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Time of India
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Laughs and chills: How Tamil horror comedies keep fans hooked
Tamil cinema has seen a significant rise in the horror-comedy genre over the past decade. Blending spine-chilling moments with laughter, these films have carved out a unique space in Kollywood. Starting with classics like 'Chandramukhi' and reaching new heights with ' Kanchana ,' the genre evolved into a crowd-puller, offering both entertainment and thrill. Even audiences who once shied away from traditional horror films found comfort in this lighter, fun-filled take on ghost stories. It became a formula that catered to fans who love horror but want a dose of humor to dilute the fear. A perfect mix of fear and fun The key to the genre's success lies in its clever formula, delivering scares without overwhelming the viewer. The comic relief softens the intensity of horror, making it accessible even to family audiences. Characters often react humorously to supernatural events, turning what could be terrifying into hilarious situations. This balance ensures that viewers leave the theatre entertained rather than disturbed. The jump scares, ghostly backstories, and witty one-liners all blend seamlessly, making horror comedies a comfort watch for many. Big stars and strong box office numbers by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Perdagangkan CFD Emas dengan Broker Tepercaya IC Markets Mendaftar Undo Horror comedies have proven to be reliable earners at the box office, consistently drawing in audiences from all age groups. Films like 'Kanchana,' ' Aranmanai ,' and 'Dhilluku Dhuddu' turned into blockbuster franchises. With leading stars like Raghava Lawrence , Sundar C , and Santhanam contributing to the space, the genre gained star power and mass appeal. Their relatively lower production budgets combined with high returns have made horror comedies a smart choice for filmmakers, especially during festive seasons when families throng theatres. Fan connection and repeat watchability Fans enjoy horror comedies not just for the laughs but also for their familiarity, slapstick humour, and engaging ghost tropes. These films often include strong ensemble casts, catchy songs, and vibrant rural or semi-urban settings that strike a chord with local audiences. Their accessibility, simplicity, and fun quotient make them rewatchable — be it on television, OTT platforms, or YouTube. Children, in particular, become repeat viewers, contributing to the long-term popularity of these films. "Horror comedies offer a complete family package. There's fear, fun, drama, everything an audience wants on a weekend. That's why I keep coming back to it," Sundar C spoke about continuing 'Aranmanai' series at the film's press meet. "Horror comedy is close to my heart. It gives me a chance to entertain and also explore strong emotions. The success of the Kanchana films proves how much people love this blend," said Raghava Lawrence during 'Kanchana 3' promotions. "I love doing horror comedies. They let you play with extremes — screaming in one scene, laughing in the next. Audiences really connect with that unpredictability," said Tamannaah Bhatia, who played the lead role in horror dramas 'Devi', 'Petromax', and 'Aranmanai 4'. A genre that keeps evolving While the core structure remains intact, filmmakers are continuously exploring new dimensions within the horror-comedy genre. From female-centric horror tales ('Aranmanai 3') to socially relevant messages delivered with humour ('Kanchana 2'), the scope keeps widening. The arrival of new-age directors and screenwriters has also brought freshness to the genre. With upcoming projects from directors like Mysskin and even crossover attempts in pan-Indian cinema, Tamil horror comedies are only getting bigger, bolder, and more entertaining. Check out our list of the latest Hindi , English , Tamil , Telugu , Malayalam , and Kannada movies . Don't miss our picks for the best Hindi movies , best Tamil movies, and best Telugu films .
