Annabelle Sethupathi, the Tamil film by Taapsee Pannu and Vijay Sethupathi, begins as a horror thriller, but it cleverly turns all stereotypes connected with the genre on their heads by including a fantasy aspect concerning the concept of reincarnation. It would have been a dull event if it had been a standard horror film about a few spirits seeking vengeance. Thankfully, debuting director Deepak Sundarrajan presents the picture as a fantasy comedy with a strong cast that rises to the challenge and delivers strong performances.
The narrative revolves around a massive palace erected for King Veera Sethupathi (Vijay Sethupathibride)’s Annabelle (Taapsee Pannu). Sethupathi brought in the best masons from all over the world to create a one-of-a-kind castle, but its opulence attracts the attention of some wicked forces.
The picture has a simple idea, but the fantasy-comedy angle works in its favor. The audience is warned early on not to expect logic when it comes to ghost stories, and the film does the same with the reincarnation subplot. This is the type of picture where the audience is expected to laugh at everything. If you enjoy logical comedy and don’t mind watching a film in which ghosts sing, dance, and have a good time, Annabelle is the actress for you. It’s not without problems and annoyances, but considering the general tone of the film and what it tries to accomplish with its odd plot, it shouldn’t disappoint.
Taapsee Pannu plays a small-time thief who robs people with her family in this film. The scenes with her father, Rajendra Prasad, are among the greatest in the film. With such a large cast of famous comedians, the film could have been much more amusing, but it only manages to get a few giggles here and there. Vijay Sethupathi only seems in the second half of the film, and his sequences with Taapsee (who plays a dual character) might have been more emotive to make us root for the couple.
