Aranmanai

Saw an awesome comedy/horror movie( they said it was Horror too :P) "Aranmanai" starring Vinay Rai, Rai Lakshmi, Hansika Motwani, Andrea Jeremiah, Sundar C and Counter King Santhaanam. The movie was a laugh riot from start to end( except one or two "horror" scenes :p) . The songs were a drag though(except "Petromax Lightu Than Venuma" song). Apart from that everything was just awesome, you can watch it with friends or family too. It was a total entertainer from Sundar C and Counter King Santhaanam throws in a lot of good counters in this one too. If you watch it with friends in a theater, you'll have a great time. I would definitely rate it a 3.5 on 5. Definitely worth a watch.

I'm a HUGE fan of the haunted house sub-genre of Horror films. As a horror fan, once you are able to predict the outcome of the movie, it loses all of its potential for scares and thrills. Thats exactly what happens with Sundar.C.'s ARANMANAI. The actors all gave their roles the best, especially Andrea and Hansika, whose performances will not be forgotten in a hurry. Like having an impressive table setting with sparkling cutlery and glassware and then going on to serve bland food, all the efforts of the actors go in vain, let down by a weak (and tired) storyline and even weaker dialogue. The lines in the intense/emotional scenes lack power and the comedy ranges from average to crude and is at times down right VULGAR (which makes the U/A rating highly questionable). Just the dialogue and references alone make it a movie for adults only. As the story is Heroine centric, the guys have minimal roles. The leads Hansika as Selvi and Andrea as Madhavi stand out and give solid performances. Sundar.C. handles his role well as Madhavi's brother. Santhanam's comedy is, as always, funny and dependable for a few laughs but the rib-tickling,Lol humour he is known for is missing here. The side track story of Kovai Sarala and Manobala makes for boring (and at times irritating) attempt at comedy and does nothing more than take away from the momentum of the story-telling. Rai Lakshmi is present almost purely to add glamour to the proceedings and she fulfils that role quite well. The villains aren't evil enough. The ghosts aren't scary enough(neither is the score). The Make-up, the sets, the costumes, the special effects, all fall short to make what could have been an edge-of-the-seat thriller/horror into a long-drawn effort by the viewer to stay interested. Summing up, this movie will work if you are among friends or family (sans kids) and you have a long afternoon with nothing to do. If, like me, your movie viewing time is precious, then give this one a miss.