Indian Express
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Gangers movie review: An in-form Vadivelu and Sundar C keep this light-hearted, simplistic yet trite film afloat
Gangers movie review: Sundar C is a rather enigmatic filmmaker who understands the kind of nuanced conversations around cinema on social media, and still makes a film that would invariably be contentious in such a space. In fact, in a recent interview, Sundar C said that his films don't have a lot of bloodshed, voyeuristic camera angles, double-meaning dialogues, and glamour for the sake of it. But then, Gangers is like an antithesis to his belief system as the film has bloodshed, voyeuristic camera angles, double-meaning dialogues, glamour for the sake of it, and… oodles of humour that salvages the film whenever it dips into unsavoury territories. Gangers is essentially a heist film, but takes its own sweet time to reach here. The path towards this aspect of the narrative is filled with a lot of hits and misses when it comes to the unending barrage of jokes. The entire first half of the 150-minute film is more or less the set-up, almost like the first act. It feels we are looking at a mishmash of multiple plot points, and in our head, we are playing 'Where did we see this before?' and are not really invested in what is unfolding on the screen. Yes, there is Vadivelu in one of his best comedy roles in years. Yes, there is Sundar C doing things he has already done in many of his films, including Aranmanai. Yes, there are the likes of Munishkanth, Bagavathi Perumal, and Kalaiyan doing things that the usual Sundar C ensemble of comedians do best. Yes, there is Catherine Tresa, who plays a role that, for the most part, has a lot of gravitas, but also doubles up as the 'glam' quotient of the film. And yet, it is the final heist portions that bring the roof down despite Gangers being pegged as a laugh-a-minute film. One of the best things about Gangers is that the film never takes itself too seriously, and doesn't want the audience to do it either. Sundar C plays Saravanan, the new PT instructor of a school where a girl mysteriously disappears. This is a town where such incidents happen dime a dozen, and the only one fighting against the antagonists is the computer Science teacher Sujitha (Catherine Tresa). Lest we think of it as a rather serious film, you have another PT teacher Singaram (Vadivelu), who does everything he can to make us laugh, including relentless ogling at Sujitha, and finding himself at the wrong locations at the wrong time. There is a vigilante film in Gangers. There is a comedy of errors in Gangers. There is a PSA about the ill effects of drugs among students in Gangers. There is a three-pronged romance in Gangers. Heck, there is even a Shawshank Redemption in Gangers. Probably why the film suffers from an overwhelming sense of overstuffedness. There are just too many things happening with too little impact on the proceedings. However, the 2nd and 3rd acts culminate in a rib-tickling final hour that hits it out of the park with each gag becoming increasingly outlandish and invariably funny. Even when there is a 'club song' that comes out of nowhere… wait, who am I kidding? We all know there is a 'club song' waiting to happen, and it features the teacher who has been trying to save the children of her town, and has become part of the heist squad just because she wants justice to prevail. In fact, till that moment, of course, there is the usual meet-and-greet scenes between the protagonists that follow the Sundar C template, but her actions are given a veneer of dignity. In many ways, it is one of the better-written characters in the film, and it makes one wonder why Sundar C couldn't just carry on with her just being ogled at by one, and not many, in the name of a club song. But there is an outlandish piece of writing that tries to justify her presence in the song. Does it make sense? Probably not, but no doubt that it is ingenious. It is a pity that this ingenuity goes missing a few scenes later when there is an actor in drag, and the humour is downright crass. It makes you wonder what goes through Sundar C's head when he writes these scenes. Take, for instance, the way the heist happens and things get resolved. It might seem pedestrian and too simplistic, but there are also moments where the writing shines through. There are actually smart resolutions, which bookend scenes that can best be described as random and a riot. For an extended time in the narrative, the film becomes a referential one with Sundar C's filmography finding its way into the plot. However, this doesn't exist in vacuum, and there are just the right pointers to allow this indulgence. And when there is a final hurrah to the heist, facilitated by one of Sundar C's films, you can't help but wonder why these smarts had to be withheld to go for the low-hanging fruits of humour. It is interesting how Sundar C manages to dish out such films with confidence and consistency. He is probably one of the very few Indian filmmakers who has multiple simplistic IPs in his kitty. Do you want a horror comedy franchise? Do you want a heist franchise involving a few good-for-nothing people who somehow do something to save the day? Do you want a double hero film with all the masala templates coming together to give a straight-forward comedy of errors? You only have one person to go to, and that is Sundar C. He can take any detours in between to do films that he wants to 'experiment' with, and he can always come back to the Aranamanai franchise, the Kalakalappu franchise, and possibly, the Gangers franchise, and rest assured that the audience would come in droves to give the film a shot. More than anything else, Gangers is almost like Sundar C's homage to his own brand of films, and a reminder why Vadivelu, the comedian, still has it in him to make scores of people laugh at the drop of a hat. Of course, Vadivelu had a terrific turn as the protagonist of Mari Selvaraj's Maamannan. But this is the Vadivelu that even Vadivelu likes to be. He gets the dance right, the expressions right, the crassness right, the dialogue delivery right, and even the slapstick right. There are more than a few kinks that need to be straightened out, but full points to Sundar C for giving Tamil cinema its Vadivelu back, and how!
