Muni is an Indian Tamil-language horror comedy film series created and directed by Raghava Lawrence who also appeared in lead roles in all the films. The first film is Muni (2007) and the second is Muni 2: Kanchana (2011) with the third installment of the franchise titled Muni 3: Kanchana 2: Ganga (2015). The latest movie, the fourth instalment is Muni 4: Kanchana 3 (2019). and stars Raghava Lawrence and Kovai Sarala with Rajkiran, Sarathkumar, Devadarshini, Sriman, Vedhika, Vinu Chakravarthy, Raai Laxmi, Nithya Menon, Taapsee, Renuka, Oviya, Nikki Tamboli, Alexandra Ri Djavi. All films were successful at the box office, continuing the trend of the comedy-horror genre in Tamil cinema that began with Chandramukhi (2005).
| Muni | |
|---|---|
 Series logo | |
| Directed by | Raghava Lawrence |
| Written by | Dialogues: Raghava Lawrence (Kanchana, Kanchana 2, Kanchana 3) Ramesh Khanna (Muni) |
| Screenplay by | Raghava Lawrence |
| Story by | Raghava Lawrence |
| Produced by | Saran (Muni) Raghava Lawrence (Kanchana, Kanchana 2) Kalanidhi Maran (Kanchana 3) |
| Starring | Raghava Lawrence Kovai Sarala Rajkiran Sarathkumar Devadarshini Sriman Vedhika Vinu Chakravarthy Raai Laxmi Nithya Menon Taapsee Renuka Oviya Nikki Tamboli Ri Djavi Alexandra |
| Cinematography | K. V. Guhan (Muni) Vetri E. Krishnasamy (Kanchana) R. B. Gurudev Rajavel Olhiveeran (Kanchana 2) Vetri Sarvesh Murari (Kanchana 3) |
| Edited by | Suresh Urs (Muni) Kishore Te. (Kanchana, Kanchana 2) |
| Music by | Original Songs: Bharadwaj (Muni) S. Thaman (Kanchana, Kanchana 2) Leon James (Kanchana 2) C. Sathya (Kanchana 2) Ashwamithra (Kanchana 2) Doo Paa Doo (Kanchana 3) Background Score: Sangeetharajan (Muni) S. Thaman (Kanchana, Kanchana 2) Doo Paa Doo (Kanchana 3) |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Tamil: Gemini Productions (Muni) Sri Thenandal Films (Kanchana, Kanchana 2) Sun Pictures (Kanchana 2, Kanchana 3) |
Release dates | 1: 9 March 2007 2 : 22 July 2011 3 : 17 April 2015 4 : 19 April 2019 5 : TBA |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
| Budget | ₹ 49 crore (see release and revenue below) |
| Box office | ₹ 238 crore (see release and revenue below) |
All four films revolve around the same plot of a coward who gets possessed by a ghost to take revenge on the people who killed them, and the rest of the film shows how he takes revenge. Raghava Lawrence and Kovai Sarala are the only actors to appear in every installment of the series.
Synopsis
editMuni (2007)
editA young man, along with his wife and his parents, migrates to Chennai where he gets possessed by the spirit of a kind-hearted person who was murdered by an ambitious and corrupt political leader.
Muni 2: Kanchana (2011)
editWhen three spirits possess a timid young man and start making him act like a woman, his mother consults an exorcist who unearths a heartbreaking tale of societal injustice, murder and vengeance.
Muni 3: Kanchana 2 (2015)
editA cameraman is petrified of ghosts but obliges when his director proposes a show on ghosts to revive their TV channel. However, strange things happen when they start working on the show.
Muni 4: Kanchana 3 (2019)
editRaghava is a young man who lives happily with his family but is scared of ghosts. When he visits Coimbatore with his family, he is possessed by a vengeful ghost with a sinister past.
