Modha Rathiri (2026)

Modha Rathiri opens with a long Steadicam shot that announces Raja Karuppasamy as a director in command of his craft. It isn’t showy, but it’s hard not to notice, with the frame edges gently shaking. The single take builds the tension in the marriage hall far better than quick cuts would have. A little while later, the bride and groom have glum faces during the post-marriage photo sessions—with the bride appearing catatonic. Everyone else is dancing and partying hard. This jarring juxtaposition deliberately establishes the absurdity of a forced Indian marriage. From there, Raja continues to ramp things up even further—with the most absurd scene being one where the entire family eavesdrops on the titular event.

Beyond direction, writing is what makes the film’s emotional beats work. Every plot point gets paid off meaningfully. The film’s gut-wrenching payoff comes in a scene that ties multiple threads together, including one from the opening scene where Chetan’s poojari complains about the locked temple well. The hero gets a long monologue about his tragic past, releasing everything he’s held back thus far. Rishikanth’s restraint is brilliant. He doesn’t wail; he does just enough to land what the character has been struggling with. The cathartic payoff comes when Rishikanth says the words Anishma wanted to hear earlier from her ex-boyfriend, who left her stranded. It arrives when least expected, and it choked me up. The comedic payoff comes right at the climax when we get to know who Nithish—a character who’s been mentioned by the bride’s uncle throughout the film—is.

Raja’s command of both writing and direction makes the missteps stand out. In one scene, Rishikanth’s father shouts at an audio system worker for touching his Bullet with wet hands. We don’t make much of the moment. Later, out on a search party on the same Bullet, the worker and the father have a conversation about the incident. The conversation spells out something that should have been communicated visually: that Rishikanth’s father is casteist. It also robs the audience of connecting the dots on the parents when Rishikanth laments his tragic past in the film’s most moving scene. In another instance, a poetic non-verbal exchange between Rishikanth and Anishma in a hut is diluted by another character speaking what the visuals had already told us.

In addition to those missteps, not all of the film’s tonal shifts work. Some jarring transitions from the emotional peak of a realisation or catharsis to the absurdity of family members in fisticuffs dilute the emotions. Also, a quibble outside the film itself: the title undersells it. This moving comedy-drama is not what I was expecting from a film titled Modha Rathiri—in a good way. I can’t help but wonder if it should have had a less risqué title. But these shortcomings can be overlooked in what is easily a banger of a debut from Raja Karuppasamy.