A Medical Thriller With a Strong Setup That Loses Its Grip in the Second Half
Some thriller stories immediately create curiosity because the basic concept itself feels different. A newborn baby, a hospital crime, confused parents and a mystery surrounding what actually happened can easily become the foundation for a gripping investigation. That is exactly where this film starts. The medical background gives the story a different flavour from the usual crime thrillers, and for a good portion of the runtime, the film manages to make us genuinely interested in what is happening. Code : 6
The movie has a promising plot and some very effective stretches, especially when the story stays inside the hospital environment and focuses on the mystery surrounding the baby. However, the film also tries to bring in commercial elements such as action sequences, songs, romance and fights. According to my viewing experience, these portions are where the movie loses some of the intensity that the main thriller setup creates.
Movie Details
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Movie | DNA |
| Original Language | Tamil |
| Genres | Action, Thriller, Psychological, Suspense |
| Runtime | Approximately 2 hours 18 minutes |
| Lead Cast | Atharvaa, Nimisha Sajayan |
| Director | Nelson Venkatesan |
| OTT Platform | JioHotstar |
| Available Languages | Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi |
| Telugu Title | DNA |
| Telugu Streaming | Available on JioHotstar |
| Content | No major adult scenes or bad language according to my viewing |
My Overall Take
For me, this was an average thriller with a very good central idea. There are portions where the movie works really well, particularly when it concentrates on the hospital mystery and the investigation surrounding the newborn. Those sections made me want to know what was actually happening and where the story was going.
At the same time, the movie does not maintain that same level of engagement throughout. The first part has some stretches that feel unnecessarily slow, while the second half introduces action and commercial elements that take attention away from the medical-thriller core.
So, if you are going into this expecting a completely serious, tightly written medical investigation thriller from beginning to end, you may feel disappointed. But if you have some time and enjoy movies built around hospital mysteries and unusual crime concepts, it is still worth trying.
A Medical Thriller Is the Biggest Attraction
One thing I liked immediately was the choice of subject.
Medical thrillers are not something we get very frequently in Indian cinema. Most thrillers generally revolve around murder investigations, police cases, revenge stories or psychological mysteries. A story that uses a hospital, a newborn baby and a possible crime as its central conflict naturally creates curiosity.
The film takes advantage of that curiosity in the beginning.
The story revolves around a newly born baby and the strange circumstances surrounding the child. As the parents begin looking for answers, the hospital environment becomes an important part of the mystery. The film slowly starts revealing that there is more happening behind the scenes than what appears on the surface.
That portion is easily one of the strongest aspects of the movie.
Whenever the screenplay concentrates on the hospital, the investigation and the mystery surrounding the child, the movie becomes much more interesting. There is a feeling that something is not right, and that keeps the viewer involved.
The Hospital Portions Work Better
For me, the best stretches are the portions involving the hospital and the investigation.
There are scenes where the characters are trying to understand what happened, what went wrong and what exactly is taking place behind the hospital’s seemingly normal environment. These scenes have a certain tension because the audience is also trying to put the pieces together.
The movie does not immediately reveal everything.
Instead, it gives us small pieces of information and allows the mystery to develop. That approach works because the subject itself is unusual. We are not simply watching another routine police investigation. The medical background gives the situation a different kind of tension.
Even the portions involving the police investigation have some interesting moments. The film becomes more engaging whenever it asks questions instead of simply moving from one action scene to another.
That is why I felt the movie had much more potential than what we finally got.
The Main Problem Is the Execution
The biggest issue is not the basic story idea.
The idea is actually quite good.
The problem is how the movie chooses to develop that idea.
There are certain portions where the film becomes slow and loses the urgency created by the central mystery. Instead of going deeper into the medical aspect and making the investigation more detailed, the screenplay sometimes moves towards commercial territory.
This includes action scenes, romantic elements and songs.
For me, these elements were not completely necessary for this particular story.
When a thriller has already created a strong mystery around a newborn and a hospital crime, the audience naturally wants more information about that mystery. We want to understand the system, the people involved and the actual mechanism behind the crime.
But the movie sometimes steps away from that and spends time on elements that feel like they belong to a more conventional commercial film.
That affects the overall pacing.
The First 40 Minutes
The opening portion has both good and weak moments.
The basic setup is interesting, and the medical background immediately gives the movie a different identity. The story takes some time to establish the characters and the situation, but the central mystery is strong enough to keep us waiting.
However, I felt that the first 40 minutes could have been tighter.
There are portions where the movie feels like it is taking too much time to reach the main conflict. If some of those commercial elements had been reduced, the film could have reached its main thriller track much faster.
This is particularly noticeable because the hospital portions are much more engaging. Whenever the screenplay gets back to the main mystery, the interest level increases again.
The Antagonist Side Is Interesting
Another aspect I found effective is the antagonist side of the story.
The film creates a situation where the audience becomes curious about what is actually happening and why certain things are taking place. The antagonist-related portions have a stronger thriller feel compared with some of the hero-centric sections.
The mystery works because there is a sense that something bigger is happening underneath the surface.
That is where the movie’s concept has real strength.
The problem is that the film does not always explore this side as deeply as it could have. There was an opportunity to build a much more detailed medical thriller around the central conflict, but the screenplay eventually chooses a more commercial route.
Atharvaa’s Character and the Commercial Portions
Atharvaa plays the central character, and his character has a more commercial journey compared with the hospital mystery itself.
This is where I felt the film became less interesting.
The story has a very strong thriller setup, but the hero portions sometimes pull the movie into a different direction. The fights, romance-related portions and other commercial moments do not have the same intensity as the hospital mystery.
I personally would have preferred the movie to spend that runtime developing the main medical mystery.
