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.

From previous Sundar C movies, I can say that his movies can be quite typical and predictable, but Aranmanai 4 is a whole different case for this.

If you are going to watch this movie, please dont go into the cinema with the expectations that I will be the same as the previous installments in the Aranmanai Saga because this movie stands on the top by itself as the best in the series.

Positives:

• Great story concept compared to the previous installments (finally a change of pace)
• Tamanna's performance is top notch and gives that amazing emotional connection to the viewers
• Jump scares in the movie are timed perfectly
• There is absolutely no 'Glamour Scenes (sex appeal from female characters)' in the movie as compared to the previous installments. There is one scene where it pops up but its in the final song during the credits which is fine
• Hiphop Tamizha's music is amazing and can be said carried the flow of the movie
• Cinematography is very clean, cinematic and fits the genre
• Good character developments
• The VFX is decent and works...sometimes

Negatives:

• The comedic scenes for the movie can be the downside to the movie, this is because it is inconsistent but sometimes the jokes do land and feels good.

• The overall pacing of the story is draggy, there is a lot of filler in the first half of the movie that is unnecessary
• There is also this weird flow of the story where at certain points its slow but then a second later everything rushes at you and then goes back to being slow.

• The fight scenes in this movie can be considered to be too exaggerated at points
• Editing at a few parts of the movie is a bit sloppy but overall not too bad

Overall, I believe that Aranmanai 4 is a great horror family entertainer and its also a big step up for Sundar C which is great to see. This movie should be watched in the cinemas while its still running before it goes off the big screens. Again I repeat, dont go in thinking this movie is going to be a typical Sundar C Aranmanai movie...because it really isn't, hopefully those who watch it will understand what I mean.

The film Aranmanai 4 is a horror-drama directed by Sundar C. He acted as the protagonist in this movie. Based on the film's narrative and stylistic choices, I would assign it a rating of "below average." The film's plot is unremarkable, and its approach to storytelling is not particularly engaging.

The film's narrative unfolds as Saravanan, the protagonist, seeks to uncover the circumstances surrounding the mysterious deaths of his sister and brother-in-law. As he continues his investigation, he becomes increasingly aware of the influence of a supernatural entity known as "baak." The plot subsequently shifts focus to Ravi and his ghostly sister, as they attempt to protect his niece from the baak's malevolent influence.

The naturalistic performance of the actors is lacking in many plots. There are numerous scenes that feel contrived and artificial. Thamanna's acting in most of her scenes lacks coherence. Additionally, the comedy scenes with Yogi Babu and VVT Ganesh are not effective.

These factors collectively render the film unrecommended, despite its commercial success. The inclusion of an additional item dance, arguably superfluous, may have contributed to its popularity.

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.

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.