Following online backlash over the queer themes in director Karthik Subbaraj’s film Dorothy, actor Rishikanth and the filmmaker report that audiences inside theatres have experienced emotional shifts and reflection. Released on September 25, the Tamil-language crime drama has grossed ₹6 crore worldwide amidst a polarized public reception.
Director Karthik Subbaraj’s Dorothy has faced sharp social media criticism over its LGBTQIA+ themes since hitting theatres on September 25.
Online critics launched the hashtag #BoycottDorothy and accused the filmmakers of pushing propaganda. Opposing voices such as Mohan G Kshatriyan appeared to target the movie while taking aim at LGBTQ+ representation in Tamil cinema, alleging that non-governmental organizations were financing such portrayals to sway young people and “erode” Indian culture. Some users online even declared that such controversies spoiled North America before targeting India.
Rather than engaging in a continuous cycle of rebuttals, Karthik Subbaraj chose to focus on the discussions the movie has generated. In an interview, the filmmaker noted his hope that the project can encourage audiences to look at transgender people with greater dignity and acceptance, while observing that some viewers told him the film made them reflect on their own behaviour.
Actor Rishikanth Details Online Hate and Real-World Theatre Reactions
Placing its narrative in the 1990s, the picture features Keerthy Suresh, Sananth, and Rishikanth as its main stars, following two inseparable companions whose existence is upended within a society defined by caste, toxic masculinity, and violence. After the release, Karthik, Rishikanth, and Sananth faced online hate for spreading propaganda.
Reflecting on his experiences, Rishikanth added that he experienced something similar during Modha Rathiri. Despite the online negativity, he pointed to the response inside theatres as something that gave him perspective.
“According to me, real masculinity is not about showing off. It’s very simple…acceptance, softness, understanding, treating others with respect, respecting others’ feelings and thoughts.”
Rishikanth, Actor, via Hindustan Times
The performer also asserted that certain men are willing to make sacrifices for their relatives, which he viewed as the true essence of manhood.
Audience Reflections and Historical Precedents in South Indian Cinema
Amid the social media storm, Karthik Subbaraj highlighted positive feedback from viewers who reported personal transformations after watching the picture. The filmmaker remembered observing viewers shed tears after screening the movie and even voice remorse regarding past mistreatment of transgender individuals, pointing out that the motion picture acts as a mirror reflecting uncomfortable realities and truths that people frequently refuse to accept.
The discussion surrounding Dorothy parallels a long history of queer representation across Tamil and Malayalam cinema. Well-known Malayalam actors and directors have previously explored similar themes, instance being Rosshan Andrrews’s project scripted by Bobby-Sanjay, which features Prithviraj Sukumaran as ACP Antony Moses—a hyper-masculine police officer whose carefully maintained persona begins to crumble following a traumatic event—with writer Sanjay previously discussing their concerns while the director encouraged them to proceed.
While conservative backlash attempts to limit progressive themes, critics note that cinematic depictions of transgender and queer lives have evolved through works like the 2011 Tamil film Kanchana—remade in 2020 as the Hindi Laxmii featuring Akshay Kumar’s acting as a cis man possessed by a transgender ghost—as well as Njaan Marykkutty, Super Deluxe, B 32 Muthal 44 Vare, and the streaming series Made In Heaven during the 2018-2023 period. Despite the hostility faced by self-appointed guardians of Indian culture panicking over a trans woman and a cis man kissing, the film has managed to gross around ₹6 crore worldwide so far as its theatrical run continues.