'Annabelle Sethupathi' review: This one shouldn't have been made
What's the story
Horror comedy might look like an easy genre to play with because of all the potential, but wrecking something is just that simple here. Debutant filmmaker Deepak Sundarrajan does the latter with Annabelle Sethupathi. Even with heavyweights Taapsee Pannu and Vijay Sethupathi leading the venture, there's nothing laugh or fear worthy. You might cry out of frustration once or twice though. Here's our review.
Plot
At the center of action is a palace and greed
The two-hour-and-15-minute-long movie begins with a zamindar (Jagapathi Babu) visiting a palace, built by the region's king in the 1940s. He gets enamored by the architectural design and aspires to have it. Cut to the present, we get to know only two members of the zamindar's family survive today and the rest have all died inside the palace, turning into ghosts today.
Setting
Pannu's Rudra's arrival at the palace is laced with meaning
One of the surviving members, who is a police officer, appoints a family of thieves to stay at the haunted palace. The goal is to see if the family survives, after which they can sell the palace. The daughter of this family is Rudra (Pannu) who looks identical to the queen who once resided there. The ghosts decide she is their road to salvation.
Weird
Sethupathi is a lead playing a special role
What follows is a non-funny, irritating mess. The problem is the narration has been done non-linearly and by the time you understand what is happening, you have reached the half-length. What's more, Sethupathi's name might decorate the title, but you won't see his appearance for the longest time. He's a lead playing a special role. Pannu is lucky in this sector, but unlucky elsewhere.
Verdict
Only stand-out is Yogi Babu, movie gets 1/5 star
As the Pink actress appears for a longer time, she also becomes our channel of distress. Pannu tries, but stupid antics spread around the script stand as obstructions. The only stand-out is Yogi Babu, who gets the best dialogues. Sundarrajan decidedly opts out of the horror aspect early on and sticks with comedy. But that is a big fail. Verdict: It gets 1/5 star.
Information
If you still want to watch, tune into Disney+ Hotstar
Before the movie's release, Pannu said, although she has always been opposed to this genre, it has given her "some really big hits." Sorry, Taapsee, but this won't be it. If you still want to watch Annabelle Sethupathi, it is streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.