DNA Review: Atharvaa And Nimisha Sajayan Shine In A Gritty Thriller That Dares To Ask “What If?”
Nelson Venkatesan’s “DNA” arrives as a reminder that the genre is capable of far more than reflecting the deepest anxieties of the human condition.
Released theatrically on June 20, 2025, and now making an unprecedented OTT debut on Disney+ Hotstar merely 24 hours after its Telugu release as My Baby, DNA is a film that unsettles you with the ethical questions it raises.
Also, read| Janaki V v/s State of Kerala: Suresh Gopi Shines, But Everything Else Falls Flat, Says Social Media
Starring Atharvaa Murali and Nimisha Sajayan, the film weaves together emotional trauma, psychological disorders, child trafficking, and the manipulation of medical systems into a slow-burning yet intensely rewarding narrative.
Set across two timelines, DNA opens in 2014, when a seemingly innocuous accident sets off a chain of events involving Varadarajan, a respected software architect, and Rajendran, an ambulance driver with a questionable moral compass.
What begins as an attempt to shield one man from legal consequences soon spirals into a long-term child trafficking racket masked behind the veneer of medical legitimacy.
Fast forward to 2023, where we meet Anand (Atharvaa), a man hollowed out by personal tragedy and Divya (Nimisha Sajayan), who suffers from Borderline Personality Disorder.
Their arranged marriage is an uneasy truce between damaged individuals hoping for healing. But when Divya gives birth and insists the child handed to her isn’t theirs, the film’s real thriller engine kicks in.
Is it postpartum psychosis? Or is something sinister at play?
Atharvaa’s performance as Anand is arguably one of his most mature to date. He sheds the veneer of a commercial hero and embraces vulnerability, portraying a man caught between love, duty, and disbelief.
Nimisha Sajayan, one of the most compelling actors working in Indian cinema today, brings a rawness to Divya that is both painful and poetic. She embodies the tightrope between fragility and strength.
The supporting cast is rich and textured, especially Balaji Sakthivel as Sub-Inspector Chinnasamy, whose quiet wisdom and weary eyes ground the film’s investigation in realism. Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub delivers a chilling turn as the morally decayed Varadarajan, whose villainy is terrifying precisely because it is so plausible.
Director Nelson Venkatesan, known for Farhana and Monster, steps into more ambitious territory with DNA. Co-written with Athisha Vino, the screenplay is both layered and lean.
It simmers, unfolding in fragments, each revelation leading to more questions. The plot’s structure, bridging nearly a decade of deceit, feels earned, not engineered.
What sets DNA apart from typical thrillers is its psychological core. This isn’t a film about what happened—it’s about why, and whether healing is possible after unimaginable betrayal. It dares to mix medical ethics, familial trauma, and the desperation of parenthood into a rich thematic brew.
The film’s technical finesse is impeccable. Parthiban D.F.T’s cinematography paints the film in shades of clinical white and emotional greyhospitals, homes, and urban alleys captured with an unnerving stillness. Sabu Joseph VJ’s editing is taut, refusing to indulge in excess even as the story grows more complex.
Musically, DNA breaks yet another rule. The soundtrack, composed by five different music directors (Sathyaprakash, Sreekanth Hariharan, Pravin Saivi, Sahi Siva, and Anal Akash), might seem like a risky proposition, but it works beautifully.
From the “Kanne Kanave” to the energetic “Feelingu Paatu,” each song reflects a different emotional register of the film’s journey. Ghibran Vaibodha’s background score, meanwhile, elevates the tension without overwhelming it.
The decision to launch the film on OTT just 24 hours after its Telugu theatrical release (as My Baby) has sparked heated debates in industry circles.
While some view it as a blow to the theatrical model, others see it as an embrace of reality, a recognition that modern audiences want access, immediacy, and multilingual availability. DNA will be available in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam, and Kannada on OTTplay Premium.
