Chandramukhi 2 (Soldier) is a 2023 Indian Tamil-language comedy horror film written and directed by P. Vasu, and produced by Subaskaran Allirajah under the banner of Lyca Productions. It is a sequel to Chandramukhi (2005). The film stars Raghava Lawrence in dual roles alongside Kangana Ranaut and Lakshmi Menon in the principal roles along with an ensemble supporting cast, that includes Vadivelu who reprises his role from the predecessor, Radhika Sarathkumar, Mahima Nambiar, Srushti Dange, Rao Ramesh, Subiksha Krishnan, Suresh Chandra Menon, Ravi Mariya, Vignesh, and Y. G. Mahendran in pivotal roles.
The film was officially announced in 2020 with Sun Pictures producing, though by June 2022 Lyca had taken over production. Principal photography began in that July, and wrapped by mid-August 2023. The music is composed by M. M. Keeravani, while the cinematography and editing are handled by R. D. Rajasekhar and Anthony, respectively. Chandramukhi 2 was released on 28 September 2023 to negative reviews from critics, and emerged a major commercial failure.
Plot[]
Ranganayaki, the matriarch of a wealthy family, navigates through a series of misfortunes alongside her family members. Her household includes her elder brother Suresh Menon, his son Ravi Mariya with his family, her younger brother Vignesh and his family. She also has 4 daughters out of which Gayathri, Priya & Divya live with her. The family faces a major setback when her elder daughter elopes and is later tragically killed in a plane crash along with her spouse. Further calamities include a mysterious fire at the family's factory and Divya getting paralyzed in a car accident, which postpones her engagement.
Seeking solutions, Ranganayaki consults their family astrologer, Guruji, who advises a prayer at their ancestral temple in Vettaiyapuram. The prayer requires the presence of the entire family, including the deceased elder daughter's orphaned children, who are now under Pandiyan's care. Although hesitant, the family follows Guruji's advice and heads to Vettaiyapuram.
Upon arrival, they lease the Vettaiyapuram Palace for 48 days from its new caretakers, Murugesan and Senthil's uncle, and move in despite Murugesan's warning against venturing into the southern part of the palace. Curiosity leads Priya into the forbidden area, where she unwittingly releases the spirit of Chandramukhi from a rangoli. Meanwhile, the family discovers their temple in ruins.
Pandiyan takes on the task of cleaning the temple, but an unfortunate turn of events leads to a fire breaking out within the temple premises. This fire inadvertently unleashes the spirit of Vettaiyan, much to the dismay of Chandramukhi, causing a wave of chaos to sweep through the palace. Upon his return, Pandiyan shares the unnerving news with the family that Chandramukhi has possessed one of the women in the household. Murugesan reveals that a similar incident had occurred 17 years prior. When Guruji arrives, Murugesan elaborates on Ganga's previous psychological affliction, where she imagined herself as Chandramukhi. However, now, the real Chandramukhi has been unleashed, escalating the threat.
The family then proceeds to Vettaiyan's courtroom, a significant location where Ramachandra Achariyar, along with Saravanan, had previously exorcised Ganga. Upon inspection, Guruji discerns that someone had already entered the forbidden room, thereby unleashing Chandramukhi's spirit for real. Initial suspicions fall on Priya due to her earlier explorations, but it's soon revealed that Divya is the one possessed. A miraculous event follows as Divya regains her ability to walk, which elates her but leaves the family in distress. Guruji explains that Divya's possession was facilitated by a bead from Chandramukhi's anklet that she had worn, as she had a penchant for collecting antiques.
In a twist of fate, Pandiyan stumbles upon a secret room below Vettaiyan's room and becomes possessed. Divya, under the possession of Chandramukhi, attempts to harm Ranganayaki and her niece and nephew, but her attempts are thwarted.
