Aranmanai 4

Given that Aranmanai 3 ended up making money despite the negative reviews, it is no wonder that Sundar C has once again returned to this franchise to prop up his box office cred after the misstep that was Coffee With Kadhal. But you have to give credit to the director for having developed a formula that is essentially critic-proof. All that a reviewer has to do is take a leaf out of the director's playbook, rehash observations from their reviews of the previous films, and it would perfectly pass off as a review of this latest instalment. And so, here we go !

Aranmanai 4 does what it sets out to do - faithfully tread the formula set by the first film (a reworking of the plot of Aayiram Jenmangal), content to be coasting along with a 'people will see this movie no matter what' attitude. It has the failsafe must-haves - good-looking A-list stars who can draw the youth (here, it is Tamannaah, who gets to dial up the melodrama to an extent she's never done before, and Raashi Khanna, in a role that appears throughout the film while hardly making any impact), scares that thrill kids without disturbing them (they can take a peek at the scenes through their fingers without worrying about having nightmares), a spiritual element that might appeal to the women (featuring a cameo by a yesteryear actress in the climactic song; here, we have two!), and comedy that works for the entire family (though the humour quotient keeps going down with each film; Yogi Babu and co are quite unfunny here).

And the tropes keep coming - palatial mansion, formless smoke figures, brutal murders, children who can sense/see the ghost, bumbling comedians who get thrashed by the ghost, godmen spouting mystic mumbo jumbo, tragic flashback, tacky visual effects, and, of course, Sundar C in a part-detective part-mass movie hero avatar, taking on both henchmen and ghost with the same unfazed expression.

This time, the plot or the clothesline on which the director hangs these tropes, involves a mother trying to protect her kids from the spirit realm after having been tragically killed by a demonic entity. This is baak, a creature from Assamese folklore that can take the shape of the person it kills (though it is still treated in a way that's no different from the way the ghosts in the previous films were). In another film, the fact that the wife dies trying to protect her kids from the baak, which has taken the form of her husband, could be read as a commentary on domestic abuse, but subtext is the last thing this film could be bothered about.

The one noticeable difference is the slightly different visual aesthetic in the first half (borrowed from the Kannada film Vikrant Rona); the glossy, ad film-like forest we see here at once feels unreal and unsettling. But the director soon returns to the chaotic, hyper-saturated look of the second and third films and the rapid cuts.

On the whole, Aranmanai 4 does what it intends to do - overwhelming us with kitsch and underwhelming us with its lack of imagination and originality, in utterly predictable, instantly forgettable and mildly entertaining fashion.

So, "Aranmanai 4" is back, and it's like that friend who always has a new story but never quite nails the delivery. The plot throws a bone with something intriguing, but it doesn't really flesh it out, and we're left with the same old average screenplay and narration vibe from the trilogy's earlier escapades.

The comedy's a mixed bag. Some bits will have you cackling, while others might just have you staring blankly. And those jump scares? Yeah, they're more miss than hit.

On the bright side, the story does step it up a notch from the third installment, and the laughs are better than what we got in the second-so, progress? The twists are a bit of a see-saw too-some you won't see coming, others you'll spot from a mile away.

Props to Thamanna, Kovai Sarala and Rashi Khanna, though-they brought their A-game. The VFX? Not top-tier but charming in their own quirky way-might even be a hit with the kiddos.

The production values hold up pretty decently. Oh, and about that sizzling promotional song with Tamanna and Rashi that got you all hyped? Yeah, they skipped that part in the actual movie. Bummer, right?

Bottom line-if you're hunting for a blockbuster-level thrill, this might not be your ticket. But hey, if you're just looking to kill some time and need a few laughs, "Aranmanai 4" could be your casual hangout flick.

4th part of the sequel is nothing new. Just irritating storyline and worst screenplay. In the name of comedy it is killing the ears. BGM is too worst and the songs are another annoying thing. The climax song is too irritating and the director lost his touch way back. Another pathetic movie in the name of sequel is somewhat applauded because this is the first movie in five months which gave some breath to Tamil movie goers. But nothing found new. Please stop such stupid movies being produced and made us to watch. Every aspect is worst and the two stars are for just to write this review. Lousy movie.

The fourth installment to this surprisingly hit franchise gets Tamannaah on board to be Sundar C's new sister turned ghost. This time around it's Baak, a shapeshifter aiming to become Immortal and it's prey are 3 souls. Lawyer Saravanan is an honest guy, living with his aunt while missing his estranged sister Selvi. He is informed of Selvi and her husband's death, with her elder daughter fallen into coma. He arrives at the village to look after the kids and figures out that his sister and her husband's deaths were murder and the comatose daughter is one of the target of Baak. How does he save the girl and what help he gets on the way to defeat the Baak, forms rest of the story.

The positive is obviously the introducing of the shapeshifting demon and thankfully the heroines aren't used as just glam-dolls though Raashi Khanna as Dr. Maya doesn't get much to do. With Tamannaah as Selvi holding the film together in the key scenes, rest of the film is like the other 3 films in the franchise and the distasteful outdated comedy, pulls the film down big time. None of the comedy scenes were remotely funny and it didn't surprise at the bunch of talented comedy actors getting typecasted again. The poor vfx doesn't help either. The cameos in the climax had the correct placement. With the scenes getting lifted off especially from Marvel's recent two films, this no logic only magic driven franchise, may work with it's fanbase but for the rest, it's just another Aranmanai film with a new ghost.

As usual same story. Sundar C always use the same story and substitute the actors in his Aranmanai Franchise. 99% percent of the comedy scenes won't make you laugh."Tamannah saving her children" scene is the only good scene in the movie. I loved the work of music director in this film."Baak" concept is good. I laughed in the theater for the sentiment scenes and fight scenes. Graphics is average. Snapchat filter scene is good. Climax song and dance is good. If you want to save your money, don't go to theatre for this movie. Wait for a month and watch it on OTT. If you want to save time, don't watch the movie.