- Date of Release: 17 September 2021
- Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
- Language: Tamil
- Watch On: Disney + Hotstar
Annabelle Sethupathi
RATING
Introduction
Onto the next release of the weekend and I have just finished watching the new Tamil Film Annabelle Sethupathi on Hotstar. And considering the star cast that this film boasts of, naturally this was the film that I was most excited about. It was only last week where I had witnessed a Vijay Sethupathi acting masterclass in Tughlaq Durbar(although there were many to whom the movie or the performance did not appeal to) and that had only heightened my expectations from this film. Like always, I had not watched its trailer and wanted to experience the movie without having any conceived notions. So then did the movie live up to my expectations, stay tuned.
Story & Screenplay
Annabelle Sethupathi follows the story of a thief who along with her family enter a palace only to be embroiled in the mystery behind it. The story was supposed to be a concoction of horror and comedy, a genre that is fast picking up steam albeit just a few successes. But the story is so irritating and outdated that I was sitting with my hands on my head throughout. The screenplay is even more sloppy that you can even imagine! The gags are clearly outdated and they just seem like noise trying to make you giggle. And clearly they fail and how! And it was the horror element that was more of a joke here! I mean why would you greenlit such a project, how did the cast agree to this total b*llsh*t! Right from the first scene I could sense trouble for yourself. But considering the cast I decided to give this film a chance. And for the rest of the two hours all I did was fidget in my seat patiently waiting for any remote sense of hope from the film that would atleast engage me that little bit. To be honest, towards the end I had lost all hope and I merely just went through the motions in ending the film. What a horrible piece of writing that promises to again return with part two. I really hope the writing is better there, else 😢😢….
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are corny and act as a body blow scene after scene. The music here acts as a speedbreaker to the drama but here I was relieved. The music isn’t good but it gave me some respite from the ‘horror’. The BGM is loud and forgettable. Director Deepak Sundarrajan has done a horrible job. Not one scene was engaging for me and it was a bit of a mess to be honest. He is really the one who should be held up for this torturous watch!
Performances
As Dilip Kumar had once said, “No Artist Can Rise Above The Script”, those words are proven true every single time as they are here as well! The starcast boasts of huge names but none of them stand out. Yogi Babu has an impeccable comic timing but here he was just flat throughout. Jagapathi Babu is a proven performer but a sketchy character forced him to be forgetful. Taapsee Pannu who is general a good actor was seen overcompensating here in each scene which was quite frankly annoying. And the accent in the second half(dubbed not in her voice) just aggrevated it even further. And it was a pity watching one of my favourites Vijay Sethupathi in a role that had no meat at all. Mind you, this is not his film, this is an extended cameo as he appears briefly only in the second hour. He just seemed disinterested and was sleepwalking throughout the film. A sad state for an extremely versatile actor. A forgettable outing for everyone concerned.
Conclusion
Annabelle Sethupathi is easily the worst Tamil film of the year. Such a major letdown and now that part two is coming out too, all I can say is spare me the ‘horror’. Available on Hotstar.