Delving into the past, Guruji learns from a sage about the bitter enmity between Vettaiyan and Chandramukhi. Sengottaiyan, who was a commander in King Vettaiyan's army, had conquered the Vijayanagara Kingdom and was smitten by a dancer named Chandramukhi, whom he forcibly took to Vettaiyapuram. When King Vettaiyan too becomes enamored with Chandramukhi's beauty, it ignites a confrontation between him and Sengottaiyan, resulting in Vettaiyan's beheading. Subsequently, Sengottaiyan proclaims himself as king, adopting the name Vettaiyan. Despite her pleas about her love for Gunasekaran, Vettaiyan keeps Chandramukhi captive. In a tragic event, Gunasekhar is beheaded by Vettaiyan and Chandramukhi is burnt alive. However, she returns as a vengeful ghost, tormenting Vettaiyan to the point of despair. Unable to bear the torment, Vettaiyan retreats to his secret room, eventually meeting his end through a fatal snake bite. Through the sage, Pandiyan learns that he became possessed by Vettaiyan after sitting on his throne.
As the narrative reaches its climax, a fierce battle unfolds between Divya (possessed by Chandramukhi) and Pandiyan (possessed by Vettaiyan). In a sacrificial act, the sage intervenes to save Pandiyan and puts an end to Chandramukhi's reign of terror. Guruji later reveals to Pandiyan that the sage had collected Chandramukhi's ashes and sealed them in her portrait. The sage, who was cursed by Chandramukhi to be beheaded only by her, saw this as an opportunity to end his curse and willingly sacrificed himself to cease the torment.
With the spirits laid to rest, Ranganayaki's family finally performs the prayer at their deity temple. Upon completing the prayer, the family departs from the palace with Pandiyan. The ordeal concludes on a hopeful note as Pandiyan reunites with Lakshmi, marking an end to the family's harrowing yet enlightening journey.
Cast[]
- Raghava Lawrence in a dual role as:
- Pandiyan: Sengottaiyan/Vettaiyan Raja's doppelganger, Ranganayaki Jr. and Kalam's guardian
- Sengottaiyan alias Vettaiyan Raja: Pandiyan's doppelganger
- Kangana Ranaut as Chandramukhi
- Lakshmi Menon as Divya (possessed by Chandramukhi)
- Vadivelu as Murugesan
- Radhika Sarathkumar as Ranganayaki
- Mahima Nambiar as Lakshmi
- Srushti Dange as Priya
- Subiksha Krishnan as Gayathri
- Suresh Chandra Menon as Ranganayaki's elder brother
- Ravi Mariya as Ranganayaki's elder brother's son
- Vignesh as Ranganayaki's younger brother
- Manasvi Kottachi as Ranganayaki, daughter of Ranganayaki's late daughter
- Sanjiv V as Kalam
- Rao Ramesh as Guruji
- Shatru as Vettaiyan Raja
- Ayyappa P. Sharma as Rudraiyya: Sengottaiyan's Mahaguru
- R. S. Shivaji as Contractor Gopal
- Cool Suresh as house servant
- T. M. Karthik as Manager
- Mithun Shyam as Gunasekaran: Chandramukhi's love interest
- Rajitha as Palace servant
- C. Ranganathan Lakshmi's father, milkman.
