Annabelle Sethupathi review: Taapsee, Vijay Sethupathi bring a quirky horror comedy to life
Annabelle Sethupathi movie review: Taapsee Pannu gets the meatier part in Deepak Sundarrajan's horror comedy, also starring Vijay Sethupathi.
Taapsee Pannu and Vijay Sethupathi’s latest Tamil outing, Annabelle Sethupathi starts off as a horror-thriller, but it then smartly turns all tropes associated with the genre on its head by bringing in a fantasy element about the concept of reincarnation. It is centred on a bunch of ghosts who are stuck in a palace, waiting to be freed. Had it been a regular horror flick about a few ghosts vying for revenge, it would’ve been a boring affair. Thankfully, debutant director Deepak Sundarrajan presents the film as a fantasy-comedy with a solid cast that rises to the occasion to deliver good performances.
The story is about a huge palace, once owned by king Veera Sethupathi (Vijay Sethupathi), who had built it for his wife Annabelle (Taapsee Pannu). Sethupathi brought in the best masons from different parts of the world to make the palace one of a kind but its glory draws some evil attention. Cut to a few years later, the palace is inhabited by a bunch of people who’ve turned into ghosts following a curse which doesn’t allow them to step out.
The film has a very simple premise but what works in its favour is the fantasy-comedy angle. Quite early on, the audience is told not to expect logic when it comes to ghost stories and the film does the same with the sub-plot about reincarnation. This is the kind of film that expects audiences not to take anything seriously. If you like logical comedies and don’t mind sitting through a film that makes ghosts sing, dance, and have a gala time; you wouldn’t mind Annabelle Sethupathi. It’s not a film without its flaws and grouses but given the overall mood of the film and what it tries to achieve with its quirky plot, one shouldn’t be disappointed.
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Taapsee Pannu gets a meaty part as a small-time crook who robs people with her family. Scenes with her father Rajendra Prasad serve as some of the best moments of the movie. The film could’ve been funnier with such a huge cast of popular comedians, but it merely manages to evoke some laughs here and there. Vijay Sethupathi appears only in the second half and his scenes with Taapsee (in a dual role) could’ve been more emotional to make us root for the pair.
Annabelle Sethupathi doesn’t try to stand out and there’s no need for it. It’s a film in which the influences are quite evident. It works better as a fantasy comedy and barely as a horror flick.
Film: Annabelle Sethupathi
Director: Deepak Sundarrajan
Cast: Vijay Sethupathi, Taapsee Pannu, Jagapathi Babu, Yogi Babu, Rajendra Prasad and Radikaa Sarath Kumar