At the audio launch of Karnan earlier this week, he spoke of how so many stories and cultural modes of storytelling reside in these small villages he knows so well. Mari Selvaraj returns to the Tirunelveli agricultural-belt where his debut film was also set. Karnan’s love-interest Draupathi (Rajisha Vijayan in her Tamil debut) is an integral part, but could have had more to do. In Karnan, he has a complex role: a person who seems to have some of the right intentions, yet also must navigate past his several flaws to discover a better version of himself. It’s a simple ask that Tamil cinema stops using dark-skinned, kinky-haired people as props for their slapstick comedy. Yogi Babu is thankfully again, as he was in Pariyerum Perumal, given a character who doesn’t have to be a figure ridiculed for his looks, slapped around and be the centre-piece of casteist, racist jokes. Conversing with each other primarily in barbed, but harmless witticisms, their friendship is believable and entirely loveable. Yaman (Lal) is the older, wiser man who serves both as an impetus to propel the young Karnan towards being the hero his small village needs, and is a steadying hand during his more hot-headed moments. It's hard to think of anyone else among the current crop of young actors who could have carried the weight of the title role as flawlessly as Dhanush does. Give Dhanush a good script and he delivers a performance that has you spellbound.