- Y. G. Mahendran as Temple Priest
- Manobala as fake exorcist
- Jyothika as Ganga Senthilnathan (uncredited, archival footage from Chandramukhi)
Production[]
Development[]
TBA
Casting[]
TBA
Filming[]
TBA
Post-production[]
In June, the team announced that the film is releasing on Ganesh Chaturthi.[5] Lawrence started dubbing his portions in July.[6]
Music[]
| Chandramukhi 2 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by M. M. Keeravani | ||||
| Released | 25 August 2023 | |||
| Recorded | 2022–2023 | |||
| Studio | JB Recording Studio, Chennai | |||
| Genre | film soundtrack | |||
| Length | 34:58 | |||
| Language | Tamil | |||
| Label | Sony Music India | |||
| Producer | M. M. Keeravani | |||
| M. M. Keeravani chronology | ||||
| ||||
The music and background scores are composed by M. M. Keeravani, in his first Tamil film after 20 years; as his last Tamil film was Student Number 1 (2003). The film also marks as his second collaboration with Vasu and first with Raghava.[7] The audio rights for the film were purchased by Sony Music India.[8] The first single "Swagathaanjali" was released on 11 August 2023,[9] The second single "Moruniye" on 22 August 2023.[10]
Keeravani later stated that there are remaining nine songs to be released apart from the first single that was launched earlier, bringing a total of 10 songs for the film.[11] The audio launch was held at Jeppiaar Engineering College on 25 August 2023.[12]
Tamil version
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Swagathaanjali" | Chaitanya Prasad | Sreenidhi Tirumala | 3:49 |
| 2. | "Moruniye" | Vivek | S. P. Charan, Harika Narayan | 4:27 |
| 3. | "Nee Kosame" | Chaitanya Prasad | Mohana Bhogaraju | 2:42 |
| 4. | "Thori Bori" | Yugabharathi | Haricharan, Amala Chebolu | 4:29 |
| 5. | "Raa Raa" (Happy) | Chaitanya Prasad | Ramya Behara | 2:37 |
| 6. | "Podhum Podhum" | Vivek | Pradeep Kumar, Aditi Bhavaraju | 4:49 |
| 7. | "Ragalaya" | Madhan Karky | Niteesh Kondiparthi, Aditi Bhavaraju | 4:17 |
| 8. | "Raa Raa" (Angry) | Chaitanya Prasad | Ramya Behara | 2:48 |
| 9. | "Raa Raa" (sad) | Chaitanya Prasad | Ramya Behara | 2:41 |
| 10. | "Mukhi Mukhi" | Vidhya Mahesh | Aditya Iyengar | 2:20 |
| Total length: | 34:58 | |||
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Aattanaayagi" | Madhan Karky | Sreenidhi Tirumala | 3:49 |
| 2. | "Moruniye" | Ramajogayya Sastry | S. P. Charan, Harika Narayan | 4:27 |
| 3. | "Nee Kaanave" | Madhan Karky | Sony Komanduri | 2:42 |
| 4. | "Thori Bori" | Bhuvana Chandra | Arun Kaundinya, Amala Chebolu | 4:29 |
| 5. | "Vaarai" (Happy) | Madhan Karky | Ramya Behara | 2:37 |
| 6. | "Paadhum Paadhum" | Chandra Bose | Sai Charan, Aditi Bhavaraju | 4:49 |
| 7. | "Merupula" | Chaitanya Prasad | Niteesh Kondiparthi, Aditi Bhavaraju | 4:17 |
| 8. | "Vaarai" (Angry) | Madhan Prasad | Ramya Behara | 2:48 |
| 9. | "Vaarai" (Sad) | Madhan Karky | Ramya Behara | 2:41 |
| 10. | "Mukhi Mukhi" | Vidhya Mahesh | Aditya Iyengar | 2:20 |
| Total length: | 34:58 | |||
Release[]
Release[]
Chandramukhi 2 was initially scheduled to release on 15 September 2023, coinciding with Ganesh Chaturthi, but it was postponed to 28 September due to 450-shots from the film disappearing during post-production works, which were found after four days.[13][14]
Home media[]
The film began streaming on Netflix from 26 October 2023.[15]
Reception[]
Box office[]
Made on a budget of Template:INR–Template:INR crore,[2][3] Chandramukhi 2 needed to earn Template:INR crore at the domestic box office to break-even.[16] However, in its theatrical run the film grossed just over Template:INR crore globally,[4] emerging a commercial failure.[17][18][19]
Critical response[]
The film received negative reviews from critics.[20][21]
TBA
References[]
- ↑ [TBA Chandramukhi 2].
