of six and has remained in her room for over 18 years. If Das is a beast who grew up in war and mayhem, Chandra is a caged spirit brutalised all day — Arun keeps asserting this primal difference to give us the satisfaction of when they eventually meet and change each other’s lives.
But neither Das nor Chandra are saints; these are morally grey characters who don’t hesitate to kill to survive. And in DC, their daggers and guns taste more blood than in any recent Tamil film. In fact, much of the story of DC feels spring-loaded for this mad, mad mayhem. On paper, the story all feels time-worn; but in effect, it works … almost. After hitting a consignment of the police department’s ammunition in Gobichettipalayam and exacting revenge upon a cop, Das and other henchmen in his team — all working under cop-turned-gangster Arasu (Thalaivasal Vijay) — take refuge in a lodge in Chennai to escape from Inspector Bhojraj (Krish Dayal) and his team of cops. There, Das meets a bar singer, Parvathy (Sanjana Krishnamoorthy), but this Ilaiyaraaja-assisted meet-cute ends tragically. Simultaneously, we begin to see the story of a sex worker called Chandra.
Wamiqa Gabbi and Lokesh Kanagaraj in a still from ‘DC’
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
This is essentially Arun attempting to put a twist on the classic ‘Devadas’ story by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay: what if Devadas loses Parvathy before they can even fall in love or ruminate on the possibility? And what if Devadas was a brash gangster with a mean streak? What if Parvathy wasn’t in his fate, but another woman, who also comes from waging a long war herself? And what if this Devadas ends up playing a Robin Hood-like figure?
Interestingly, Arun’s scheme works for much of the first half. The setting offers enough scope for strong character arcs, but what really captivates your attention are the superb action scenes. In fact, every set piece in DC is a lesson on action choreography. Even a shootout at a wedding hall thrills you endlessly. The standout action scenes in the film follow the mini-revenge arcs that Devadas and Chandra traverse during their cat-and-mouse with the cops. After a point, though, the violence-heavy action feels repetitive and without proper emotional propulsion. Bullets shower as rain and cops die like flies, and every time Das and Co face trouble, you know they will escape, only to somehow cross paths with the cops again and open fire — it’s as if it were all a game of police dress-up with a toy set.
DC (Tamil)
Director: Arun Matheswaran
Cast: Lokesh Kanagaraj, Wamiqa Gabbi, Sanjana Krishnamoorthy, Krish Dayal
Runtime: 142 minutes
Storyline: Devadas, a gangster haunted by loss, and Chandra, a sex worker brutalised by a lifetime of exploitation, find themselves drawn together as they wage a bloody war against the corrupt cops
The primary issue plaguing the film, as stated above, is the weak emotional core. At some point, Das asks Chandra what she knows about him, and she tells him everything she knows — about how he lost his mother, his feelings about his estranged father, about the deaths of Parvathy and his friend Sebastian, and that he is afraid of losing her. In truth, this is everything that defines Das’ character. Oh, wait, he also smokes like a chimney when he is agitated, and calls it quits when he isn’t.
A lot could have at least been done to make us root for Das and Chandra’s relationship. There’s subtext, of course, but nothing enough to sustain our interest. We understand Parvathy reminded Das of his late mother, and that Chandra reminds him of Parvathy, but that’s about it. For Chandra, who fidgets with a plastic flower, Das is a saviour knight who doesn’t see her as flesh. And Arun hopes that this is enough to get us to back them as they slaughter dozens of cops, all because “the cops are bad.”
Lokesh Kanagaraj and Wamiqa Gabbi in a still from ‘DC’
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
One might argue that this is as much emotional heft as one could hope for in a film that is so busy setting up the next action set piece. But one imagines a more able writer could find those pockets of stillness that could be utilised for some drama. A scene on a seashore or the many moments they spend together in a red Omni van could have been used to write some interesting dialogue.
Interestingly, much of that emotional heavy-lifting is done by ace composer Anirudh Ravichander, and the ‘Rockstar’ truly goes berserk in DC. He unleashes a medley of classical-heavy compositions — and rock-heavy earworms like ‘Ain’t Nobody’ and ‘Bum Baa Diga Diga’ — that make DC almost realise its full potential. Also deserving of credit are the film’s cinematographer Mukesh G, editor GK Prasanna and production designer Kannan S; the world of DC feels so rich in colour and contrasts, and the film hardly stutters, while many frames take your breath away.
After watching the 142-minute-long DC, one may not help but think back to the umpteen shots of Devadas and Chandra alone in the frame. Wamiqa does what Wamiqa does best, but the surprise package is Lokesh, who gives his absolute best to hold the frames, even while his character feels tailored to suit his limited acting abilities. And so while their still eyes and Anirudh’s ‘Raga of Revenge’ play on loop in your mind, you can’t help but feel as if DC is a film that is forever flirting with its own better version.
DC is currently running in theatres
Published – August 07, 2026 05:48 pm IST