Films
edit| Film | Release date | Director | Screenwriter(s) | Story by | Producer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muni | 9 March 2007 | Raghava Lawrence | Saran | ||
| Muni 2: Kanchana | 22 July 2011 | Raghava Lawrence | |||
| Muni 3: Kanchana 2 | 17 April 2015 | ||||
| Muni 4: Kanchana 3 | 19 April 2019 | Kalanithi Maran, Raghava Lawrence | |||
| Muni 5: Kanchana 4 | 2025 | Raghava Lawrence | |||
Muni (2007)
editThe first installment of the series, based on fictional incidents. A young man, along with his wife and his parents, migrates to Chennai where he gets possessed by the spirit of a kind-hearted person who was murdered by an ambitious and corrupt political leader. Muni was released on 9 March 2007 and gained positive response.[1] It earned ₹15 crore against a budget of ₹4 crore.[2]
Kanchana
editAfter the success of Muni Raghava and Sarala Re-unite once again for sequel. The film was titled as Muni 2: Kanchana and also second installment in this series.[3] The film was released on 22 July 2011 worldwide. The film's soundtrack was composed by S. Thaman.[4] Kanchana opened to mostly positive reviews.[5] The film grossed ₹68 crore worldwide[6] becoming the second highest grossing Tamil film of 2011.
Kanchana 2
editA stand-alone sequel, Muni 3: Kanchana 2, was commissioned after the success of the previous films and was also directed by Raghava.[7] It stars Raghava, Taapsee and Sarala in lead roles.[8] And also the third installment in this series. It was released on 17 April 2015 in around 750 screens worldwide alongside Mani Ratnam's O Kadhal Kanmani. The Telugu version titled Ganga[9] was released later on 1 May 2015 in around 550 screens.[10][11] Film received positive response from audience.[12] Proving to be similarly successful to the first entry in the series, the film emerged as a huge box office success, becoming the third highest grossing Tamil film of 2015.[13][14][15]
Kanchana 3
editThe fourth installment in this series, written and directed by Raghava.[16] The film was titled as Naagaa,[17] then changed to Muni 4: Kanchana 3, produced by Sun Pictures.[18] The film stars Raghava in a dual role with Oviya, Vedhika, Nikki Tamboli,[19] Keerthi Pandian and Ri Djavi Alexandra. While Kovai Sarala, Soori, Tarun Arora, and Kabir Duhan Singh play supporting roles. Kanchana 3 was released on Good Friday in 2019.[20] The film received mixed reviews from audiences, comparisons of Kanchana 1 and 2.[21][22] It earned ₹130 crore worldwide against a budget of ₹20 crore, becoming one of the fourth highest grossing Tamil film of 2019.[23]
Kanchana 4
editThe fifth installment in this series, written and directed by Raghava.
Future films
edit| Film | Release date | Director(s) | Screenwriter(s) | Story by | Producer(s) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Durga | 2024 | TBA | Raghava Lawrence | Filming[24] | ||
| Muni 5: Kanchana 4 | TBA | Raghava Lawrence | TBA | Announced[25] | ||
Durga (2024)
editA spin-off, Durga ,was commissioned after the success of the previous film and directed by renowned stunt masters Anbarivu. It is a directional debut for the twins. The film stars Raghava Lawrence, Kovai Sarala, Sriman and Devadarshini in lead roles. The film will release theatrically worldwide in summer 2024.[24]
Recurring cast and characters
editThis table lists the main characters who appear in the Muni film series.
