| Dorothy | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Karthik Subbaraj |
| Produced by |
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| Screenplay by | Karthik Subbaraj |
| Story by |
|
| Starring |
|
| Music by | Ilaiyaraaja |
| Cinematography | Tirru |
| Edited by | Ganesh Siva |
Production company |
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Release date |
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Running time | 150 minutes[1] |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Dorothy[lower-alpha 1] is an upcoming Indian Tamil-language independent film directed by Karthik Subbaraj and produced by Guneet Monga Kapoor, Achin Jain and Jyoti Deshpande. It stars Keerthy Suresh in the titular role, Sananth and Rishikanth. The film, shot between November 2025 and March 2026, will have its world premiere at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival on 11 September and will be followed by its theatrical release two weeks later on 25 September.
Plot[edit | edit source]
The film is set in the 1990s amidst caste-related violence.[3]
Cast[edit | edit source]
- Keerthy Suresh as Dorothy[1]
- Sananth as Subbu[1]
- Rishikanth as Karthi[1]
Production[edit | edit source]
In May 2025, while promoting Retro (2025), director Karthik Subbaraj noted that after Jigarthanda DoubleX (2023), he had wanted to make a small-budget independent film intended for film festivals a year before it's theatrical release and even developed a complete script but had to stall work to focus on Retro, adding that in contrast to Retro, he intended to feature less prominent actors in this film.[4] On 10 November, Karthik formally announced the film, his 10th directorial venture, to be produced by Guneet Monga Kapoor's Sikhya Entertainment. The untitled film began production the same day at Madurai.[5][6] In late March 2026, he said filming was completed and the film was in post-production.[7][8] Monga Kapoor echoed these comments at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.[9] The film's title Dorothy was announced on 4 August 2026, along with the lead cast: Keerthy Suresh, Sananth and Rishikanth. Also produced by Dhammam Films and Jio Studios, it was photographed by Tirru and edited by Ganesh Siva. Saravanan Chandran was credited as the additional storywriter while Achin Jain and Jyoti Deshpande also produced the film.[10][2]
Music[edit | edit source]
The music was composed by Ilaiyaraaja,[11] in his first collaboration with Karthik.[12] The first single "Kalyana Virundhu" was released on 22 August 2026.[13] The second single "Muthumani", a trance number, was released on 29 August.[14] A separate album for the background score, consisting of 18 tracks, was released on 5 September 2026. A 40-minute concert was also conducted for the tracks at Image Auditorium, Chennai.[15][16] One of the score tracks, "How Else to Name It?" is a modernised version of "Do Anything" from Ilaiyaraaja's studio album How to Name It? (1986).[17]
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Kalyana Virundhu" | Ilaiyaraaja | Yugendran, Anthony Daasan, Priya Jerson | 3:56 |
| 2. | "Muthumani" | Ilaiyaraaja | Ilaiyaraaja, Shweta Mohan | 5:23 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Rowdy Ya" | 2:08 |
| 2. | "Kola Pottu" | 1:29 |
| 3. | "Yethum Illai" | 4:13 |
| 4. | "Sambavam" | 4:28 |
| 5. | "Red Sand" | 1:19 |
| 6. | "Out of Home" | 1:34 |
| 7. | "Blessing" | 1:04 |
| 8. | "Birthday" | 2:08 |
| 9. | "Angels" | 1:47 |
| 10. | "How Else to Name It?" | 2:51 |
| 11. | "Long Drive" | 1:39 |
| 12. | "First Night" | 1:43 |
| 13. | "Kaatru Maram" | 4:19 |
| 14. | "Piriya Vidai" | 3:41 |
| 15. | "Bommai" | 2:10 |
| 16. | "Nanba" | 1:22 |
| 17. | "Poison" | 2:27 |
| 18. | "Parotta Chukka" | 1:17 |
Release[edit | edit source]
Dorothy will premiere at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival on 11 September 2026,[1] and is scheduled to have its theatrical release two weeks later, on 25 September.[10]
Notes[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Citizen, Robyn. "Dorothy". Toronto International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 29 August 2026. Retrieved 28 August 2026.
