'Aranmanai 3' - For the franchise fans

Sundar C has the reputation of always giving value for money with his films to a wider range of audiences with something for everyone in it.  His 'Aranmanai' series like his 'Kalakalappu' has its own fan base and the expectations for the third edition is quite high.  Whether the commercial king delivered the goods this time too remains to be seen.

Zamindar Sampath lives in a palace with his two siblings (Nalini) and (Mynaa Nandini) niece Sakshi Agarwal, her little daughter and brother in law (Vivek).  He sends his daughter (Raashi Khanna) to a hostel in the city as she complains of a ghost haunting her.   The driver of the family (Vincent Ashokan) dies mysteriously and Raashi Khanna returns home to his funeral.  Her father who hates her wants her to go back immediately but the other relatives  beg him to let her stay for sometime.  Meanwhile Raashi's classmate Arya who has hopes of getting her plans his way into the palace to do some electrical work.  Just like Raashi in her young age, her niece too is haunted by a ghost and the rest of the screenplay is about who the ghost or ghosts are and how the family escape from its clutches.

Arya is billed as the hero of 'Aranmanai 3' but his entire screen time is only about 20 minutes in the film.  His fanbase coming in with a 'Sarpatta Parambarai' hangover are likely to be disappointed.  Raashi Khanna has nothing much to do either except staring blankly or looking mildly scared.  Acting wise it is Andrea Jeremiah who wins full marks even though her character is shakily written and her motives lacking logic.  The film boasts of such big names in comedy like Yogi Babu, Vivek, Manobala, Cell Murugan, Nalini and Mynaa Nandhini but their antics rarely evoke at best a few smiles .  Sundar C studiosly follows his template character in the previous two films and appears out of the blue as the problem solver.

What works best in 'Aranmanai 3' are the initial scenes when the two little girls are haunted by the ghost which sets the mood of the film.  Some of the visual effects like the swarming moths, the smoky ghost, the varied makeup of Andrea and the animated lion pass muster.  The reanimation of corpses may be considered slightly fresh considering the all too familiar happenings in the rest of the film.

What is shocking in 'Aranmanai 3' is a Sundar C film that fails to humour its audience.  The screenplay just follows the template and does not build on the franchise or give the audience something to take home.  There is a sense of meandering after the first twenty minutes or so that never gets back on track till the very end.

C. Sathya's mother sentiment filled "Sengaandhale" and the Murugan song  "Theeyaga" are pleasing to the ears while his background score is at times emphatic and otherwise blaring.  U.K. Senthilkumar and Fenny Oliver have done neat jobs with the cinematography and editing respectively.  Avni Cinemax has produced 'Aranmanai 3' with richness in the frames and also the visual effects.  Sundar C may have satisfied his franchise fans and children but has left in the dry those who expect much better from him .

Verdict: Go for this one if you are a fan of the 'Aranmanai' franchise