‘Aranmanai 4’ movie review: Despite lacking in finesse, Tamannaah anchors the best entry in the franchise

May 03, 2024 02:46 pm | Updated May 04, 2024 05:51 pm IST Horror-comedy franchises like Aranmanai and Kanchana deserve a detailed case study; despite getting critically panned almost always, they turn out to make a considerable mark at the box-office. While the franchise’s latest iteration Aranmanai 4 does precisely the same, the interesting backstory that the previous films lacked makes it stand apart. Aranmanai 4 Director: Sundar C Cast: Sundar C, Tamannaah, Raashii Khanna, Ramachandra Raju, Yogi Babu, VTV Ganesh, Kovai Sarala Runtime: 147 minutes Storyline: A soul-grabbing, shape-shifting ghost troubles a family and a village, and it’s upto a lawyer to make sure justice prevails Despite its tryst with the supernatural that ends with divine intervention, the Aranmanai films are like the villains of Scooby Doo. How far would one go to protect their loved ones is the core idea of the franchise, and while it is Sundar C’s character who usually does the heavy lifting, this time around, he only assists Tamannaah who carries the film on her able shoulders. The slapstick comedy feels extremely outdated and except for a few chuckles, the film barely holds your attention every time it deviates from the main plot Probably the busiest team behind the camera had to be the stunt people who manage the rope work; be it the serious scenes where the ghost throws people around or the comedy ones involving characters getting electrocuted, they all end up gaining some quality air time!