- ↑ Ramachandran, Naman (5 August 2026). "Karthik Subbaraj's Toronto-Bound 'Dorothy' Unveils Teaser (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on 6 August 2026. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ "Karthik Subbaraj on the 'Retro' Single-Take Sequence and Making an Indie Film". The Hollywood Reporter India. 8 May 2025. Archived from the original on 7 August 2026. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
- ↑ Ramachandran, Naman (10 November 2025). "Oscar Winner Guneet Monga Kapoor's Sikhya Entertainment Partners With Karthik Subbaraj on Tamil Feature (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on 15 November 2025. Retrieved 5 August 2026.
- ↑ "Guneet Monga's Sikhya Entertainment joins hands with Karthik Subbaraj for new Tamil feature". The Hindu. 10 November 2025. Archived from the original on 15 November 2025. Retrieved 5 August 2026.
- ↑ "Karthik Subbaraj shares details on his next film". Cinema Express. 1 April 2026. Archived from the original on 2 May 2026. Retrieved 5 August 2026.
- ↑ Rangan, Baradwaj (31 March 2026). Karthik Subbaraj, Rana Daggubati, Someetharan interview With Baradwaj Rangan | Neelira |conversation. Galatta Plus. From 56:36 to 56:41. Archived from the original on 22 August 2026. Retrieved 5 August 2026 – via YouTube.
- ↑ "Cannes 2026 Exclusive | Guneet Monga Kapoor Reveals Sikhya Entertainment Has Three Women-Led Films Going On Floors, Tamil Project With Karthik Subbaraj in Post-Production". The Hollywood Reporter India. 13 May 2026. Archived from the original on 19 May 2026. Retrieved 5 August 2026.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Karthik Subbaraj-Ilaiyaraaja project titled Dorothy; film gets world premiere at Toronto Film Festival". Cinema Express. 4 August 2026. Archived from the original on 5 August 2026. Retrieved 5 August 2026.
- ↑ "Karthik Subbaraj collaborates with Ilaiyaraaja for his next directorial". The Hindu. 18 May 2026. Archived from the original on 18 May 2026. Retrieved 5 August 2026.
- ↑ "Karthik Subbaraj says he "never had the courage" to approach Ilaiyaraaja earlier; recalls his key request". Cinema Express. 22 May 2026. Archived from the original on 7 June 2026. Retrieved 5 August 2026.
- ↑ "Dorothy first song Kalyana Virundhu is an upbeat number from Ilaiyaraaja". Cinema Express. 22 August 2026. Archived from the original on 22 August 2026. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
- ↑ "'Muthumani' from Karthik Subbaraj's Dorothy is trance track on love". Cinema Express. 29 August 2026. Archived from the original on 29 August 2026. Retrieved 29 August 2026.
- ↑ Sony Music South (5 September 2026). Dorothy — OST Jukebox | Karthik Subbaraj | Ilayaraaja | Keerthy Suresh. Archived from the original on 5 September 2026. Retrieved 5 September 2026 – via YouTube.
- ↑ "Dorothy jukebox, with Ilaiyaraaja's background music compositions, out". Cinema Express. 5 September 2026. Archived from the original on 5 September 2026. Retrieved 5 September 2026.
- ↑ "ராஜா ராஜாதான்.. டோரதி படத்தின் பின்னணி இசை வெளியீடு" [Raja is a king only.. The background score of Dorothy has released]. Maalai Malar (in தமிழ்). 6 September 2026. Archived from the original on 7 September 2026. Retrieved 8 September 2026.
- ↑ "Dorothy (Original Background Score)". Apple Music. 6 September 2026. Archived from the original on 8 September 2026. Retrieved 8 September 2026.
