Muni 2: Kanchana
Encyclopedia
Kanchana is a 2011 Tamil
comedy horror
film directed, written and produced by Raghava Lawrence
as a sequel to his previous venture, Muni
(2007). The film features himself in the lead role with Sarathkumar and Lakshmi Rai
in other roles. The film released on 22 July 2011, while a dubbed same-titled Telugu version was released a week earlier in Andhra Pradesh
. In spite of mixed reviews from critics, the film became a commercial success in both languages.
) and have her accompany him to the bathroom at night. This creates major annoyance in the household, which is also populated by Raghava's brother (Sriman
), sister-in-law (Devadarshini
) and their children.
One day, Raghava and his friends are forced to abandon their usual cricket ground and find a new one; they unwittingly select an abandoned ground which is rumored to be haunted. When they attempt to set up their game kit, a bizarre weather change scares them away. Raghava brings home his cricket stumps, which have been stained with blood from a buried corpse in the ground. Raghava forgets the incident and focuses on wooing Priya (Lakshmi Rai
), the sister of his sister-in-law, who has come by on a visit. In the following days, his mother and sister-in-law are witness to sevearl paranormal phenomena at night; prominently a ghostly apparition walking the hallways. On consulting a temple priest, they perform three rituals to ascertain if the house is haunted. At the end of their rituals, their fears are confirmed, and a ghost of a woman appears before them.
Scared senseless, Raghava's mother and sister-in-law hire two priests (Mayilsamy
and Manobala
) to rid their home of the ghost. The priests, however, are conmen who assure them that they've banished the ghost, and escape with their lives after being thrashed by the ghost. That night, the ghost enters Raghava's body and possesses him. Soon Raghava begins acting increasingly effeminate, alienating himself from Priya before she leaves and wearing women's clothes and jewelry. His family angrily confronts him about his behaviour, when it is revealed that there are actually three ghosts who have possessed him: a violent woman, a Hindi-speaking Muslim, and a mentally retarded boy. After they cause havoc in the house, Raghava's family hires an exorcist
, who successfully drives the spirit away from Raghava's body. The ghost of the woman, trapped, reveals her story: The story of thr ultimate transgender
Kanchana (Sarathkumar) is a transgender
who was disowned by her parents due to her effeminate behaviour. She is offered shelter by a kind Muslim (Babu Antony
), who has a mentally retarded son. Regretting that she couldn't become a doctor as she intended, she adopts another young transgender, Geetha, and works hard to support her financially. When Geetha leaves to study medicine abroad, Kanchana buys a plot of land where Geetha intended to construct a hospital for the poor. That ground is unlawfully taken by crooked MLA Shankar (Devan
). Kanchana angrily confronts the MLA, who cunningly kills her. He also kills Babu Antony and his son when they try to help her. The bodies are then buried in Kanchana's own ground (from where the ghosts entered Raghava's household via the stumps).
The exorcist sympathizes with her, but remains duty-bound and traps her. After hearing her story, Raghava is touched; risking the danger he possessed danger himself and he willingly defies the exorcist's orders and allows Kanchana to possess him once again. Raghava/Kanchana confronts the MLA at a beach at midnight, and disposes of his henchmen gruesomely. The MLA seeks refuge in a Narasimha
temple which Kanchana is forbidden from; but she asks the deity for justice and manages to chase him inside the temple. The three spirits combined kill the MLA by tearing him apart. The final scene takes place a few years later, where Raghava has constructed the hospital for Geetha as per Kanchana's wishes. It is revealed that Kanchana exists symbiotically
in Raghava's body, to help him out when the need rises.
, Kanchana emerged 2011's most successful Tamil film based on ROI (return on investment). It was made on a budget of 8.5 crores, including publicity cost of 1.5 crores, while its Telugu dubbing rights were sold to Bellamkonde Suresh for 4 crores. The film is expected to gross 15 to 20 Crores in Tamil Nadu
only at the end of its run.
Remake
Tamil actor-director Lawrence will be directing Shahrukh Khan in his Bollywood debut, the remake of the south Indian hit film Kanchana. Initially the buzz was on that the director wanted to cast Salman Khan in the film. According to TOI reports, Sallu's brother Sohail Khan wanted to buy the remake rights of Kanchana.
But now the final cast revealed that Salman isn't playing the lead role. Instead, Salman's friend-turned-foe Shahrukh Khan will be the one acting in this film, which will have Sanjay Dutt playing an important character as well.
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
comedy horror
Comedy horror
Comedy horror, also known as horror comedy, is a literary and film genre, combining elements of comedy and horror fiction. The comedy horror genre almost always inevitably crosses over with the black comedy genre; and in some respects could be considered a subset of it.The short story "The Legend...
film directed, written and produced by Raghava Lawrence
Lawrence Raghavendra
Raghav Murugaiyan is an Indian choreographer who has also appeared in films as an actor, director, composer and playback singer. After making his first few appearances in supporting actor roles, he got his breakthrough with Style and then Muni...
as a sequel to his previous venture, Muni
Muni (film)
Muni is a 2007 Tamil comedy-horror film directed and written by Raghava Lawrence, who also plays the lead role. Vedhika, Rajkiran and Rahul Dev among other play supporting roles, while the film's score is composed by Bharathwaj. The film released on 9 March 2007 along with a Telugu dubbed version...
