Annabelle Sethupathi
A horror comedy about ghosts trapped in a palace.
Annabelle Sethupathi, a 2021 Tamil horror comedy, marks Deepak Sundarrajan's directorial debut. Produced by Sudhan Sundaram and G Jayaram under Passion Studios, it stars Vijay Sethupathi and Taapsee Pannu in dual roles alongside Jagapathi Babu and Yogi Babu. The film premiered worldwide on Disney+ Hotstar on 17 September 2021, with a Hindi dubbed version titled Annabelle Rathore.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Deepak Sundarrajan
- Producer
- Sudhan Sundaram; G Jayaram
- Starring
- Vijay Sethupathi; Taapsee Pannu
- Music
- Krishna Kishor
- Cinematography
- Goutham George
- Editing
- Pradeep E. Ragav
- Studio
- Passion Studios
- Distributor
- Disney+ Hotstar
Facts from the source article.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vaanil Pogum Megham | Uma Devi | 3:32 |
| 2 | Ghost Party | Ku. Karthik | 3:31 |
| 3 | Anange | Vivek | 3:34 |
| 4 | Ginger Soda | Ku. Karthik | 3:42 |
| 5 | Anange (Reprise) | Vivek | 3:03 |
| 6 | Palace Theme | – | 2:12 |
| 7 | Circle of Fifths | – | 2:12 |
| Total length | 21:54 | ||
Track listing from the source article.
Plot
In 1948, Kadhiresan visits a magnificent palace built by King Veera Sethupathi and wishes to own it. By 1966, Kadhiresan's niece becomes possessed while cooking, and the family dies in their sleep, reuniting with other deceased family members in the palace. The ghost of Kadhiresan's cook, Shanmugam, explains that a mysterious force compels him to poison inhabitants every full moon; a survivor can set them free. In 2021, Rudra's family, thieves feuding with other thieves, encounter police Inspector Kadhir, Kadhiresan's great-great-grandson. Kadhir and his grandfather Vikram want to sell the palace but are hindered by haunting rumors. Kadhir hires Rudra's family to clean the palace and live there until the full moon to prove it is safe, while they plan to loot it. Rudra enchants the palace and plots a fake haunting to acquire it cheaply. On the full moon, Rudra eats poisoned food, survives, and gains the ability to see ghosts. She promises to free them in exchange for help with her plan.
Production
Deepak Sundarrajan, son of director-actor R. Sundarrajan and former assistant of A. L. Vijay, was first reported in June 2017 to make his directorial debut with a film starring Remya Nambeesan and Natty Subramaniam, but that project did not materialize. In August 2020, he was reported to direct a horror comedy starring Taapsee Pannu and Vijay Sethupathi. Pannu, making her return to Tamil cinema with Game Over (2019) and also signed for Jana Gana Mana, played a street-smart woman. The ensemble cast included Yogi Babu and Radhika Sarathkumar, both playing dual roles in period and present timelines. Initially titled Annabelle Subramaniam, principal photography began on 28 August 2020 in Jaipur, shot entirely in a single schedule under COVID-19 restrictions. Filming took place at City Palace, Rambagh Palace and Samode Palace over 20 days; it was the first Tamil film shot in those palaces in 50 years, since Adimai Penn (1969), with cooperation from the Rajasthan government. The shoot wrapped by October 2020, and post-production involved extensive computer graphic work. In August 2021, the title was changed to Annabelle Sethupathi for Tamil, while the Hindi dubbed version became Annabelle Rathore.
Soundtrack
The film's soundtrack and score were composed by newcomer Krishna Kishor, who previously worked as a percussionist for A. R. Rahman, Anirudh Ravichander, Hiphop Tamizha and Bollywood musicians. It was his second film signed before Mughizh and his first released. The album contains five songs written by Uma Devi, Vivek and Ku. Karthik. Singers Asees Kaur, Sanam Puri and Yashitha Sharma made their Tamil playback debut on one song. Think Music acquired the audio rights. All songs were released as singles starting 6 September 2021, one per day, with the full album and two theme tracks unveiled on 10 September 2021.
Reception
Ranjani Krishnakumar of Firstpost rated the film 3/5, saying it could have been more with a complex screenplay and wit. The Times of India gave 2.5/5, calling it a comedy with an interesting premise but flat execution. Manoj Kumar of Indian Express rated it 2.5/5, noting it feels tolerable due to its self-aware nature and subversion of horror-comedy tropes. Haricharan Pudipeddi of Hindustan Times wrote that it works better as a fantasy comedy than horror. Sudhir Srinivasan of The New Indian Express stated the premise is interesting but the pain is real. Praveen Sudevan of The Hindu found Vijay Sethupathi's performance the sole saving grace. Bohni Bandyopadhyay of News18 said the film leaves viewers baffled by its lack of logic. Sowmya Rajendran of The News Minute called it neither funny nor scary, and noted a Part 2 is planned. Janani of India Today rated it 1.5/5, criticizing body-shaming jokes and outdated ideas.
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