There are multiple action sequences, and some of them feel stretched. Instead of increasing the tension, they slow down the overall experience.
For a movie built around a medical thriller concept, the central mystery should ideally remain the main attraction.
Nimisha Sajayan Stands Out
Performance-wise, Nimisha Sajayan is one of the strongest aspects of the movie.
She brings seriousness to her character and fits naturally into the emotional side of the story. Her performance helps the more dramatic scenes work better.
Atharvaa is also decent in his role, especially when the story demands emotional involvement. The performances are generally good, but the writing does not always give every character enough depth.
Some supporting characters work mainly to move the story forward rather than becoming fully developed individuals.
Still, the acting is not the reason the movie feels average. The bigger issue is the screenplay and the way the thriller elements are balanced with commercial content.
The Medical Angle Needed More Depth
This is probably the biggest missed opportunity for me.
The movie has chosen a medical-thriller concept, but I felt that it only scratches the surface of that concept.
The hospital environment is interesting. The crime surrounding the newborn is interesting. The investigation is interesting.
So why not explore those elements more deeply?
The screenplay could have spent more time explaining the medical side of the conflict and making the audience understand how the central crime actually works. That would have made the thriller more convincing and much more engaging.
Instead, once the movie moves away from the hospital mystery, the medical angle becomes less important.
That is when the film starts losing its unique identity.
Second Half Becomes Uneven
The second half is where I felt the biggest drop in engagement.
There are still some good moments, but the movie starts relying more heavily on action and other commercial elements. The intensity created by the hospital portions is not maintained consistently.
Some action sequences feel longer than necessary.
When a thriller starts becoming predictable in certain stretches, the audience naturally begins to lose some of the curiosity that initially made the film interesting.
That happened to me here.
I could still follow the story, but the feeling of constantly wanting to know what happens next was not as strong as it was during the better portions.
Predictability Is Another Issue
The movie does try to maintain suspense, but some of the developments are not difficult to anticipate.
The basic mystery is interesting enough to make you continue watching, but the film does not consistently deliver major surprises.
There are moments where you may start guessing where the story is heading.
That does not completely destroy the movie, but it does reduce the impact of some of the revelations.
A tighter screenplay with fewer commercial distractions could have made the mystery much more effective.
The Songs and Action Feel Unnecessary
One thing that particularly stood out to me was the decision to include commercial elements in a story that already had enough material to work as a thriller.
The hero introduction song, romantic portions, item-song type treatment and multiple fights take up valuable runtime.
If these elements had been reduced or removed, that time could have been used to explore the medical mystery in greater detail.
That would have made the movie feel more focused.
The movie does not necessarily need to become completely serious or realistic, but the balance could have been much better.
Background Score and Technical Aspects
Technically, the film is fairly decent.
The background score works well in several scenes. It helps create the required tension, particularly during the more serious thriller portions.
The songs, however, did not make much of an impression on me. They are fine, but they are not something I would consider a major strength of the movie.
The visuals and overall presentation are also good enough for the kind of story being told.
The hospital environment gives the movie an appropriate setting, and the technical team does a decent job of maintaining the mood when the screenplay is actually focused on the thriller.
The Telugu Dub Is Fine
For Telugu viewers, the movie has also been dubbed as My Baby.
The Telugu dubbing is reasonably good and does not create any major problem while watching. The dialogues are understandable, and the dubbed version makes the movie accessible to Telugu audiences without becoming distracting.
The film is also available in multiple languages on JioHotstar, which makes it easier for viewers to choose the language they are comfortable with.
| Language | Availability |
|---|---|
| Tamil | Original |
| Telugu | Dubbed as My Baby |
| Hindi | Available |
| Malayalam | Available |
| Kannada | Available |
OTT Release and Where to Watch
The movie is now available for streaming on JioHotstar. The Telugu dubbed version is also available, so viewers who prefer Telugu can watch it without waiting for a separate release.
For someone who missed the theatrical release, OTT is probably a better option because you can watch it at your own pace.
If you are specifically interested in the medical-thriller concept, I would say it is worth giving a try. Just don’t go in expecting a completely flawless or edge-of-the-seat thriller.
Content and Family Viewing
From my viewing experience, there are no major adult scenes or excessive bad language that would become a major issue.
The film is primarily focused on its thriller and crime elements.
However, because it deals with a newborn, hospital crime and serious situations, some scenes may feel intense depending on the viewer.
Overall, the movie does not rely on adult content to create its impact.
Overall, I would call this an average medical thriller with a genuinely interesting core idea.
The strongest portions are clearly the hospital-based mystery, the investigation and the antagonist-related sections. Whenever the film stays close to its main concept, it becomes engaging and makes you curious about what is actually happening.
The problem is that the movie does not completely trust its own thriller concept.
Instead, it adds fights, songs, romance and other commercial elements, and some of these portions feel unnecessary. The first 40 minutes have some drag, and the second half also becomes uneven because of the extended action portions.
I strongly feel that if the filmmakers had removed some of those commercial elements and spent that runtime exploring the medical mystery in greater depth, this could have been a much stronger thriller.
The performances, especially from Atharvaa and Nimisha Sajayan, are good. The background score is decent, the technical work is fine, and the Telugu dubbing is also watchable.
But ultimately, the movie does not reach the full potential of its premise.
My Rating: 2.75/5
If you enjoy medical thrillers, hospital-based mysteries or crime stories and have some free time, you can definitely give it a try on JioHotstar. Just keep your expectations moderate.
It is not a must-watch thriller, but it is also not a complete waste of time. The concept is interesting enough to make the movie worth one watch, especially if you are looking for something different from the usual crime and action thrillers.