DNA REVIEW
Cast: Atharvaa, Nimisha Sajayan, Balaji Shakthivel, Ramesh Thilak, Chethan, Riythivika
Director: Nelson Venkatesan
Rating: 3.75/5
In Nelson Venkatesan’s DNA, a man haunted by his ex-girlfriend’s suicide marries a woman with borderline personality disorder, and their newborn gets swapped at the hospital. It’s a premise that could collapse under its own melodrama, but for the most part, it doesn’t.
Atharvaa’s Anand begins as a broken shell—voiceless since the tragedy, drowning in guilt, pushed into an arranged marriage by his strict father. His bride Divya (Nimisha Sajayan) could have been another “hysterical woman” trope. Instead, she’s the film’s secret weapon: hyperfixated yes, but blessed with intuitions that cut through everyone else’s assumptions. When she insists the baby in her arms isn’t hers, her certainty transforms from apparent madness into the story’s emotional core.
The first half thrums with genuine suspense. How do you prove a newborn isn’t yours when everyone dismisses you as having an episode? Nelson mines real tension from sideways glances and whispered doubts, while Nimisha navigates the thin line between instinct and perceived insanity with remarkable skill. Her Divya sees through Anand’s silence to something worth saving, and when the crisis hits, her supposed disorder becomes her strength.
Then the second half arrives, bringing international adoption rings, cult sacrifices, and Atharvaa beating up goons with choreographed precision. The thriller suddenly remembers its commercial obligations, and while these elements aren’t poorly executed, they feel grafted from a different film entirely. What began as a smart exploration of parental terror and societal judgment pivots into familiar masala territory.
Yet even with these compromises, DNA still makes you care. The climactic cheers in theaters come not from perfectly landed punches but from genuine investment in this fractured family’s journey, mostly on the back of Nimisha’s performance. Atharvaa brings both vulnerability and coiled intensity to his wordless performance, while the supporting cast—Balaji Shakthivel, Ramesh Thilak, Chethan, and Riythivika—provides adequate support.
DNA offers a semi-smart thriller that works best when it trusts its premise and its leads. In its better moments—particularly anything featuring Nimisha’s fierce, fragile Divya—it reminds us what k’town can achieve when strong performances meet meaningful stories.