| Actors | Films | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muni | Muni 2: Kanchana | Muni 3: Kanchana 2 | Muni 4: Kanchana 3 | Muni 5: Kanchana 4 | |
| 2007 | 2011 | 2015 | 2019 | 2025 | |
| Raghava Lawrence | Ganesh | Raghava | Raghava & Shiva (Dual role) | Raghava & Kaali (Dual role) | Raghava |
| Kovai Sarala | Sarala | ||||
| Vedhika | Priya | Priya | TBA | ||
| Raai Laxmi | Priya | TBA | |||
| ViroshanSKA | TBA | ||||
| Sriman | Prasad | Dr. Prasad | Prasad | TBA | |
| Devadarshini | Kamakshi | Kamakshi | TBA | ||
| Yuvasri Lakshmi | Pappa | TBA | |||
| Renuka | Nandini's sister-in-law | TBA | |||
| Taapsee Pannu | Nandini | TBA | |||
| Nithya Menen | Ganga | TBA | |||
| Mayilsamy | fake priest | Watchman | |||
Additional crew and production details
edit| Occupation | Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muni | Muni 2: Kanchana | Muni 3: Kanchana 2 | Muni 4: Kanchana 3 | |
| 2007 | 2011 | 2015 | 2019 | |
| Producer(s) | Saran | Raghava Lawrence | Kalanithi Maran Raghava Lawrence | |
| Director | Raghava Lawrence | |||
| Story writer | ||||
| Screenplay writer | ||||
| Dialogue writer | Ramesh Khanna | Raghava Lawrence | ||
| Song composer(s) | Bharadwaj | S. Thaman |
|
Doo Paa Doo |
| Background Score | Sangeetharajan | S. Thaman | ||
| Director of photography |
K. V. Guhan | Vetri, E. Krishnasamy |
Rajavel Oliveeran, R. B. Gurudev |
Vetri, Sarvesh Murari |
| Editor(s) | Suresh Urs | Kishore Te. | Ruben | |
| Art Director(s) | Mohana Mahendran | Jana | ||
| Stunt co-ordinator | Super Subbarayan | |||
| Production companies | Gemini Productions | Raghavendra Productions, Sri Thenandal Films |
Raghavendra Productions |
Raghavendra Productions, Sun Pictures |
| Distributing company | Sun Pictures | Sun Pictures | ||
| Sri Thenandal Films | Wellborn International (Kerala) | |||
| Running time | 153 minutes | 170 minutes | 164 minutes | 166 minutes |
Release and Revenue
editBox office performance
editThe franchise has been notable for its profit, with Muni[2] and its follow-up having earned a combined revenue of ₹238 crore, according to IBtimes.[26]
| Film | Release date | Budget | Box office revenue | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muni | 9 March 2007 | ₹4 crore (US$480,000) | ₹15 crore (US$1.8 million) | [2] |
| Muni 2: Kanchana | 22 July 2011 | ₹7 crore (US$840,000) | ₹35 crore (US$4.1 million) | [6] |
| Muni 3: Kanchana 2 | 17 April 2015 | ₹18 crore (US$2.2 million) | ₹108 crore (US$13 million) | |
| Muni 4: Kanchana 3 | 19 April 2019 | ₹20 crore (US$2.4 million) | ₹130 crore (US$16 million) | [26] |
| Total | ₹49 crore (US$5.9 million) (four films) |
₹238 crore (US$29 million) (four films) |
||
Remakes
edit| Year | Film | Language | Cast | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Kalpana | Kannada | Upendra, Raai Laxmi, Saikumar, Babu Antony | Remake of Kanchana | [27] |
| 2016 | Maya | Sinhalese | Ranjan Ramanayake, Pubudu Chathuranga, Giriraj Kaushalya, Nilmini Kottegoda and Upeksha Swarnamali | [28] | |
| 2017 | Tar Tay Gyi | Burmese | Nay Toe and Shwe Thamee | [29] | |
| Mayabini | Bengali Bangladesh | Symon Sadik, Airin Sultana, Amit Hasan | [citation needed] | ||
| 2020 | Laxmii | Hindi | Akshay Kumar, Kiara Advani, Ayesha Raza Mishra, Rajesh Sharma, Ashwini Kalsekar and Sharad Kelkar | [30][31] | |
| 2016 | Kalpana 2 | Kannada | Upendra, Priyamani and Avantika Shetty | Remake of Kanchana 2 | [32] |
Legacy
editAlong with Chandramukhi (2005), Muni became a trendsetter for horror comedy films. The success of the film inspired several other horror comedy films including the Aranmanai film series (2014) and Darling (2015).[33][34][35]
References
edit- ^ "Muni". Sify. Archived from the original on 24 December 2015.
