Hitler (2024 film)

• Vijay Antony as Selva
• Riya Suman as Sara
• Gautham Vasudev Menon as Deputy Commissioner Shakthi
• Charan Raj as Rajavelu
• Redin Kingsley as Karukkavel
• Vivek Prasanna as Selva's friend
• Aadukalam Naren as Varadhan
• Tamizh as Nallathambi
• Kavithalayaa Krishnan as Lawyer Isaac
• Sriranjani as Sara's aunty
• Aishwarya Dutta as Dancer (Special appearance)

Following his tenure as chief associate director for Mani Ratnam's Ponniyin Selvan I and II, Dhana embarked on developing his new project, conceiving a story without a specific actor in mind.^[5] T. D. Rajha of Chendur Film International sought to collaborate with Vijay Antony on another film after the success of Kodiyil Oruvan (2021).^[6] Upon approaching Antony, they discussed potential directors and ultimately chose Dhana, impressed by his work on Vaanam Kottattum (2020).^[7] After completing the script, Dhana presented the story to Antony. To emphasize the film's romantic aspects, Dhana aimed to make Antony appear younger, achieving this through makeup, styling, and a wig.^[8] On 28 September 2023, the film's title was unveiled, along with the announcement of the cast, which includes Riya Suman as the female lead, alongside Charan Raj, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Redin Kingsley, Vivek Prasanna, and Aadukalam Naren.^[9][10][11] Charan Raj was selected for a pivotal role in the film, as the filmmakers sought an experienced actor who had been relatively inactive in Tamil cinema as of 2023, making him an ideal choice.^[5] The film's title, Hitler, was inspired by the name's universal connotation of dictatorship.^[12][13] The cinematography was by Naveen Kumar, while the editing was handled by Sangathamizhan E.^[14][15]

The soundtrack was composed by Vivek–Mervin.^[18][19] The first single, "Tappasu" was released on 25 January 2024.^[20] The second single, "Adiyaathi" was released on 7 September 2024.^[21][22] The film's complete soundtrack album, comprising six songs and two theme tracks, was released on 14 September 2024.^[23]

The film was initially slated for release in August 2024.^[24] However it was delayed and released theatrically on 27 September 2024.^[25]

Avinash Ramachandran of The Indian Express rated the film two out of five stars and wrote that "Right from the title that follows Vijay Antony's habit of choosing 'negative' names for his films to the actions of the protagonists and even the antagonists, everything feels like unfulfilled potential in Hitler. What unfolds on screen isn't as smart as the makers deem it to be."^[26] Anusha Sundar of OTTplay gave it two out of five stars and opined that "Hitler is a bland political thriller that struggles to stay true to its genre. It manages to capture the essence by drawing elements, but the emotional connect goes missing. A bit of everything, and little of cohesive storytelling makes the film, far from being enjoyable."^[27]

Harshini SV of The Times of India rated the film two-and-a-half out of five stars and wrote, "A predictable story is never an issue, only until the film is self-aware of it. Hitler, on the other hand, unravels like a revenge story with a lot of twists. But sadly, all these twists are hidden in plain sight."^[28] Gopinath Rajendran of The Hindu wrote that "Hitler, had it released a few decades ago, would have been the textbook example of a vigilante film. But now, it feels like a rehash of multiple cult classics many of us grew up watching and one of them is Gentleman which, incidentally, also starred Charanraj. Sticking to a familiar template is the least of Hitler's worries as it struggles with a lack of ingenuity."^[1]

Jayabhuvaneshwari B of The New Indian Express wrote that "The film's ideas about dictatorship have potential but are explored very superficially. In a film that could've dissected the horrors of dictatorship, Hitler ironically subjects us to the tyranny of cliches."^[29] Kirubhakar Purushothaman of News18 wrote, "This vigilante plot is from director Shankar's debut film Gentleman (1993). The police officer in the film was played by Charanraj, who is the antagonist here. All of this could be the filmmaker's idea of celebrating 30 years of Gentleman. Nothing explains the eerie similarity between these two films in terms of the plot. However, when it comes to execution, the three-decade-old Gentleman seems fresher than Hitler."^[30]

• Hitler at IMDb