A little less than a month after hitting theatres, Karthik Subbaraj’s Dorothy is making its digital premiere on Netflix. After making its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, it was released in Indian theatres on September 25. Initially, the crime drama faced some backlash for its LGBTQ content. Later, with strong support from within the film industry and positive responses from the audience, Dorothy has gone on to be a modest hit at the box office. The Tamil film is led by actors Sananth and Rishikanth, while Keerthy Suresh enters the narrative as the title character.
Karthik Subbaraj’s Dorothy to premiere on Netflix
The film title shows up when you search for the Tamil feature and indicates it will be debuting on October 23, 2026. The Netflix synopsis states, “In a village shaped by toxic masculinity, the arrival of Dorothy, a woman who challenges social norms – upends the worldviews of two longtime friends.”
Dorothy’s music has been composed by the legend himself, Ilaiyaraaja, while the cinematography is by Tirru, and editing has been done by Ganesh Siva. The Times Now review of the feature said, “Yet, with Dorothy, [Karthik] Subbaraj once again proves that, at his core, he is a storyteller who does not want to be confined by the conventions of star-driven cinema. Taking on a subject with theme of LGBTQ, is a bold move, and the film deserves credit for that ambition.”
South film industry supports Dorothy
Veteran actors such as Mammootty and Rajinikanth have also extended their appreciation for Dorothy to director Karthik. Sharing photos with both on Instagram, the filmmaker thanked both of them. He called Mammootty “an inspiration” and said his encouraging words on Dorothy meant a lot to him. Meanwhile, Rajinikanth told Karthik that years after Petta, Dorothy is the Karthik Subbaraj he’d been looking for. The South superstar spoke for over an hour about the film.
Dorothy was also backed by Tamil stars Dhanush and Suriya. Even before the release of Dorothy, Dhanush took to social media and said the Tamil film was “bold and poignant. Raw and intense. Every actor has performed brilliantly. Our maestro ilayaraja sir’s background score will blow your mind away.” Suriya had added in his X post, “Dorothy speaks about things, which is not spoken about often, and it does so in a daring way. What ever Karthik Subbaraj wanted to say, he has conveyed through the film.”
