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Karnan review

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2021 · Tamil · 2h 32m · Drama, Action · CBFC U/A
Keep your shortlist together and see where it’s streaming
Filmi Score
Exceptional
6 reviews
82
5 exceptional1 good
What the critics say

Critics overwhelmingly call Karnan a masterpiece, praising Dhanush's performance, the cinematography, score and its powerful handling of caste oppression, with only a few noting it runs long and predictable.

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Summary

Karnan (2021, Tamil) has a Filmi Score of 82 from 6 critic reviews, is rated 12+ by Filmi (CBFC: U/A), and streams on Prime Video in the US.

Karnan, an angry young man, fights for the rights of his oppressed people. Can he save them from those who wield power and weapons?

Where to watch

Summary

Karnan, an angry young man, fights for the rights of his oppressed people. Can he save them from those who wield power and weapons?

Karnan (2021, Tamil) has a Filmi Score of 82 from 6 critic reviews, is rated 12+ by Filmi (CBFC: U/A), and streams on Prime Video in the US.

Where to watch

What the critics said

6 reviews · the critic’s own number where they gave one
Five of 6 · the critic’s own number where they gave one
YouTube, Hindi · transcript read · 14 May 2021
The reviewer calls Karnan a masterpiece in every aspect, praising Dhanush's performance and the emotional climax, and urges viewers to stream it… Watch it there →
Derived by Filmi
90
Deeksha Sharma · YouTube, Hindi · rating spoken aloud · 11 Apr 2021
5/5, said on camera. Published nowhere. Watch it there →
Stated in video Filmi’s reading 90
100
Thyview
YouTube, Telugu · transcript read · 14 May 2021
The reviewer loved Karnan, praising its tight script, world-building, performances, cinematography and music as best-in-class, and closes by… Watch it there →
Derived by Filmi
90
YouTube · transcript read · 23 May 2021
Tyagi praises Karnan's dense symbolism, score, performances and directorial craft as a vital telling of caste violence, wishing only that… Watch it there →
Derived by Filmi
85
Siddarth Srinivas · 9 Apr 2021
The critic calls Karnan an authentic, arresting drama anchored by Dhanush's stellar performance and award-worthy technical craft, while noting the… Read it there →
Derived by Filmi
85
Varun · YouTube, Kannada · transcript read · 10 May 2021
The reviewer describes a village caught between OTT-familiar tropes and heavy metaphor around identity, humiliation and lack of opportunity,… Watch it there →
Derived by Filmi
50
How this number was made. We read every review and derive a 0–100 reading from each — including where the critic printed a number, which stays first on its row, because it’s theirs. The Filmi Score is the mean of 6 readings; 1 of those rows also carry the critic’s own rating, shown beside ours. Rubric v2.1, computed 26 Oct 2026. Any critic can ask us to remove a derived reading.
PublishedStated in videoDerived by FilmiNo score
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Karnan: quick answers

Box office, where to watch and what critics said — from the same data as the page.

Where can I watch Karnan?

Karnan is streaming on OTT: Prime Video (India, the US, the UK and Canada). It can also be rented or bought on Amazon Video (India), Google Play Movies (the US) and YouTube (the US, the UK and Canada). Availability comes from JustWatch and is checked every Friday.

What did critics say about Karnan?

Karnan has a Filmi Score of 82 (Exceptional), the mean of 6 readings of critic reviews, one per review. Readings run from 50 (Cinema with Varun) to 90 (Suraj Kumar). Every review and how it was scored is listed below.

What readers say

The Audience Score appears once three readers’ reviews have been read under the rubric — built from what people write, never from the rating numbers.
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