Kanchana 3

Given that we are now into the fourth film of the Muni aka Kanchana franchise, we know what we are signing up for. And Kanchana-3 gives us that – a man who gets scared easily, his bumbling but good-hearted family, a ghost that loves to spook them, tantrics, a sentimental backstory, and revenge. But this formula has become somewhat stale by now. Horror comedy has been the film’s calling card, and despite being over the top and loud, these scenes were amusing in the previous films. This time, they feel repetitive (we get not one but five instances of the same jump scare scenario, indicating a lack of imagination) and even more infantile (the actors seem to realise this and simply cash in their cheques).

And for a film whose primary target audience includes children, its objectification of the three female leads is condemnable. Almost every character, including the girls’ parents keep referring to them as “figurunga”. And every scene involving them has a character asking them to sleep with the hero.

But even more disappointing is the way the film tries to pass off as a socially responsible one. The franchise has previously empowered the marginalised, like transgenders and disabled, through the backstory. But this time, rather than seem like empowerment, this section feels like exploitation of the underprivileged to boost the image of its star. We had other actors playing these sympathetic characters in the previous films, but here, the star himself chooses to play the saviour, confirming our suspicion.