Aranmanai 4
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Sundar C.
Written by	Sundar C. Venkatt Ragavan S. B. Ramadass
Screenplay by	Sundar C. Venkatt Ragavan (additional)
Story by	Sundar C.
Produced by	Khushbu Sundar A. C. S. Arun Kumar
Starring	Sundar C. Tamannaah Bhatia Raashii Khanna
Cinematography	E. Krishnasamy
Edited by	Fenny Oliver
Music by	Hiphop Tamizha
Production companies	Avni Cinemax Benzz Media (P) Ltd.
Release date	3 May 2024 (2024-05-03)
Running time	147 minutes
Country	India
Language	Tamil
Box office	est.₹5.50 crore [1]

Aranmanai 4 ( transl. Palace 4) is a 2024 Indian Tamil-language comedy horror film directed by Sundar C, who co-wrote the film with Venkatt Ragavan and S. B. Ramadass. It is produced by Khushbu Sundar's Avni Cinemax and A. C. S. Arun Kumar's Benzz Media (P) Ltd. The film stars Sundar himself, leading an ensemble cast that includes Tamannaah Bhatia, Raashii Khanna, Santhosh Prathap, Ramachandra Raju, Kovai Sarala, Yogi Babu, VTV Ganesh, Delhi Ganesh and K. S. Ravikumar in pivotal roles. It is the fourth installment in the Aranmanai film series. Hiphop Tamizha composed the music, while E. Krishnasamy and Fenny Oliver handled the cinematography and editing, respectively.

Aranmanai 4 was theatrically released on 3 May 2024, and received mixed to positive reviews from the critics and audience. ^{[2] [3]}

Plot

In Northeast India, a priest and his daughter travel by boat to a temple during a festival. When the daughter is injured and her blood spills into the river, it releases Baak, a shapeshifting demon. Baak kills the daughter and assumes her form. The priest then traps Baak's soul in a vessel, forcing it to take his daughter's place permanently to protect his wife. The scene shifts to a village where Selvi and her husband live with their children, Shakthi and Saravanan Jr. Tragically, Selvi's husband dies of a heart attack in the forest, and Selvi hangs herself in their well. Witnessing this, Shakthi falls into a coma. Upon hearing of the deaths, her brother Saravanan, an advocate, visits the grieving children. In the village, Doctor Maaya is assigned to care for Shakthi. Soon, they start experiencing paranormal activities in the house.

Saravanan suspects that his sister Selvi's death was not a suicide and visits the police station with Ravi, the village president's son. They are dismissed rudely by the inspector. Ravi then shows Saravanan a video of his late brother-in-law being stalked by a sage before his death. Later, while they are in their jeep, a spirit attacks, and Saravanan steps out to investigate. During this, a spirit attacks Ravi. Hearing Ravi's scream, Saravanan returns to find the jeep and Ravi gone, with only the video camera left behind, showing footage of the sage once again. The next morning, Saravanan finds the jeep smashed against a tree with Ravi's corpse on top. Initially suspected by the police, Saravanan clears his name using the video camera evidence. The police, now convinced, help Saravanan search for the sage's lair, where they find photographs of all the recent victims, including Shakthi. Convinced of the sage's guilt, the inspector orders his capture.

Saravanan finds out that Shakthi, the inspector, and the late Ravi all share the same birthdate. He confirms with Maaya that all three also have a red mole in common and tells her to protect the children. Saravanan confronts the sage to save the inspector. Meanwhile, a priest arrives at Saravanan's home, claiming he is looking for his daughter. He tries to approach Shakthi but is expelled by Selvi's spirit. Concurrently, the inspector dies after being impaled by a vel, and Shakthi wakes up from her coma, accompanied by her mother's spirit. During interrogation, the sage reveals that Baak, an evil spirit capable of living in water and on land, had its soul trapped by the priest, diminishing its power. Baak followed the villagers when they relocated, eventually recovering its soul. To regain full strength, Baak aims to sacrifice Shakthi, the inspector, and Ravi. Baak killed Selvi’s husband and took his form to approach Shakthi. Selvi, however, sacrificed herself to protect her children and returned as a spirit to guard them against Baak. The sage warns Saravanan to protect Shakthi at all costs to prevent Baak from becoming immortal.