Time of India
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Gangers Movie Review: Sundar C & Vadivelu's heist comedy is not so funny and not too dull
Gangers Movie Synopsis: A team of oddball characters team up to rob Rs 100 crore black money that has been stashed in a highly secure locker by three brothers who control a small town. Gangers Movie Review: If you had come across the promos for Gangers, you'd not be wrong in thinking that you are stepping into a laugh riot spun around a heist when you enter the theatre. But at least until the intermission, what the film makes us think is, 'Where's the funny?' For, up to this point, the film unfolds as a very generic commercial potboiler about a vigilante (well, sort-of) trying to teach a lesson to evil men, set against a small-town backdrop. A school girl goes missing (the latest in a series of mysterious disappearances), a teacher (Catherine Tresa, who plays the typical Sundar C glam doll) tries to trace her whereabouts, and a police officer gets assigned an undercover cop to the school. Sundar C operates with a bag full of commercial cinema clichés — a comedian (Vadivelu) who hopes to marry the heroine and competes with the hero (Sundar C, who plays what is more or less another version of the characters he plays in his Aranmanai films), a seemingly good character turning out to be a major villain, of course, a fair amount of bloodshed. And not surprisingly, none of these make us feel anything. It is only in the latter half, when the film finally gets to the heist part, that we realise all that we have seen until then was just set-up. And you wonder what made the filmmaker go with such an overlong set-up. Thankfully, things improve in the second half and we get to see some comedy that even if it does not make us laugh out loud (like the stretch involving Manobala in the director's recent Madha Gaja Raja) makes us break into a smile. Vadivelu, who still seems to be finding his form, gives us a glimpse of the comic force that he once was, and Sundar C, too, comes up with moments that come close to the madcap comic energy that we see in his best works. This is when we begin to feel how the film would have benefitted a lot from a tighter, more engaging set-up, less violence and seriousness of tone, and more elements involving the heist. At least in films like Aambala and Madha Gaja Raja, Sundar C was using the mass movie elements with a wink, but here, it's all played with a straight face, with full seriousness. Coming to the heist itself, it isn't as wacky as what we got in the underrated and often overlooked 144, another semi-rural heist comedy, but there are enough elements — Vadivelu's numerous looks, the mini missions before the final heist, the clever use of Madha Gaja Raja — to keep us entertained, and at least make us not leave the theatre with regret.
Time of India
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
"No vulgarity in my films," Sundar C.'s bold claim sparks a meme fest
Director-actor recently made a bold statement during a YouTube interview, asserting that his films never include obscene scenes or double-meaning dialogues . Emphasizing that his primary audience consists of families and children, he said, "I make sure my films are suitable for everyone to watch. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now I don't write dialogues with double meaning, and if something appears that way, it's only in the viewer's perception, not my intention." He insisted that from scripting to shooting, he takes care to avoid vulgarity and inappropriate humor. 'No double meanings, no vulgar shots,' says the director. During the chat with Galatta, he further elaborated on his filmmaking choices, especially regarding glamour and visual presentation. "There may be glamour, but it depends on how you shoot it. Even a saree can look inappropriate if shot from the wrong angle. I always want my visuals to be decent enough to watch with my family," he explained. Sundar C also highlighted that he has never included item numbers or sexual violence in his films, reinforcing his claim of maintaining family-friendly content. Fans call out contradictions with old scenes and dialogues. However, his remarks triggered a wave of trolling on social media, with fans and critics posting clips from his previous films that appeared to contradict his claims. Many netizens pointed out notable double-meaning dialogues and suggestive scenes from films like Kalakalappu, Aranmanai, and Thalainagaram, stating that Sundar C's statement doesn't hold up. One user sarcastically wrote, 'Family-friendly? Then what was that swimming pool scene in Aranmanai?' while another posted a clip of a double entendre from Kalakalappu with the caption, 'Just our imagination, I guess?' Internet trolls take over as the release of ' Gangers ' nears. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Despite the backlash, Sundar C remains confident in his style. His upcoming film 'Gangers,' which reunites him with comedian Vadivelu, is all set to hit screens on April 24, and fans are curious to see if the director's claims are reflected in his latest offering.
