Conjuring Kannappan review: A humourous thriller with a tight script

Director Selvin Raj Xavier’s Conjuring Kannappan is a horror-comedy.

But unlike several other horror comedies that ended up as disasters at the box office, this one has a solid plot as its soul and some decent genuine comedy to top it.

As a result, the film establishes itself as an entertainer and has you smiling by the time it ends.

Without much ado, let’s check the story:

Synopsis

Kannappan (Sathish) is a game designer, who desperately looks for a job to supplement his family’s income. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to land a job in a big firm as a game designer yet.

Under these circumstances, one day, the motor that pumps water to Kannappan’s overhead tank malfunctions.

Left with no option, he chooses to draw water from his well that has been kept under lock for years. While drawing water, he pulls out what looks like a talisman.

Uninterested in it, he throws it back into the well but not before accidently pulling out one of the feathers embedded in the talisman.

Little does he know then that anybody who pulls out a feather from the talisman — called the dream catcher — will be transported to a castle haunted by spirits, every time they fall asleep.

When he realises the problem he has gotten himself into, he decides that he needs company in the haunted castle and tricks his psychiatrist Dr Johnny (Redin Kingsly) into committing the same mistake he did.

Meanwhile, a bully named Devil Armstrong (Anandraj), to whom Kannappan owes a considerable amount of money, also ends up joining the duo in the haunted castle.

Every time they fall asleep, the victims are automatically transported to the haunted castle and the only way they make out of the castle alive is by waking up in the real world.

They try to stay awake without falling asleep but to no avail. To make matters worse, Kannappan’s family members too fall for the same trap and end up in the haunted castle by pulling out feathers from the talisman for different reasons.

How Kannappan finds a way out of this peculiar problem and saves himself, his family members, and friends is what Conjuring Kannappan is all about.

Analysis

Director Selvin Raj seems to have understood that his film would not work merely on humour and needed a decent script to give it shape.

He comes up with a plot that is — even if not entirely convincing — entertaining to the core.

Selvin Raj takes his time to settle down. So, for the first half an hour or so, the movie seems to be ambling along quite aimlessly. However, once the talisman comes into the plot, it begins to gain intensity and has your undivided attention.

From that point on, the film is engaging and keeps you entertained.

A gifted set of comedy actors save the day for Selvin Raj.

Sathish, a good comedian himself, is ably supported by Anand Raj, Redin Kingsly, VTV Ganesh and Saranya Ponvannan — all of whom are exceptional comedians.

Helping the comedians entertain is a fresh set of organic jokes that are highly situational.

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Performances

Nassar appear only for a brief while as exorcist Ezhumalai and Regina Cassandra as Dark Daves. Their performances can safely be classified as cameos. Nevertheless, they deliver what is expected of them quite convincingly.

Yuva’s visuals and Yuvan Shankar Raja’s music both add strength to Conjuring Kannappan‘s appeal and make it that much more entertaining.

Final take

In all, Selvin Raj Xavier delivers a neat and clean family flick that entertains despite its slow start.

(Views expressed here are personal.)