A film strictly catering to 'Kanchana' fans!

Akash

Raghava Lawrence’s next installment in the Kanchana series is the much hyped horror film Kanchana 3 written and directed by Lawrence himself. Also starring the ensemble cast of Kovai Sarala, Sriman, Devadarshini and Soori, this part has 3 female leads that include the talented actress Vedhika, Bigg Boss fame Oviya and Nikki Tamboli. Does this mass masala commercial horror flick entertain like its previous parts? Read further to know.

Kanchana 3 starts off with a series of murders executed by the protagonist Raghava, just like in many other commercial films and we are introduced to the lead character who sports a different tonsured getup. Just when we wonder why he goes on to murder these many goons, there opens a flashback which has all the characters that we have named above and a sequence of comedy scenes follow. These comedy portions would work among the usual Kanchana series fans and this is no big surprise.

Apart from these humour based scenes, we have very few horror scenes that are genuinely spooky. The others are very predictable and fall flat especially due to the number of horror films that we have seen in the last few years. The characters chosen to bust away the ghosts are unique, be it the Aghori or the impressive couple of foreigners who look spooky themselves. A little more detailing to this would have spiced up things a little more.

As for the performances, Raghava Lawrence is comfortable playing his usual self and the humour along with horror quotients are tapped well by the usual Kanchana horror-comedy department. But the new additions such as Oviya, Nikki and the potential actress Vedhika don’t seem to have any importance with regards to the story. In fact, there is the usual objectification of women that we don’t wish to see anymore in Tamil cinema. This could have easily been avoided and the fact that all 3 actresses’ are desperate to impress Raghava’s character seems so absurd. Also, the music sure didn’t work in Kanchana 3 as none of the commercial numbers were enjoyable and proved to test the patience of the audiences.

Sriman, Kovai Sarala and Devadarshini do a neat job with their comedy in the first half and this is easily the saving grace of the film. The second half is a tedious watch as there is no humour for relief, nor is there any such genuinely scary moment. It is quite clear that the spirit is going to seek revenge against the villain for being killed in the past and there is no real suspense about it. The lack of an interesting screenplay and sharp sequences make it a boring latter half except for the other flashback that seems to have a good intention. The intention of trying to save the poor from being hungry is a beaten concept in Tamil films but it would still work among those who like scenes driven by the mass sentiment. Kanchana 3 is clearly not that weekend film for those expecting an intelligent horror film which might offer lot of high points and edge of the seat moments.

Cinematography is just about alright and the edit by Ruben one might think could have been crisper. However, it would be easy to say that, to keep this sort of a duration would have been a conscious decision by the makers for its target audiences. The climax was shot in a graveyard and just like in Kanchana 2, there is a loud fight sequence that lasts for nearly 15 minutes at the fag end. Thaman S’s signature Kanchana theme music is such a relief and his score is not bad at all.

With a few laughs here and there and even fewer scary moments, the majority audiences might not enjoy Kanchana 3 as much as they enjoyed the previous parts. The songs not working among audiences is a major minus and so is the tediously long second half. If there were major changes made to this half, it could have been a more entertaining watch for its fans. Nevertheless, a section of the Kanchana fans would still find some fun in this ‘not so fresh’ horror comedy that has barely anything to offer. The brand ‘Kanchana’ might just save this ordinary popcorn flick but it is quite obvious that the forthcoming sequels would require more content and engagement.

Bottomline

A tedious watch with very few laughs and even fewer thrills.

Rating: 2/5