(2007). The film features himself in the lead role with Sarathkumar and Lakshmi Rai
Lakshmi Rai
Lakshmi Rai is an Indian film actress and model from Belgaum, Karnataka, predominantly appearing in Malayalam and Tamil films. While most of her Tamil releases performed poorly at the box office, she rose to fame with the popular Malayalam-language films Annan Thambi , 2 Harihar Nagar ,...
in other roles. The film released on 22 July 2011, while a dubbed same-titled Telugu version was released a week earlier in Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
. In spite of mixed reviews from critics, the film became a commercial success in both languages.
Plot
Raghava (Raghava Lawrence) is a typical jobless youth who spends his day playing cricket with his friends and beating up antisocial elements. However, he suffers from an irrational fear of ghosts, and retreats to the safety of his home after sunset. So great is his fear, that he prefers to sleep with his mother (Kovai SaralaKovai Sarala
Kovai Sarala is a popular well known Tamil comedian actress who prominently plays supporting roles and has also starred as a heroine...
) and have her accompany him to the bathroom at night. This creates major annoyance in the household, which is also populated by Raghava's brother (Sriman
Sriman
Sriman means one who has Sri, i.e., the virtues or presence of beauty , or whom Goddess Laxmi has not deserted.* Sriman is another name of Vishnu or God and appears as 22nd, 178th and the 220th names in the Vishnu sahasranama....
), sister-in-law (Devadarshini
Devadarshini
Devadarshini Neelakandan is an Indian Tamil actress and TV anchor. She has appeared in a few Kollywood films, but her main priority is in television serials.Recently she appeared on Jodi Number One as a contestant.- Personal life :...
) and their children.
One day, Raghava and his friends are forced to abandon their usual cricket ground and find a new one; they unwittingly select an abandoned ground which is rumored to be haunted. When they attempt to set up their game kit, a bizarre weather change scares them away. Raghava brings home his cricket stumps, which have been stained with blood from a buried corpse in the ground. Raghava forgets the incident and focuses on wooing Priya (Lakshmi Rai
Lakshmi Rai
Lakshmi Rai is an Indian film actress and model from Belgaum, Karnataka, predominantly appearing in Malayalam and Tamil films. While most of her Tamil releases performed poorly at the box office, she rose to fame with the popular Malayalam-language films Annan Thambi , 2 Harihar Nagar ,...
), the sister of his sister-in-law, who has come by on a visit. In the following days, his mother and sister-in-law are witness to sevearl paranormal phenomena at night; prominently a ghostly apparition walking the hallways. On consulting a temple priest, they perform three rituals to ascertain if the house is haunted. At the end of their rituals, their fears are confirmed, and a ghost of a woman appears before them.
Scared senseless, Raghava's mother and sister-in-law hire two priests (Mayilsamy
Mayilsamy
Mayilsamy is a Tamil comedian actor who prominently plays supporting roles. Appearing in many Tamil films, he is also a regular guest judge on Asathapovathu Yaaru on Sun TV in Chennai...
and Manobala
Manobala
Manobala is a Tamil director and comedian actor who prominently plays supporting roles.-Career:Manobala has directed 40 films, 16 television serials and 3 tele-films during his career as a director. As an actor, he had appeared in 175 films as of July 2009...
) to rid their home of the ghost. The priests, however, are conmen who assure them that they've banished the ghost, and escape with their lives after being thrashed by the ghost. That night, the ghost enters Raghava's body and possesses him. Soon Raghava begins acting increasingly effeminate, alienating himself from Priya before she leaves and wearing women's clothes and jewelry. His family angrily confronts him about his behaviour, when it is revealed that there are actually three ghosts who have possessed him: a violent woman, a Hindi-speaking Muslim, and a mentally retarded boy. After they cause havoc in the house, Raghava's family hires an exorcist
Exorcist
In some religions an exorcist is a person who is believed to be able to cast out the devil or other demons. A priest, a nun, a monk, a healer, a shaman or other specially prepared or instructed person can be an exorcist...
, who successfully drives the spirit away from Raghava's body. The ghost of the woman, trapped, reveals her story: The story of thr ultimate transgender
Kanchana (Sarathkumar) is a transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
who was disowned by her parents due to her effeminate behaviour. She is offered shelter by a kind Muslim (Babu Antony
Babu Antony
Babu Antony is an Indian film actor, noted mainly for his negative character roles. He has also acted as a lead actor in a number of films. His life and movie roles are much debated in film industry at one time....
), who has a mentally retarded son. Regretting that she couldn't become a doctor as she intended, she adopts another young transgender, Geetha, and works hard to support her financially. When Geetha leaves to study medicine abroad, Kanchana buys a plot of land where Geetha intended to construct a hospital for the poor. That ground is unlawfully taken by crooked MLA Shankar (Devan
Devan (actor)
Devan is an Indian film actor and politician. He started his film career as the producer of the technically brilliant, but box-office flop movie Vellam and then opted to become an actor. Devan is known for his handling of serious roles, though he started his career with supporting roles...
