Sangili Bungili Kadhava Thorae review: This horror comedy is a clear winner

Soon after the success of the Muni franchise, many in the film industry have begun testing out the formula of horror comedies to achieve box office success. As a result, several directors keep attempting to make films under this genre. However, most fail miserably as these films are nowhere near being funny or scary. Only one in 10 films made in this genre manages to impress.

Director Ike’s Sangili Bungili Kadhava Thorae is among those that impress. After a long time, here comes a genuinely funny horror comedy that is full of interesting developments right to the end.

Ike’s strength lies in his ability to precisely predict his audience’s reaction to every single development in his story even as the plot progresses. This gift, or skill as the case may be, gives him the advantage of adding twists to sequences which make the plot highly unpredictable and thereby intensely interesting.

The story is a simple one, but told in an extremely interesting fashion.

Vasu (Jiiva), a street-smart real estate agent, harbours the dream of having his own house one day. The inspiration behind this dream is his promise to his mother Parvathy (played by Radhika Sarathkumar) that he will one day make her stand in her own home’s balcony. Vasu has a close friend in Suranam (Suri) who backs him in anything that he does.

Vasu hopes to buy a huge mansion, the value of which is much more than what he can afford. So, he pays Mayil (Mayilsami), a petty shop owner whose shop is situated right next to the house, to spread rumours that the place is haunted. Thanks to these rumours, there are no buyers for the place and its price comes crashing down.

Eventually, the owner has no option but to sell the house to Vasu, who procures it for a sum of his bidding. Just as Vasu is about to realise his dream, he finds out on the day of housewarming, that there is a family that already lives in the place.

Jambu (Thambi Ramaiah), who is the head of this family of five including his wife Vanaroja (Devadarshini) and his elder daughter Shwetha (Sri Divya), claims that he is the owner of the house as his mother was the second wife of the house owner. Both families stake claim over the property, resulting in a fight. With the house owner who sold the property absconding, the two families eventually decide to share the mansion.

However, Vasu decides to employ his old trick of the place being haunted to get Jambu and his family to give up his claim over the property. Along with Suranam, the two get cracking and look to scare Jambu’s mom out of her wits. However, they soon realise that the house is indeed haunted and that there are spirits lurking around. Sangili Bungili Kadhava Thorae tells you what happens next.

The story and the screenplay, full of interesting twists, are the film’s biggest strengths. Not a single development in the story takes place as per the audience's expectations. The film has a brilliant set of actors who breathe life into the story. Jiiva proves his mettle in this one. Sri Divya, a gifted actress, looks adorable as the girl-next-door in this film. But the film is not what it is only because of its lead actors. It’s success is primarily because of its fine cast of the supporting actors.

National Award winner Thambi Ramaiah as Jambu effortlessly plays his part to perfection. Ilavarasu as Ponnusamy is as brilliant as ever. One of Tamil cinema’s finest actors, it is unclear why Ilavarasu hasn’t got his due in terms of recognition and appreciation. The same is the case with two other artistes, who, time and again, have impressed audiences with their acting skills. One is Mayilsamy, and the other is actress Devadarshini. Both actors appear only for a brief time in the film. Nevertheless, they steal the show and own the scenes that they appear in.

Radha Ravi as Sangili Andavar impresses yet again as does Suri, who as Suranam, proves that he can be really funny if he is provided with sequences that provide scope for comedy.  

Vishal Chandrashekar’s music adds strength to this film as does Sathyan Suriyan’s cinematography.

On the whole, director Ike, with this decent entertainer, seems to have delivered a winner!

Reviewed by Manigandan KR