Saravanan confides in his aunt about his regrets for not supporting her. Meanwhile, Baak attacks the police station, causing injuries, but the sage manages to drive it away. During this chaos, Maaya is stopped by Selvi's spirit at the compound gate while trying to go to Shakthi's birthday party. Saravanan notices a blood stain on Maaya's lab coat that Selvi's spirit appears to point at. Upon testing the blood, they discover that Baak has been impersonating the sage. After confronting the president, they find the sage's body in the trunk of the president's car. The president reveals that the sage had gone to the graveyard to destroy Selvi's spirit and her remains. Saravanan arrives too late, witnessing his sister's spirit disappear while pleading for Shakthi's safety. Baak then reappears to claim Shakthi, but Maaya flees with her to the temple festival. There, Saravanan battles Baak inside a large Asura sculpture. At the festival's climax, a divine spirit destroys both the sculpture and Baak.

With the turmoil resolved, Saravanan assures Maaya that the palace will be converted into a hospital for her to continue serving the village. Outside, the children play throwball with their mother's spirit, showing that she continues to watch over them.

Cast

Production

In mid-January 2023, Vijay Sethupathi was initially cast as the lead in the fourth installment of the Aranmanai film series, helmed by Sundar C. ^[4] However, due to scheduling conflicts, Sethupathi stepped down, and Sundar took over the lead role. ^[5] Later in March 2023 Raashii Khanna and Tamannaah Bhatia were chosen as the female leads. ^[6] Santhosh Prathap secured a pivotal role alongside Kovai Sarala, Yogi Babu, VTV Ganesh, Delhi Ganesh, Rajendran and Singampuli. In the Telugu dubbed version, Vennela Kishore and Srinivasa Reddy were cast instead of Yogi Babu and VTV Ganesh. ^[7] Additionally, Sundar reunited with Hiphop Tamizha for the project. ^{[8] [9]} Principal photography commenced in March 2023 and wrapped by mid-September. ^{[6] [10]}

Marketing

The first look poster was released on 29 September 2023. ^[11] Exclusive stills of the film were leaked and became viral on the internet on 15 March 2024. ^{[12] [13]} The official trailer of the film was released on 30 March 2024, with a grand trailer launch event held in Chennai, and received mostly positive reviews. ^{[14] [15]}

Music

External audio
Audio Jukebox on YouTube

The film's soundtrack album and background score were composed by Hiphop Tamizha in his sixth collaboration with Sundar C., after Aambala (2015), Aranmanai 2 (2016), Kalakalappu 2 (2018), Vantha Rajavathaan Varuven (2019) and Action (2019). The music rights were purchased by Think Music. ^[16] The first single, titled "Achacho" was released on 14 April 2024. ^[7] The second single, titled "Jo Jo" was released on 29 April 2024. ^{[17] [18]} The album featuring 5 tracks was released on 3 May 2024 along with the film. ^[19]

Original soundtrack

Telugu soundtrack

Release

Theatrical

Aranmanai 4 was initially scheduled for a worldwide theatrical release in mid January 2024 during the Pongal week but was postponed to Republic Day. ^{[20] [21]} Later, it was pushed to 11 April, then to 26 April, and finally released theatrically on 3 May 2024, alongside the Telugu version titled Baak. ^{[22] [23] [24]}

Reception

Critical response

Aranmanai 4 received mixed reviews from the critics.

Gopinath Rajendran of The Hindu wrote, "Despite lacking finesse, Tamannaah anchors the best entry in the franchise", and highlighted the film's intriguing addition to the Aranmanai series, the film’s ability to entertain and engage the audience, even if it does not break new ground in the genre. ^[25] M. Suganth of The Times of India gave the film 2.5/5 stars and mentioned, "A predictable, forgettable, and mildly entertaining rehash", while noting the film’s adherence to a proven formula. He criticizes the film for its lack of imagination and originality, suggesting that it does little more than tread the same ground as earlier entries in the series. ^[26] Manigandan KR of Times Now gave the film 3.5/5 stars and stated, "Sundar C’s horror-comedy makes you both shudder and laugh", praising the film for delivering a mix of thrills and entertainment. While praising Tamannaah's acting, he notes that although the film follows the established formula of its predecessors, it still offers a fresh narrative with multiple mysteries to unravel. ^[27]

Janani K. of India Today rated the film 2/5 stars, commenting, "Negatives overpower positives in Sundar C’s horror-comedy, which is full of redundant ideas and little laughs." She points out that the film’s few strengths are overshadowed by redundant ideas and a lack of genuine laughs, resulting in a tedious experience for the viewer. ^[28] The Entertainment Desk at The Indian Express gave a dismal 1/5 stars, stating, "A new day and a new 'Aranmanai' film with the same old problems; another lackluster entry that fails to provide either thrills or chills." The review expresses disappointment in the film’s writing and accuses it of laziness, suggesting that the franchise has become too reliant on a formulaic approach. ^[29]

References

External links

• Aranmanai 4 at IMDb