). Kanchana angrily confronts the MLA, who cunningly kills her. He also kills Babu Antony and his son when they try to help her. The bodies are then buried in Kanchana's own ground (from where the ghosts entered Raghava's household via the stumps).
The exorcist sympathizes with her, but remains duty-bound and traps her. After hearing her story, Raghava is touched; risking the danger he possessed danger himself and he willingly defies the exorcist's orders and allows Kanchana to possess him once again. Raghava/Kanchana confronts the MLA at a beach at midnight, and disposes of his henchmen gruesomely. The MLA seeks refuge in a Narasimha
Narasimha
Narasimha or Nrusimha , also spelt as Narasingh and Narasingha, whose name literally translates from Sanskrit as "Man-lion", is an avatar of Vishnu described in the Puranas, Upanishads and other ancient religious texts of Hinduism...
temple which Kanchana is forbidden from; but she asks the deity for justice and manages to chase him inside the temple. The three spirits combined kill the MLA by tearing him apart. The final scene takes place a few years later, where Raghava has constructed the hospital for Geetha as per Kanchana's wishes. It is revealed that Kanchana exists symbiotically
Symbiosis
Symbiosis is close and often long-term interaction between different biological species. In 1877 Bennett used the word symbiosis to describe the mutualistic relationship in lichens...
in Raghava's body, to help him out when the need rises.
Cast
- Raghava Lawrence as Raghava
- Sarath KumarSarath KumarSarathkumar Ramanathan is an Indian journalist, film actor, politician, body builder and the current president of the South Indian Film Artistes' Association. He started his career in Tamil cinema playing negative roles, and later played minor roles in other movies. He was first chosen for the...
as Kanchana - Lakshmi RaiLakshmi RaiLakshmi Rai is an Indian film actress and model from Belgaum, Karnataka, predominantly appearing in Malayalam and Tamil films. While most of her Tamil releases performed poorly at the box office, she rose to fame with the popular Malayalam-language films Annan Thambi , 2 Harihar Nagar ,...
as Priya - SrimanSriman (actor)Sriman is a character artist who appears in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada language films. He is primarily known for his prominent roles in Aayutha Ezhuthu, Panchathanthiram, Pokkiri and Aegan. He is the son of noted producer, Prakash Reddy.- Early life :Sriman was born in Rajamundry, Andhra Pradesh...
as Raghava's brother - DevanDevan (actor)Devan is an Indian film actor and politician. He started his film career as the producer of the technically brilliant, but box-office flop movie Vellam and then opted to become an actor. Devan is known for his handling of serious roles, though he started his career with supporting roles...
as local MLA - ManobalaManobalaManobala is a Tamil director and comedian actor who prominently plays supporting roles.-Career:Manobala has directed 40 films, 16 television serials and 3 tele-films during his career as a director. As an actor, he had appeared in 175 films as of July 2009...
- Babu AntonyBabu AntonyBabu Antony is an Indian film actor, noted mainly for his negative character roles. He has also acted as a lead actor in a number of films. His life and movie roles are much debated in film industry at one time....
- Kovai SaralaKovai SaralaKovai Sarala is a popular well known Tamil comedian actress who prominently plays supporting roles and has also starred as a heroine...
as Raghava´s mother - DevadarshiniDevadarshiniDevadarshini Neelakandan is an Indian Tamil actress and TV anchor. She has appeared in a few Kollywood films, but her main priority is in television serials.Recently she appeared on Jodi Number One as a contestant.- Personal life :...
as Raghava´s sister-in-law
Critical response
Behindwoods rated the film 2 out of 5, citing: "Spooks without offending the senses – engaging watch". Rohit Ramachandran of Nowrunning.com rated the film 2 out of 5, citing: "Kanchana is both uninspired and uninspiring, yet Raghava Lawrence wants to make one sequel after another. Kanchana is watch-able, but that doesn't mean it is worth a watch. Skip it and you miss nothing". Kanchana is good to watch and goes in a satirical way. IMDB has given 6.7/10.Box office
According to SifySify
Sify Technologies Limited is an Internet service provider established in 1998, based in Chennai, India.-Company profile:...
, Kanchana emerged 2011's most successful Tamil film based on ROI (return on investment). It was made on a budget of 8.5 crores, including publicity cost of 1.5 crores, while its Telugu dubbing rights were sold to Bellamkonde Suresh for 4 crores. The film is expected to gross 15 to 20 Crores in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
only at the end of its run.
Remake
Tamil actor-director Lawrence will be directing Shahrukh Khan in his Bollywood debut, the remake of the south Indian hit film Kanchana. Initially the buzz was on that the director wanted to cast Salman Khan in the film. According to TOI reports, Sallu's brother Sohail Khan wanted to buy the remake rights of Kanchana.
But now the final cast revealed that Salman isn't playing the lead role. Instead, Salman's friend-turned-foe Shahrukh Khan will be the one acting in this film, which will have Sanjay Dutt playing an important character as well.