horror

Aranmanai 4

by Arjun Solanki

 Aranmanai 4

Aranmanai 4
Theatrical release poster
Directed bySundar C
Written by
  • Sundar C
  • Venkatt Ragavan
  • S. B. Ramadass
Screenplay by
  • Sundar C
  • Venkatt Ragavan (additional)
Story bySundar C
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyE. Krishnasamy
Edited byFenny Oliver
Music byHiphop Tamizha
Production
companies
Release date
  • 3 May 2024
Running time
147 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi


Aranmanai 4 (transl. Palace 4) is a 2024 Indian Tamil-language comedy horror film directed by Sundar C. Produced by Avni Cinemax and Benzz Media (P) Ltd, it is the fourth instalment in the Aranmanai film series following Aranmanai 3 (2021). Partially reshot in Telugu as Baak, the film features an ensemble cast including Sundar, Tamannaah Bhatia, Raashii Khanna, Santhosh Prathap, Ramachandra Raju, Kovai Sarala, Yogi Babu, VTV Ganesh and Delhi Ganesh. Vennela Kishore and Srinivasa Reddy replaces Yogi Babu and VTV Ganesh in the Telugu version. In the film, a lawyer tries to find out the truth behind the death of his estranged sister, who is believed to have committed suicide, but realises that there is a malevolent paranormal force involved.
The fourth instalment of the Aranmanai franchise, Aranmanai 4, was announced in January 2023 with Vijay Sethupathi set to star and Sundar C returning as director. Sundar replaced Sethupathi in the lead role following the latter's exit due to scheduling conflicts. Raashii Khanna and Tamannaah Bhatia were cast in March as female leads, marking their second collaboration with Sundar after Aranmanai 3 (2021) and Action (2019). Hiphop Tamizha reunited with Sundar to compose the film's score, while E. Krishnasamy and Fenny Oliver handled the cinematography and editing, respectively.[2][3] Principal photography took place from March to mid-September 2023.
Aranmanai 4 was released by theatrically worldwide on 3 May 2024. The film grossed over ₹100 crore against a budget of ₹40 crore, emerging as the highest-grossing film in the franchise and one of the highest grossing Tamil films of 2024.[4]
Plot
In Assam, a priest and his daughter travel by boat to a temple during a festival. When the daughter is injured and her blood spills into the river, it releases Baak, a shapeshifting demon. Baak kills the daughter and assumes her form. The priest then traps Baak's soul in a vessel, forcing it to take his daughter's place permanently for the sake of his wife. The scene shifts to a village where Selvi and her husband, Santhosh, live with their children, Sakthi and Saravanan Jr. Santhosh dies of a heart attack in the forest, and Selvi apparently hangs herself in their well. Witnessing her deceased mother, Sakthi falls into a coma. Upon hearing of the deaths, Selvi's brother, Saravanan, an advocate, visits the grieving children along with his aunt. In the village, the zamindar's granddaughter, Maaya, a doctor, is assigned to care for Sakthi. Soon, they start experiencing paranormal activities in the house. One day, Maaya encounter a spirit infront of Shakthi's bed, and conveyed this to Saravanan 's aunt, but she tells her to hide this to others for sell the palace, and to build hospital for Maaya, she also agrees for it.



