Rating: 4/5
“Aranmanai 4” delivers a thrilling cinematic journey by blending horror and comedy elements to captivate its audience. The film’s sequences hold attention throughout, and the climax, while expected, provides just enough suspense to elicit mild goosebumps. Overall, the movie deserves a solid 4 out of 5 stars.
Plot
The narrative centers on Selvi (played by Tamannaah Bhatia) and her husband (Santhosh Prathap), who reside in a large, secluded house in the woods with their two children. Their seemingly content life takes a dark turn when, for unknown reasons, Selvi’s husband attempts to murder her and their children. While the children survive this terrifying ordeal, Selvi and her husband do not. Law enforcement contacts Selvi’s brother, attorney Saravanan (Sundar C), who resolves to uncover the truth behind the incident, setting the story in motion.
Review
“Aranmanai 4” is a comedy-horror film directed by Sundar C. The story begins in Northeast India, where a clergyman and his daughter journey by boat to a temple during a festival. An accident leads to the release of Baak, a shapeshifting demon, who kills the daughter and assumes her form. The priest traps Baak’s soul in a vessel, forcing it to live as his daughter to protect his wife.
The setting shifts to a village where Selvi and her husband Santhosh live with their children. Santhosh dies of a heart attack in the forest, and Selvi apparently hangs herself, leading their daughter Shakthi to fall into a coma. Selvi’s brother Saravanan arrives to comfort the grieving children, accompanied by their aunt. Dr. Maya (Rashii Khanna), the zamindar’s granddaughter, is assigned to care for Shakthi, and soon, paranormal activities start to occur in the house.
Saravanan doubts that Selvi’s death was a suicide and, with Ravi, the village president’s son, investigates further. A spirit resembling Selvi attacks Ravi during their investigation, and the next morning, Saravanan finds Ravi’s body near a crashed jeep. With police assistance, Saravanan discovers a sage’s lair containing photographs of recent victims, including Selvi, Santhosh, Ravi, and Shakthi. He realizes that Shakthi, the inspector, and Ravi share the same birthdate and a distinctive red mole.
An Indian priest arrives at Saravanan’s home, claiming to seek his missing daughter. He is driven away by Selvi’s spirit when he tries to approach Shakthi. Amidst the chaos, the inspector dies, and Saravanan notices a bloodstain on Maya’s lab coat. Testing reveals Baak has been impersonating the sage. Baak returns to claim Shakthi, but Maya escapes with her to the temple festival.
