Retro: Kanimaa fever & Suriya’s stiff face in the song explained

Retro: Kanimaa fever & Suriya’s stiff face in the song explained

Retro starring Suriya, Pooja Hegde is a Tamil gangster action movie that is scheduled to release on May 1, 2025. Written, directed and co-produced by Karthik Subbaraj, Retro had its first single release composed by Santhosh Narayanan on March 21, 2025. 

Since its promo release the day before, the Kanimaa song has been a hit with the Tamil audience. Currently the short-form videos on Tamil social media including Instagram reels and YouTube shorts are filled with dance-breaks from Kanimaa. 

However one gripe the Tamil viewers had with the song was Suriya’s stiff expression throughout the song. The Retro BTS comic is a weekly promotional comic strip series which is released every Monday and episode 7 of the same was unveiled on March 24, 2025. 

Here, it was revealed that Suriya’s expressionless face in the Kanimaa song is a planned outcome. Currently it has been four days since Kanimaa‘s release, and there seems to be no stopping its reach, dubbed the ‘Kanimaa fever’ phenomenon. 

Pooja Hegde’s dance moves, Santhosh Narayanan’s cameo, and the Rajinikanth references in the song (Retro director Karthik Subbaraj is a certified Superstar fan) like the wedding banner prop, and Suriya’s costume ode to Baasha (1995) Rajini are celebrated highlights of the Kanimaa song. 

Kanimaa fever as witnessed on Tamil social media: