Review
Sriram Raghavan's *DNA* operates in that fascinating space where moral ambiguity and narrative structure become inseparable—reminiscent of how *Natarang* weaponized period detail, or how *Andhadhun* layered deception upon deception until the audience lost their moral footing entirely. The film's central conceit, a baby swap born from a lie meant to be merciful, is darkly compelling, and Raghavan resists the temptation to simplify it into hero-versus-villain territory. Instead, he builds a meticulous two-timeline puzzle where Varadarajan's moment of weakness nine years prior becomes the fault line that fractures multiple lives. The direction is assured and technically proficient—the editing particularly shines in its cross-cutting between past and present, creating an almost suffocating sense of inevitability. However, the film sometimes sacrifices character depth for plot mechanics; Rajendran's motivations feel undercooked, and the hospital conspiracy subplot threatens to derail the intimate human tragedy at the story's core.
Where *DNA* truly stumbles is in its execution of the second timeline. Anand and Dhivya's marriage-under-duress narrative deserves more nuance than the screenplay provides—Dhivya's borderline personality disorder feels more like a plot device than a lived experience, and the film's treatment of her mental health wavers between sympathetic and exploitative. The performances are competent across the board, yet none quite transcend the material; there's a
Storyline
Varadarajan, a brilliant cloud architect, is exhausted after developing hospital software when he accidentally hits a bike carrying a young couple and their infant—a moment that shatters everything. Rajendran, an ambulance driver who recognizes him, makes a fateful choice: he lies to the police about it being a hit-and-run to shield Varadarajan from legal trouble, and together they rush the critically injured couple to the hospital. But when a grieving father learns his child was stillborn, Varadarajan and Rajendran give him the rescued infant instead, believing that karma will eventually catch up with them.
Nine years later, Anand is a broken man drowning in alcohol after his lover's suicide, until his father arranges his marriage to Dhivya, a woman with borderline personality disorder—a union everyone thinks is doomed. When Dhivya gives birth at Bethel Hospital, she immediately knows something's terribly wrong: the baby isn't hers, but nobody believes her because they dismiss her as mentally unstable. Anand stands by his wife's claims and, armed with a DNA test confirming the swap, desperately seeks answers while a cynical cop set to retire in weeks fumbles the investigation.
What unfolds is a gripping race against time as Anand uncovers a hospital conspiracy that connects to Varadarajan's old lie, and suddenly everyone realizes that the past doesn't stay buried—it circles back with a vengeance. The film brilliantly weaves two timelines together, showing how one moment of "mercy" nine years ago created the very nightmare Anand and Dhivya now face. It's a stunning exploration of how our choices ripple forward, colliding with strangers' lives in ways we never could've imagined.