2026 · Film
Dorothy
Karthik Subbaraj's Tamil drama about two childhood friends in rural Tamil Nadu whose lives are upended by the arrival of a woman named Dorothy.
Released Fri, 25 Sept, 2026
Reviewed by Movie Mandala, Sat, 24 Oct, 2026
Where to watch
IndiaAs of 24 October 2026, Dorothy is streaming in India on Netflix with a subscription.
- Checked Sat, 24 Oct, 2026Open ↗
The story
In rural Tamil Nadu, Karthi and Subbu have been inseparable since school and now work as henchmen for Subbu's father, a local strongman. Their village runs on rigid ideas of masculinity, caste and honour. When Subbu's older brother brings home a wife, Dorothy, a woman who does not fit those norms, her presence starts to unsettle both friends. A misfortune in the household then sets Karthi on Subbu's trail, testing their friendship.
Spoiler-free: only the set-up.
Who it suits
For adult viewers drawn to slow-burning social dramas about caste, gender and masculinity; it is rated A, deals with violence and LGBTQ themes, and runs about two and a half hours.
darkemotionalthought-provoking
Curation to help you choose, not a review.
Background
Dorothy is written and directed by Karthik Subbaraj, from a story he developed with Saravanan Chandran, and produced by Sikhya Entertainment (Guneet Monga Kapoor, Achin Jain), Dhammam Films and Jio Studios. Ilaiyaraaja composed the music. Filming began in Madurai on 10 November 2025, and the title and leads were revealed on 4 August 2026; it is Keerthy Suresh's first film with Subbaraj.
It had its world premiere in the Centrepiece section of the Toronto International Film Festival on 11 September 2026 and opened in Indian cinemas on 25 September with an A certificate. The TIFF cut ran 150 minutes and the theatrical cut 146. Reviews were divided, and its LGBTQ storyline drew boycott calls; The Hollywood Reporter India reported an opening-weekend worldwide gross of ₹4.15 crore. Netflix began streaming it on 23 October 2026 in Tamil with Hindi, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam dubs.
The facts
- Language
- Tamil
- Hindi
- Hindi dub available
- Genre
- Crime drama, Social drama
- Runtime
- 146 min
- Certificate
- A
- Director
- Karthik Subbaraj
- Cast
- Sananth, Rishikanth, Keerthy Suresh, Muthukumar, Ramachandran Durairaj
Questions people ask
- Where can I watch Dorothy in India?
- As of 24 October 2026, Dorothy is streaming in India on Netflix with a subscription.
- Is Dorothy available in Hindi?
- Yes. Dorothy was made in Tamil, and a Hindi-dubbed version is available on Netflix.
- Is Dorothy suitable for children?
- Dorothy has a CBFC A certificate, which means it is restricted to adults aged 18 and above.
- How long is Dorothy?
- Dorothy runs for 2 hours 26 minutes (146 minutes).