Retta Thala(2025)
Tamil113 mins
Kaali, a struggling Pondicherry orphan encounters his rich Goa doppelganger Malpe Upendra with criminal past, leading to identity swaps and messy consequences. Corrupt cop Thiraviyam and Upendra’s enemies soon conspire to put that to an end.
Director:Krish Thirukumaran
Mood:
suspensefuldarkemotional
Quick Facts
- Streaming on
- Prime Video
- Theatrical Release
- 25 December 2025
- Director
- Krish Thirukumaran
- Language
- Tamil
- Runtime
- 1h 53m
- Rating
- 2.5/10
Storyline
A poor orphan from Pondicherry meets his wealthy lookalike from Goa, who has a criminal history. They decide to swap identities, which causes serious problems. A corrupt police officer and the wealthy man's enemies then team up to stop them.
“Two lives. One face. A deadly swap.”
Film Details
2.5Rating
113Minutes
TamilLanguage
U/A 16+Certificate
Release Date25 December 2025
Also Known AsRettai Thala
Parental Guide
Violence
High
Language
Moderate
Sex / Nudity
Moderate
Drugs
Mild
Intensity
High
Where to Watch
Vibe & Tags
Mood
suspensefuldarkemotional
Themes
identitycorruptionsurvivaljustice
Toneintense
Pacingfast-paced
Complexitymoderate
Audiencemass
Best Withfriends
Violence3
Emotion3
Humor2
Rewatchability3
Cast & Crew
#1
Siddhi IdnaniAnthre
→#2Tanya RavichandranActor
→#3Hareesh PeradiActor
→#4Arun VijayMalpe Upendra/Kaali
→#5
B
Balaji MurugadossActor
→#6
#7D
Deevra HaranActor
→Y
YogeshActor
→#8John VijayActor
→#9
#10T
Tijo TomyCrew
→S
Sam C SMusic
→#11K
Krish ThirukumaranDirector
→#12
B
Bobby BalachandranCrew
→Reunion Meter
Frequent partnerships reunited for Retta Thala
Cast reunions in this film: Tanya Ravichandran & Hareesh Peradi (3 films together), and John Vijay & Hareesh Peradi (2 films together).
Trivia
- The film's title 'Retta Thala' is a colloquial Tamil phrase meaning 'two heads', directly hinting at the dual-role plot.
- Director Krish Thirukumaran reportedly studied classic doppelganger thrillers from the 1990s for the film's tone and pacing.
- The Pondicherry and Goa locations were chosen for their contrasting visual aesthetics to highlight the characters' different worlds.
- A minor continuity error involving a character's wristwatch in a key swap scene was later pointed out by fans online.
- The climax sequence required over 15 days to shoot due to complex choreography involving both lead characters.
- The film's promotional campaign subtly used split-screen visuals long before the official trailer was released.
- It was one of the few 2025 Tamil films to have a simultaneous theatrical release in Pondicherry and Goa.