Charukesi Movie Review: A Melodious Tale That Struggles To Find Its Rhythm
The Times of India TNN, Jun 16, 2026, 11:50 AM IST
Charukesi Movie Synopsis
Memory is a double-edged sword. Sometimes, we wish we could forget certain moments, only to realise how terrifying forgetting itself can be. Which is why we find ourselves agreeing with the Carnatic legend, Charukesi (painstakingly brilliant YG Mahendran) in this Suresh Krissna film, whenever he says, “there are always two sides to a coin.”
Charukesi Movie Review
When a young girl blackmails him with a secret, when his own son dislikes him, or even when he begins to lose his memory due to Alzheimer's, Charukesi believes in the saying and tries to live by it. When the central character of a film has such strongly rooted values that guide the entire journey, one begins to feel the life in them. More importantly, this very line also defines how the film ultimately turns out.
On one side of the coin, the film is a beautiful narrative about a seasoned singer, Charukesi, who is loved as much for his selflessness as he is for his talent. As he begins to lose pieces of himself, the film smartly builds his legacy through the memories and admiration of those around him, making Charukesi feel less like a character and more like a living legend. It also captures the pain of Alzheimer’s with great detail and care, and some moving performances from the veterans YG Mahendran, Suhasini, who plays Charukesi’s wife Bhagyam, and Thalaivasal Vijay, who plays his friend, bring it all together. And even though in a film about music, there aren’t many moments that are driven by the songs themselves, Shankar Mahadevan’s voice and Deva’s music are pleasing, and the rare glimpses of musical fights and compositions create intrigue.
On the other side of the coin, though, lies a serial-style filmmaking approach with daughter-in-law revenge, son’s anger, and a God’s blessing that is captured without much finesse. It is like the film was cut into two and everything, right from the dialogues, acting, and the energy is extremely different on this side of the coin. Sample a sequence where we hear about the love story of Charukesi and Bhagyam for the first time – it has its dramas and twists, and we understand them and their past. Yet, the same story again gets a flashback sequence, long after we know their tale in detail, and the add-on just adds nothing to the plot. Likewise, we see a human incarnation of a god – visually, he evokes the serenity often associated with Jesus, and in talks, he calls himself an avatar of Lord Shiva – and he has a lot of aura around him. Yet, the film seems unwilling to trust its own ambiguity. A series of dialogues force feed us about why he is a God, an example story of his sons, Murugan and Vinayakan, also makes it to the cut to re-establish that he is Lord Shiva. Such an overdose of emotional beats, including the revenge angle and the son’s anger, turns what could have been a hauntingly beautiful raga into one that keeps slipping out of tune. The film, when at its best, is melodious and painfully soothing, but you wish it found its rhythm much sooner.
Cast and Crew
- Y. G. Mahendran – Actor
- Suhasini Maniratnam – Director, Actress, Producer
- Raj Ayyappa
- Ramya Pandian – Actress
- Suresh Krishna – Actor, Director
- R. Arun – Producer
Rating
Critic's Rating: 2.5/5 Users' Rating: 2.5/5