- ^ a b c "Muni Review – Three cheers to Saran and Larencce". IndiaGlitz. 9 March 2007. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
- ^ Anupama Subramaniam DC chennai (29 February 2012). "Lawrence gearing up for a sequel". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 1 March 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
- ^ Sheilah Wenning says (31 January 2012). "Kanchana Muni — Part 2 (2011) Tamil MP3 Songs, Soundtracks, Music Album Download". Download South MP3. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
- ^ Ramachandran, Rohit (22 July 2011). "Kanchana Review". Nowrunning.com. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
- ^ a b "Lawrence's Kanchana strikes gold". Sify. Archived from the original on 14 March 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
- ^ "Make way for 'Munni 3'! - Tamil Movie News". IndiaGlitz. 29 February 2012. Archived from the original on 1 March 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
- ^ "Raghava Larencce and Tapsee in Muni 3 – Tamil Movie News". Indiaglitz.com. 3 December 2012. Archived from the original on 6 December 2012. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
- ^ "'Ganga' Rechristened 'Kanchana 2'". Indo-Asian News Service. 23 February 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
- ^ "'Ok Kanmani', 'Kanchana 2' First Day Box Office Collection: Films of Mani Ratnam, Raghava Get Fantastic Openings Worldwide". IB Times. 18 April 2015.
- ^ 'Ganga' First Week Collection at AP/T Box Office: Lawrence Starrer Grosses ₹19.3 Crore in 7 Days. Ibtimes.co.in (8 May 2015). Retrieved on 2015-05-29.
- ^ "Kanchana-2 Movie Review". The Times of India. 17 April 2015.
- ^ "'Kanchana 2' Box Office Collection: Raghava Lawrence's Film Crosses ₹50 Crore Mark". International Business Times. 6 May 2015.
- ^ "Ganga Final Total Collections". Andhra Box Office. 9 June 2015.
- ^ "'Kanchana 2' and 'OK Kanmani' are super hits!". Sify. 21 April 2015. Archived from the original on 5 October 2015.
- ^ "KANCHANA 3". British Board of Film Classification.
- ^ "Kanchana 3 is currently titled as Naagaa". 3 August 2015.
- ^ "Sun Pictures officially confirms Kanchana-3". Sify. Archived from the original on 12 September 2017.
- ^ "Oviya vedhika: Oviya, Vedhika team up with Lawrencce in 'Kanchana 3'". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 10 January 2018. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
- ^ "Raghava Lawrence's Kanchana 3 aka Muni 4 to release on April 19". Behindwoods. 13 November 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
- ^ V, NARAYANAN (January 2020). "For Tamil film industry, 2019 was a mixed bag; Star power and content were key draws". @businessline. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
- ^ Wetalkiess (18 April 2019), Kanchana 3 Movie Review | Raghava Lawerence | Oviya | Wetalkiess, retrieved 29 April 2019
- ^ "Tamil film 'Kanchana 3' hits the jackpot, mints Rs 100-crore in a week". The Economic Times. 27 April 2019. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
- ^ a b "Raghava Lawrence's 'Durga' follows the Kanchana template?". Sify. Archived from the original on 9 August 2021.
- ^ "'Kanchana 4' on cards! Raghava Lawrence initiates scripting work". The Times of India. 6 June 2024.
- ^ a b "Bigil, Petta, Viswasam, Kanchana 3, Nerkonda Paarvai, Kaithi power Kollywood's theatrical takings in 2019 to Rs 1000 cr". Firstpost. 4 December 2019.
- ^ Ramchander (3 November 2011). "Upendra to remake Kanchana?". Oneindia. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
- ^ Srinivasan, Meera (28 October 2017). "Now, Mersal finds a supporter in Sri Lanka". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
- ^ "'New wave' directors take movie industry forward". Frontier Myanmar. 7 June 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
- ^ Lakshmi, V. "Akshay Kumar in the remake of Kanchana". The Times of India. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
- ^ "Disney Plus Hotstar Makes Strategic Choice to Bypass India's Theaters, Give More Movies Streaming Premieres". Variety. 29 June 2020. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
- ^ Khajane, Muralidhara (9 May 2016). "Sequel time in Sandalwood". The Hindu. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
- ^ "Aranmanai follows Chandramukhi and Kanchana". Behindwoods. 22 September 2014. Archived from the original on 10 May 2015. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
- ^ K. Jeshi (8 May 2015). "The funny thing about horror". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 10 May 2015. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
- ^ Srinivasan, Sudhir (16 January 2015). "Darling: A familiar ghost serves as humour fodder, again". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 10 May 2015. Retrieved 10 May 2015.