Saravanan suspects that Selvi's death was not a suicide and visits the police station with Ravi, the village president's son. They are dismissed rudely by the inspector. Ravi then shows Saravanan a video of his late brother-in-law being stalked by a swami before his death. Later, while they are in their jeep, a spirit attacks, and Saravanan steps out to investigate. During this, a spirit looking like Selvi attacks Ravi. Hearing Ravi's scream, Saravanan returns to find the jeep and Ravi gone, with only the video camera left behind, showing footage of the swami once again. The next morning, Saravanan finds the jeep smashed against a tree with Ravi's corpse on top. Initially suspected by the police, Saravanan clears his name using the video camera evidence. The police, now convinced, help Saravanan search for the swami's lair, where they find photographs of all the recent victims Selvi, Santhosh, Ravi, and Sakthi. Convinced of the swami's guilt, the inspector orders his capture.
Saravanan finds out that Sakthi, the inspector, and the late Ravi all share the same birthdate. He confirms with Maaya that all three also have a red mole in common and tells her to protect the children. Saravanan confronts the swami to save the inspector. Meanwhile, the Assamese priest arrives at Saravanan's home, claiming he is looking for his missing daughter. He tries to approach Sakthi but is expelled by Selvi's spirit. Concurrently, the inspector dies after being impaled by a vel, and Sakthi wakes up from her coma, accompanied by Selvi's spirit. During interrogation, the swami reveals that Baak, an evil spirit capable of living in water and on land, had its soul trapped by the priest, diminishing its power. Baak followed the villagers when they relocated to the village, eventually recovering its hidden soul. To regain full strength, Baak aims to sacrifice Sakthi, the inspector, and Ravi. Baak killed Selvi’s husband and took his form to approach Sakthi. Selvi, however, sacrificed herself to protect her children and returned as a spirit to guard them against Baak. The swami warns Saravanan to protect Sakthi at all costs to prevent Baak from becoming immortal.
Saravanan confides in his aunt about his regrets for not supporting her. Meanwhile, Baak attacks the police station, causing injuries, but the swami manages to drive him away. During this chaos, Maaya is stopped by Selvi's spirit at the compound gate while trying to attend Sakthi's birthday party. Saravanan notices a bloodstain on Maaya's lab coat, which Selvi's spirit seems to be pointing at. Upon testing the blood in the lab, they discover that Baak has been impersonating the swami after killing him outside the police station. After confronting the president, they find the swami's dead body in the trunk of the president's car. The president reveals that the swami had gone to the graveyard to destroy Selvi's spirit and her remains. Saravanan arrives too late, witnessing his sister's spirit disappear while pleading for Sakthi's safety. Baak then reappears to claim Sakthi, but Maaya flees with her to the temple festival. There, Saravanan battles Baak inside a large Asura sculpture. At the festival's climax, a divine spirit destroys both the sculpture and Baak.
With the turmoil resolved, Saravanan assures Maaya that the palace will be converted into a hospital so she can continue serving the village. Outside, the children play throwball with their mother's spirit, showing that she continues to watch over them.
Cast
  • Fredrick Jhonson as Ravi, Varatha Rajan's son
  • Sanjay as Saravanan, Selvi's son
  • Jayashri Chaki as Selvi, Duraipandi's daughter
  • Harsha Harish as the priest’s daughter
Telugu version[7]Cameo appearance
Production
In mid-January 2023, Vijay Sethupathi was cast as the lead in the fourth instalment of the Aranmanai film series, helmed by Sundar C.[9] However, due to scheduling conflicts, Sethupathi stepped down, and Sundar took over the lead role.[10] Later in March 2023 Raashii Khanna and Tamannaah Bhatia were chosen as the lead actresses, both are marking their second collaboration with Sundar, for Khanna after Aranmanai 3 (2021), Bhatia after Action (2019).[3][11] Santhosh Prathap secured a pivotal role alongside Kovai Sarala, Yogi Babu, VTV Ganesh, Delhi Ganesh, Rajendran and Singampuli. In the Telugu partially reshot version, Vennela Kishore and Srinivasa Reddy were cast instead of Yogi Babu and VTV Ganesh.[12] Additionally, Sundar reunited with the musical duo Hiphop Tamizha for the project.[13][14]
Principal photography commenced in March 2023 and wrapped by mid-September.[11][15] The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) issued Aranmanai 4 a U/A certificate with a single alteration, resulting in a duration of 147.22 minutes. In contrast, Baak received a U/A certificate with three alterations and has a duration of 150.07 minutes.[16][17]
Music
Aranmanai 4 / Baak
Soundtrack album by 
Hiphop Tamizha
Released2 May 2024
RecordedMarch–September 2023
GenreFeature film soundtrack
Length16:33 / 13:47
LanguageTamil / Telugu
LabelThink Music
ProducerHiphop Tamizha
Hiphop Tamizha chronology
Veeran
(2023)		Aranmanai 4 / Baak
(2024)		PT Sir
(2024)
Singles from Aranmanai 4 / Baak
  1. "Achacho / Panchuko"
    Released: 14 April 2024
  2. "Jo Jo"
    Released: 29 April 2024
External audio
audio icon Aranmanai 4 Audio Jukebox on YouTube
The film's soundtrack album and background score were composed by Hiphop Tamizha in his sixth collaboration with Sundar C, after Aambala (2015), Aranmanai 2 (2016), Kalakalappu 2 (2018), Vantha Rajavathaan Varuven (2019) and Action (2019). The music rights were purchased by Think Music.[18] The first single, titled "Achacho / Panchuko" was released on 14 April 2024.[12] The second single, titled "Jo Jo" was released on 29 April 2024.[19][20] The Tamil album featuring 5 tracks and Telugu album featuring 4 tracks were released on 2 May 2024 along with the film.[21][22]
Tamil
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Achacho"Vignesh SrikanthKharesma Ravichandran, Srinisha Jayaseelan3:13
2."Jo Jo"Ko SeshaMeenakshi Ilayaraja3:26
3."Amman"MuthamilAruna Ravindran, V. M. Mahalingam4:41
4."Oyile Oyile"Ko SeshaKaushik Krish, Snigdha Chandra2:38
5."Ghost Theme" Hiphop Tamizha2:35
Total length:16:33
Telugu
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Panchuko"RaghaviSahithi3:09
2."Jo Jo"Bharathi BabuSaindhavi3:24
3."Amma"SahithiKavitha Gopi, Deepak Blue4:39
4."Ghost Theme" Hiphop Tamizha2:35
Total length:13:47



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Arjun Solanki

Posted by Arjun Solanki