Movie review 'Aranmanai': A rather curious film purported to be a horror show

Director: Sundar C

Cast: Vinay Rai, Hansika, Sundar C, Andrea, Raai Lakshmi, Kovai Sarala

Rating: 3 stars

Aranmanai is a rather curious film purported to be a horror show. Directed by Sundar C, it starts out ominous enough with a ghostly hand in before the title even appears, as an introductory premonition of sorts.

The movie chronicles the tale of a family looking to sell their unusual piece of real estate – an Aranmanai (a palace.) What they discover in the process is that the Aranmanai is riveted with unusually unsound elements – ghosts? Spirits? Or perhaps, a daemon that refuses to go away. This entity has no plans of leaving whatsoever until she has satisfied her unrelenting quest to exorcise the perpetrators who had ruined her.

Featuring a huge cast including Hansika, Andrea, Raai Lakshmi, Santhanam, Vinay, Kovai Sarala , Manobala and Sundar C himself donning a role akin to Rajini did in Chandramukhi, the director has at least retained a sense of performance in his typical formulaic pattern of narration. Hansika’s character is the fulcrum around which the story is weaved and though appears only in flashback scenes, she grabs our attention with her ravishing looks and equally appealing performance. Raai Lakshmi provides the necessary oomph. Andrea in a substantial role does a neat job. Santhanam manages to tickle your funny bones, though at times the humor touches the obscene border.

And indeed, with quite a long run time and with the songs adding to the length of the film, Aranmanai could have well used with a bit of hacking which would have made it tauter.The significant amount of graphics used gets its share of scare.  

Neither the horror, nor the comedy are sated, and therein lays the hitch, since if one is to combine these two elements (that of horror and comedy,) it ought to be a scary combination and not a funny one - which, if it is the latter, then it simply becomes a comedy, which the film most certainly isn’t. A film which entertains you with its Sundar’s signature style of slapstick comedy combined with some scary moments.