Anupama Chopra sits down with Karthik Subbaraj and Guneet Monga Kapoor for a spoiler-free InFocus conversation about Dorothy, a Tamil film that brings a critique of patriarchy and toxic masculinity into the world of gangsters, songs and friendship. Karthik traces its beginnings to Thelma & Louise and the attitudes he observed growing up in Madurai, and explains why making his tenth film on a more contained budget reconnected him with the reasons he became a filmmaker.
Guneet recalls the unexpected pitch that became Sikhya Entertainment's first film with its new financing in place, and the shared decision to tell this story for a mainstream audience. From preparing Sananth and Rishikanth for their roles to finding a frightening villain without relying on physical size, the conversation gets into the practical choices behind the performances.
Karthik shares how his crew adjusted to real locations and limited resources, including a memorable scramble to source goats, while Guneet discusses the discipline of budgeting and giving edit notes. They also describe the experience of working with Ilaiyaraaja, the live symphony concert for the film's score, and why Dorothy's Toronto premiere was a launchpad rather than a distribution hunt. The conversation closes with the audience response, Keerthy Suresh's contribution, and their determination to keep choosing stories that take them somewhere new.