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.[TBA "Raghava Lawrence-starrer Chandramukhi 2 Did Rs 45 Crore Pre-release Business: Reports"] Check
|url=value (help). News18. 28 September 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2023.Chandramukhi 2 is said to be made on a budget of Rs 60 crore
Check|archive-url=value (help) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 [TBA Chandramukhi 2 box office collection day 2: Kangana Ranaut-Raghava Lawrence's horror comedy mints Rs 12 crore in two days] (30 September 2023). “It was made on a tight budget of Rs 65 crore, which even includes the fees of the star cast and the pre and post release promotion cost”
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.V, Aarthi (21 October 2023). [TBA "Chandramukhi 2 OTT: வந்தது அறிவிப்பு.. சந்திரமுகி 2 ஓடிடியில் எப்போது பார்க்கலாம்!"] Check
|url=value (help) [Chandramukhi 2 OTT: Announcement has arrived.. When will we watch Chandramukhi 2 OTT!]. Hindustan Times (in Tamil). Retrieved 8 November 2023. Check|archive-url=value (help) - ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.[TBA "Raghava Lawrence's 'Chandramukhi 2' to release for Ganesh Chaturthi"] Check
|url=value (help). The Times of India. 29 June 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2023. Check|archive-url=value (help) - ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.[TBA "Raghava Lawrence starts dubbing for Chandramukhi 2"] Check
|url=value (help). The Times of India. 3 July 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2023. Check|archive-url=value (help) - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedThe Times of India - ↑ Error on call to Template:cite web: Parameters url and title must be specified.
- ↑ [TBA Viral Update: Makers drop the iconic track of Chandramukhi!] (11 August 2023).
- ↑ [TBA Second single, Moruniye, from Chandramukhi 2, is out] (22 August 2023).
- ↑ Error on call to Template:cite web: Parameters url and title must be specified.
- ↑ Error on call to Template:cite web: Parameters url and title must be specified.
- ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.[TBA "'Chandramukhi 2' release postponed to September 28"] Check
|url=value (help). The Times of India. 8 September 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023. Check|archive-url=value (help) - ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.[TBA "450 shots from the film went missing: 'Chandramukhi 2' director on the delayed release of the Kangana Ranaut starrer"] Check
|url=value (help). The Times of India. 26 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023. Check|archive-url=value (help) - ↑ [TBA Raghava Lawrence and Kangana Ranaut starrer 'Chandramukhi 2' to stream on OTT from THIS date] (24 October 2023).
- ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.[TBA "Chandramukhi 2 Box Office: This Raghava Lawrence & Kangana Ranaut Starrer, Budgeted At 60 Crores, Needs To Earn This Much To Breakeven?"] Check
|url=value (help). Koimoi. 1 October 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2023.Reportedly, Chandramukhi 2 needed to earn at least 80 crores in its theatrical run at the Indian box office to break even.
Check|archive-url=value (help) - ↑ [TBA Success eludes for Kangana Ranaut in South] (1 October 2023).
- ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.[TBA "Chandramukhi 2 To Release On Netflix On This Date"] Check
|url=value (help). News18. 18 October 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2023.The movie, which was produced on a budget of more than Rs 60 crore, tanked at the box office with a loss of more than Rs 20 crore.
Check|archive-url=value (help) - ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.[TBA "Chandramukhi 2' Kerala box office collections: Kangana Ranaut's film turns out to be a disaster; mints Rs 44 lakhs"] Check
|url=value (help). The Times of India. 1 October 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023. Check|archive-url=value (help) - ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.[TBA "Chandramukhi 2 Box Office Day 2 (Early Trends): Kangana Ranaut & Raghava Lawrence Starrer Goes Down After A Decent Start, Shows A Drop Of Over 20%"] Check
|url=value (help). Koimoi. 29 September 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2023.However, with negative reviews and not-so-good word-of-mouth floating around, the film dropped today
Check|archive-url=value (help) - ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.[TBA "Raghava Lawrence, Kangana Ranaut's Chandramukhi 2 to stream on Netflix from this date"] Check
|url=value (help). The Indian Express. 21 October 2023. Retrieved 22 October 2023.The film was panned by both critics and audiences, ultimately resulting in a major commercial failure.
Check|archive-url=value (help)
External links[]
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