I was a bit worried when I saw the censor certificate of Chandramukhi 2, as the certificate showed the running time as 171 minutes. But after seeing the introduction scene of the hero, I was no longer worried; I was petrified. The sequel to Chandramukhi, directed by P Vasu, is one shabby work that just isn’t willing to acknowledge that people have evolved. With a series of shallow characters uttering the same old melodramatic lines in this reiteration of the old Chandramukhi, this one is not even offering unintentional comedy.
A business family was facing major setbacks on the business and personal front, and they decided to take the guidance of a guru. He asked them to revamp the ancestral temple and said their ignorance towards the temple and its idol was the reason for all the problems. Since everyone in the family needed to be there, they had to take a massive mansion for rent. It was none other than the one we saw in Chandramukhi, and Murugesan was the current owner of the mansion. The series of supernatural events that happen in that mansion after the entry of this family is what we see in Chandramukhi 2.
I will just give you a brief description of the entry scene of our hero. So, he is the caretaker of two kids who are related to this business family. We see some bad guys hijacking the school bus in which these two kids were there along with many other kids. Just when the bomb is about to explode, our hero makes an entry on the bike, defying physics. While his bike was still drifting, the intelligent villain asked his men to pour some inflammable under the bus and set it on fire. In between those microseconds, our hero jumps into the bus through the rear, picks up the kids who were sitting and screaming, and pops out through the windshield. This atrocity with physics is so much that even the ones who hated Newton for making them study too much might feel bad for him.
The basic idea is very much the same, and the only thing P Vasu has done is introduce a new family and new hero by keeping only Vadivelu from the original. Apparently, Mr. Vasu has not realized that even Rajinikanth, who will get away easily with over-the-top nonsense, has evolved to the next level. Vasu’s script has that outdated structure with track comedy, unnecessary love songs, the hero’s entry scene with no context, a mandatory intro song, sentiments, and a pile of preachy dialogues. Forgot one thing: a fetish with the midriff of the leading ladies.
Raghava Lawrence has considered this movie as the next installment in the Kanchana franchise, and all his signature expressions are there in this movie. His performance of both versions of that character has nothing remarkable to its credit. After delivering something like Mamannan, Vadivelu returns to being the inconsequential hyperactive comedian. The only person who, in my opinion, got to do something challenging and managed to deliver it convincingly was Lakshmi Menon. Compared to what Jyothika had done, I would always prefer Lakshmi’s version. Kangana Ranaut, who is there in the movie’s last hour, is trying her best to make us empathize with that character. But Vasu has made that character more of a stunt double than a person with emotions and dreams. And hence, it’s just the camera lurking at Chandramukhi, just like Vettaiyan. Mahima Nambiar is that pointless leading lady who is mostly there to create sleazy moments along with one mandatory romantic song shot outside India.
It’s not like the first part was a phenomenal film. Compared with the original (Manichithrathazhu), it was borderline unbearable stuff that had to project Rajinikanth as the hero. But when it comes to Chandramukhi 2, they have completely changed the genre, and it is now in that tacky zone of horror comedies, which has not happened in Tamil for a while now. If you have enjoyed watching Aambala, I would say watch this movie with your friends to laugh out loud at the wrong places.
The sequel to Chandramukhi, directed by P Vasu, is one shabby work that just isn't willing to acknowledge that people have evolved.
Green: Recommended Content
Orange: The In-Between Ones
Red: Not Recommended
