‘Aranmanai 3’ review: A horror-comedy that takes too many detours and ends up directionless

At one level in Sundar C’s Aranmanai 3, a pair of gray cracked arms holds Abhishek’s (Yogi Babu) and Sigamani’s (Vivekh) arms. Abhishek and Sigamani know the home they presently inhabit is haunted. But they select to carry arms with the spirit to play ‘Ring a Ring o’ Roses’. One in every of them sings incorrectly, “Ringa a Ring o’ Moses”. One other character corrects them, “Ayyo, adhu ‘Moses’ illa, ‘roses’ (It’s not ‘Moses’, it’s ‘roses’)”. The particular person sitting subsequent to me laughed hardly, slapping his thigh. I checked out him with a little bit of envy. I needed I received even a smidgen of that enjoyment from the movie.

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Horror-comedy, as a style, is odd as — to borrow Vimal’s line from Kalakalappu (additionally directed by Sundar C) — a mix of sakkara pongal and vada curry. If the movie makes use of horror components as props to make you snort, that’s positive. The Scary Film sequence do this, as an example. However a movie that units out to scare its viewers and make them snort finally ends up treading a tightrope. And, most Tamil movies don’t handle this balancing act.

Aranmanai 3 doesn’t, both. In one of many scenes, the vengeful spirit makes use of its telekinetic powers to homicide Jyothi (Rashi Khanna), the protagonist. In one other, it fools round with Abhishek and Sigamani. How will we, then, get scared by it? The movie makes an attempt to evoke terror with hackneyed horror components (eyes shifting in a portrait, pregnant silences damaged by a demonic determine’s blood-curdling shriek, children interacting with an invisible entity, and many others.) However these scenes are always interjected with prolonged comedic set items which are disjointed from the plot.

Even these set items fail to entertain (my thigh-slapping neighbour may disagree). It felt good to see Vivekh on display screen once more. His encounters with Yogi Babu and Manobala evoke some half-chuckles. However even that was because of the actors’ look, mannerisms, and supply of dialogues. The traces and the conditions have been trite. Yogi Babu normally calls his comedic sidekick, something-moonji (on this movie, he calls his fellow thief, Manobala, ‘balli-moonji’ (lizard face)). There’s Nalini, who does Tik Tok movies (simply that’s purported to be humorous). Vivekh performs a tragic virgin who has not had intercourse along with his spouse regardless of 15 years of marriage.

There’s additionally a sub-plot of Saravanan (Arya) liking Jyothi. Saravanan is an electrician and Jyothi’s childhood pal. Other than these particulars, we all know nothing else about him. Arya, in that sense, performs only a cameo within the movie. He comes and goes at random factors. He’s on the centre of the supernatural drama that unfolds within the second half. However we don’t even know why he, the palace electrician, is concerned within the first place. As a result of the movie strikes on from one character to a different, it’s exhausting to care about anybody.

In any case these detours, the movie lastly begins telling the ghost’s story within the second half. However that isn’t new both: a wealthy merciless zamindar murdering his spouse and her new child. The spouse and new child daughter turn out to be spirits to homicide, spook, and play the idiot with comedy sidekicks.

There’s additionally plenty of black magic, unhealthy VFX, blaring background rating, and (in fact), a climax involving Amman within the second half. Fortunately, there are not any post-credit photographs (like a hand rising from the grave) that promise a sequel. However you by no means know. Now, that’s really fairly scary.

Aranmanai 3 is presently operating in theatres