Annabelle Sethupathi Review: Vijay Sethupathi and Taapsee Pannu Film watch
Annabelle Sethupathi (Annabelle Rathore in Hindi), Directed by Deepak Sundarajan, this horror-comedy will release in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam and has been titled ‘Annabelle Rathore’ in Hindi. Rudra who is a small-time burglar gets into a palace full of ghosts. Along with the ghost, she finds out the mystery about the owner of the palace Anabelle Sethupathi!
Annabelle Sethupathi Release Time: Taapsee Pannu and Vijay Sethupathi starter Annabelle Sethupathi releases on September 17. The fantasy-comedy has been helmed by debutant director Deepak Sundarrajan and is available for viewing in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada as well. The film has been dubbed in Hindi too but has been released with a different title- Annabelle Rathore.
Annabelle Sethupathi tries to evoke curiosity in the viewer from the very first scene. A weird plot of a bunch of ghosts caught in a beautiful palace unfolds, without much logic as to why they are locked in there and cannot leave. Equally nonsensical is the one uncertain solution there is to their predicament. I am still trying to get over the ridiculousness of the story, so I’ll try to summarise it the best I can.
The plot borrows from the oft-repeated trope of old haunted palaces, reincarnation, and unsatisfied spirits. A modern-day Indian reincarnation of a British woman (Taapsee Pannu) from the 1940s enters the palace that was built for her by a king (Vijay Sethupathi), is confronted by a bunch of ghosts whom only she can see and who thinks she is their ticket to salvation.
The director’s assumption that this was a film worth making is as baffling as the decision to cast Taapsee in both her British and Indian characters. In her fancy fedoras and floral dresses, she resembles a model for a spring-summer fashion line than a woman from 1945. Vijay Sethupathi, who makes an entry in the second half, looks like a badly dressed north Indian groom in most frames. Costumes are key to establishing a period and the maker’s lack of attention to this detail, among many others, is a clear indication of a job done without dedication.
Despite the drama centered around a ‘magnificent palace’, there’s nothing much to write home about production design. The film’s look and feel is that of a school play with visibly blunt swords, cheap props, and a bunch of adult actors who actually run around like children.
Horror comedies are in vogue across film industries and some watchable ones have been made recently. The title of Annabelle Sethupathi borrows from a Hollywood horror film, which is also mentioned in dialogue. There are comic scenes, there’s romance, but horror? A sum total of one jump scare.
The one baffling question that remains unanswered at the end of the 2:14 hour run, was why would actors of Vijay Sethupathi and Taapsee Pannu’s caliber, choose to star in a film as inane as this? The emotions invoked in the romantic scenes between them, mostly owing to Vijay’s restrained performance, are completely nullified by meaningless chase sequences and slapstick humor in most parts.
Jagapathi Babu is a powerful presence as a quiet, but heartless villain, and his story is expected to continue in Part 2. Yogi Babu as the all-purpose Masterchef carries the film on his shoulder majorly. His dialogues might have a better impact in Tamil, but you know what Hindi dubs of south films sound like. Apart from that possible loss in translation, there’s nothing to miss if you skip this flick.
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Annabelle Sethupathi Release Time and Date
Annabelle Sethupathi premiered at noon on September 17. It is now available for streaming on Disney+Hotstar.
Where to watch Annabelle Sethupathi?
The Taapsee Pannu starter is streaming on Amazon Prime Video now. Any person with an active subscription to the OTT platform can stream it.
Check out the trailer of Annabelle Sethupathi here:
Annabelle Rathore – Trailer | Hindi | Vijay Sethupathi | Taapsee Pannu | Deepak Sundarrajan
Meanwhile, Taapsee was last seen featuring in a lead role in ‘Haseen Dillruba’. Other than ‘Annabelle Sethupathi’, she will be next seen starring in ‘Rashmi Rocket’, ‘Looop Lapeta’, ‘Dobaaraa’, ‘Shabaash Mithu’, ‘Blurr’. She will also be seen featuring in Tamil films ‘Jana Gana Mana’, ‘Alien’ and in the Telugu film ‘Mishan Impossible’.
