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Retro review
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Filmi Score
Mixed
13 reviews
40
What the critics say
Audience Score · not yet · appears once three readers have written a review
Critics agree Retro's first half is a visually striking, single-take showcase for Suriya and Santosh Narayanan's score, but nearly all say the second half collapses into a cliched, overstuffed mess that squanders the setup.
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16+
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Summary
Retro (2025, Tamil) has a Filmi Score of 40 from 13 critic reviews, is rated 16+ by Filmi (CBFC: U/A 16+), and streams on Netflix in the US.
A man with a violent past seeks a fresh start, but the life he left behind resurfaces, forcing him to face old conflicts and redefine his future.
Where to watchAvailability by JustWatch · some watch links pay filmi.ai a small commission; it never changes what we show or how we score.
Box office collection
₹$≈ at ₹88/$, as of 26 Oct 2026
₹97.35 CrWorldwide gross in 87 days
India gross₹71.35 Cr
Overseas gross₹26.00 Cr
As of 26 Aug 2026 · Sacnilk
view →
Cast & crew
Cast
Directed and written by Karthik Subbaraj · music Santhosh Narayanan
Karthik SubbarajDirector · Writer
Santhosh NarayananMusic
Shreyaas KrishnaCinematography
Shafique Mohamed AliEditing
SuriyaLead
Pooja Hegde
Joju George
Jayaram
Vidhu
Nassar
Prakash Raj
Sujith Sankar
Avinash Raghudevan
Karunakaran
Gajaraj
Tamizh
Full crew
SoundG. Suren · S. Alagia Koothan
Production designV. Mayapandi · Jacki
CostumePraveen Raja · Sujith CS
ChoreographyM. Sherif
LyricsVivek · Shan Vincent de Paul · Arunraja Kamaraj · Thejas Krishna · Raqueeb Alam
ActionKaecha Kampakdee
MakeupTheja · Madhava · Kadhar Kumar · Prabhakaran · Shandhil · Srinivasan · Kajol Suresh Murani · Sereena · Shameer Sham
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Summary
A man with a violent past seeks a fresh start, but the life he left behind resurfaces, forcing him to face old conflicts and redefine his future.
Retro (2025, Tamil) has a Filmi Score of 40 from 13 critic reviews, is rated 16+ by Filmi (CBFC: U/A 16+), and streams on Netflix in the US.
Where to watch
Availability by JustWatch · some watch links pay filmi.ai a small commission; it never changes what we show or how we score.What the critics said
13 reviews · the critic’s own number where they gave one
Five of 13 · the critic’s own number where they gave one
YouTube, Telugu · transcript read · 1 May 2025
Mixed feelings: a strong first half (song sequence, cinematography) undercut by stakeless villains and a muddled second half mixing love story,… Watch it there →
Derived by Filmi
65
Avinash Ramachandran · 1 May 2025
Retro movie review: Suriya powers an entertaining, layered, but slightly shaky Karthik Subbaraj film Read it there →
Published · 3/5
Filmi’s reading 62
60
Anmol Jamwal · YouTube · transcript read · 3 May 2025
Finds Retro visually gorgeous with a superb score and total commitment from Surya, especially in a masterful wedding sequence, but says the… Watch it there →
Derived by Filmi
55
YouTube, Kannada · transcript read · 2 May 2025
Says the first half worked completely — sharp screenplay, editing, cinematography, Santhosh Narayanan's score and Surya's career-best look — but… Watch it there →
Derived by Filmi
48
Unni Narayanan · YouTube, Malayalam · transcript read · 1 May 2025
Calls Retro an 'okay' film with striking visuals, art direction and strong performances, but says the screenplay drags badly and the… Watch it there →
Derived by Filmi
47
Likhith · YouTube, Kannada · transcript read · 5 May 2025
Praises Retro's presentation, single-take sequence and Santosh Narayanan's score, but says the second half turns forced and cliched, making the… Watch it there →
Derived by Filmi
38
Yogi · YouTube, Hindi · rating spoken aloud · 2 May 2025
2.5/5, said on camera. Published nowhere. Watch it there →
Stated in video
Filmi’s reading 36
50
Varun · YouTube, Kannada · transcript read · 2 May 2025
Praises the single-take sequence and Santosh Narayanan's score but says the writing turns artificial and cliched in a very flat second half that… Watch it there →
Derived by Filmi
35
YouTube, Hindi · rating spoken aloud · 1 May 2025
2/5, said on camera. Published nowhere. Watch it there →
Stated in video
Filmi’s reading 32
40
1.75/5, stated in the text — not a formal rating. Read it there →
Stated in text
Filmi’s reading 32
35
Deeksha Sharma · YouTube, Hindi · rating spoken aloud · 2 May 2025
1.5/5, said on camera. Published nowhere. Watch it there →
Stated in video
Filmi’s reading 30
30
YouTube, Malayalam · transcript read · 1 May 2025
Praises Retro's technical polish, music and Suriya's stylish intro, but pans a chaotic, poorly written second half, a weak villain and forced… Watch it there →
Derived by Filmi
28
YouTube, Telugu · transcript read · 1 May 2025
Calls Retro pointless, joking that he left the theatre mid-film to eat a snack to escape it; praises only the single-take sequence and costumes,… Watch it there →
Derived by Filmi
15
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 13 readings; 5 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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Retro: quick answers
Box office, where to watch and what critics said — from the same data as the page.
What is Retro's box office collection?
Retro has a box office collection of ₹97.35 Cr worldwide (gross), made up of ₹71.35 Cr India gross and ₹26.00 Cr overseas gross. Figures are Sacnilk's, as of 26 Aug 2026, day 87. Grosses are contested in India, and money never feeds the Filmi Score.
How much has Retro collected at the box office?
Retro has collected ₹97.35 Cr worldwide in 87 days, as of 26 Aug 2026, according to Sacnilk.
Where can I watch Retro?
Retro is streaming on OTT: Netflix (India, the US, the UK and Canada). Availability comes from JustWatch and is checked every Friday.
What did critics say about Retro?
Retro has a Filmi Score of 40 (Mixed), the mean of 13 readings of critic reviews, one per review. Readings run from 15 (Poolachokka) to 65 (Thyview). 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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