Raghava Lawrence is back with ‘Kanchana 4’

The original film (Kanchana, 2011) was a blockbuster, earning widespread acclaim and love from fans across India for its compelling narrative and stellar performances.

The star-studded cast featured Raghava Lawrence himself, R Sarathkumar, Raai Laxmi, Kovai Sarala, and Devadarshini in prominent roles.

The first instalment of the franchise, Kanchana, was directed by Lawrence as a spiritual sequel to Muni, which had been released four years earlier.

Muni (2007) received a lukewarm response at the box office and did not fully meet its potential.

However, it has gained a huge following, among fans of Raghava Lawrence, as it laid the foundation for his hallmark franchise, Kanchana.

Muni and Kanchana share several common themes, including phasmophobia, possession, and climaxes centred around redemption.

Raghava Lawrence’s commitment to the Kanchana franchise is clear, as it is the only series of films for which the actor-choreographer-director has also taken on the role of producer.

Within the Kanchana franchise, none matched the success of the 2011 film. The second instalment in 2015 was moderately received, while the third in 2019 was a box office dud.

In an interview, Raghava Lawrence admitted that during the direction of Muni, he was unaware of the mistakes he was making.

“I believe I’ve gained valuable lessons from those mistakes. If Muni displayed 25 percent of my potential, I’d confidently say that Kanchana would reveal 200 percent of my capabilities.”

Typically, comedy and fear of the unknown don’t blend well, except perhaps in films like these.

However, in the Kanchana franchise, Raghava Lawrence cleverly mixes humour and spooky elements, often leaving the audience laughing so much that they forget to be scared.

Whether Kanchana 4 will successfully rejuvenate the franchise remains to be seen.

(Edited by S Subhakeerthana)

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