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Muni (film series)

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Muni
Series logo
Directed byRaghava Lawrence
Screenplay byRaghava Lawrence
Story byRaghava Lawrence
Dialogues by
Produced by
Production
companies
Distributed byTamil:
Release dates
1: 9 March 2007 (2007-03-09)
2 : 22 July 2011 (2011-07-22)
3: 17 April 2015 (2015-04-17)
4: 19 April 2019 (2019-04-19)
5: TBA
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil
BudgetTotal (4 films):
₹45 crore
Box officeTotal (4 films):
₹346 crore

Muni (transl. Sage) is an Indian Tamil-language comedy horror film series created and directed by Raghava Lawrence, consisting of Muni (2007), Muni 2: Kanchana (2011), Muni 3: Kanchana 2: Ganga (2015) and Muni 4: Kanchana 3 (2019). Muni 5: Kanchana 4 is in production. All films were successful at the box office, continuing the trend of the comedy horror genre in Kollywood that began with Chandramukhi (2005). It is currently the third highest grossing Tamil film franchise.

Kanchana was remade in Kannada as Kalpana (2012).[1] In 2016 the Sri Lankan remake Maya was released.[2] It was unofficially remade in Burmese as Tar Tay Gyi (2017).[3] In 2017, the Bengali language remake was released, titled Mayabini.[4] Lawrence himself directed the Hindi remake titled Laxmii (2020).[5] Kanchana 2 was remade in Kannada as Kalpana 2 (2016).

Films

[edit]
Key
† Denotes films that have not yet been released
Film Release date Director Cast Producer(s)
Muni 9 March 2007 Raghava Lawrence Lawrence, Rajkiran, Vedika Saran
Muni 2: Kanchana 22 July 2011 Lawrence, R. Sarathkumar, Lakshmi Rai Raghava Lawrence
Muni 3: Kanchana 2 17 April 2015 Lawrence, Taapsee Pannu, Nithya Menen
Muni 4: Kanchana 3 19 April 2019 Lawrence, Oviya, Vedika, Nikki Tamboli Kalanithi Maran, Raghava Lawrence
Muni 5: Kanchana 4 † TBA Lawrence, Pooja Hegde, Nora Fatehi Manish Shah

Muni (2007)

[edit]
Main article: Muni (film)

The 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.[6] It earned ₹15 crore against a budget of ₹4 crore.[7]

Kanchana

[edit]
Main article: Kanchana (2011 film)

After 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.[8] The film was released on 22 July 2011 worldwide. The film's soundtrack was composed by S. Thaman.[9] Kanchana opened to mostly positive reviews.[10] The film grossed ₹108 crore worldwide becoming the second highest grossing Tamil film of 2011.[11]

Kanchana 2

[edit]
Main article: Kanchana 2

A stand-alone sequel, Muni 3: Kanchana 2, was commissioned after the success of the previous films and was also directed by Raghava.[12] It stars Raghava Lawrence, Taapsee Pannu and Kovai Sarala in lead roles.[13] 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[14] was released later on 1 May 2015 in around 550 screens.[15][16] Film received positive response from audience.[17] 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.[18]

Kanchana 3

[edit]
Main article: Kanchana 3

The fourth installment in this series, written and directed by Raghava.[19] The film was titled as Naga,[20] then changed to Muni 4: Kanchana 3, produced by Sun Pictures.[21] The film stars Raghava in a dual role with Oviya, Vedhika, Nikki Tamboli,[22] 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.[23] The film received mixed reviews from audiences, comparisons of Kanchana 1 and 2.[24][25] It earned ₹130 crore worldwide against a budget of ₹20 crore, becoming one of the fourth highest grossing Tamil film of 2019.[26]

Kanchana 4

[edit]
Main article: Kanchana 4

The fifth installment in this series, written and directed by Raghava, and stars Pooja Hegde and Nora Fatehi in the lead roles is in production.[27]

Recurring cast and characters

[edit]

This 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 TBA
Raghava Lawrence Ganesh Raghava Raghava & Shiva (Dual role) Raghava & Kaali (Dual role) Raghava
Kovai Sarala Sarala TBA
Pooja Hegde TBA
Nora Fatehi TBA
Vedhika Priya Priya
Raai Laxmi Priya
Sriman Prasad Dr. Prasad Prasad TBA
Devadarshini Kamakshi Kamakshi TBA
Yuvasri Lakshmi Pappa TBA
Renuka Nandini's sister-in-law
Taapsee Pannu Nandini
Nithya Menen Ganga
Mayilsamy fake priest Watchman

Crew

[edit]
Occupation Film
Muni Muni 2: Kanchana Muni 3: Kanchana 2 Muni 4: Kanchana 3 Muni 5: Kanchana 4
2007 2011 2015 2019 TBA
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 TBA
Background Score Sangeetharajan S. Thaman TBA
Director of
photography 		K. V. Guhan Vetri,
E. Krishnasamy 		Rajavel Oliveeran,
R. B. Gurudev 		Vetri,
Sarvesh Murari 		TBA
Editor(s) Suresh Urs Kishore Te. Ruben TBA
Art Director(s) Mohana Mahendran Jana TBA
Stunt co-ordinator Super Subbarayan TBA
Production companies Gemini Productions Raghavendra Productions,
Sri Thenandal Films 		Raghavendra Productions
Raghavendra Productions,
Sun Pictures
Distributing company Sun Pictures Sun Pictures TBA
Sri Thenandal Films Wellborn International (Kerala) TBA
Running time 153 minutes 170 minutes 164 minutes 166 minutes TBA

Release and revenue

[edit]

Box office

[edit]
Film Release date Budget Box office revenue Ref.
Muni 9 March 2007
Muni 2: Kanchana 22 July 2011 ₹7 crore (US$810,000) ₹108 crore (US$12 million) [11]
Muni 3: Kanchana 2 17 April 2015 ₹18 crore (US$2.1 million) ₹108 crore (US$12 million) [28]
Muni 4: Kanchana 3 19 April 2019 ₹20 crore (US$2.3 million) ₹130 crore (US$15 million) [29]
Total ₹45 crore (US$5.2 million)
(four films) 		₹346 crore (US$40 million)
(four films)

Remakes

[edit]
Year Film Language Cast Notes Ref.
2012 Kalpana Kannada Upendra, Raai Laxmi, Saikumar, Babu Antony Remake of Kanchana [30]
2016 Maya Sinhalese Ranjan Ramanayake, Pubudu Chathuranga, Giriraj Kaushalya, Nilmini Kottegoda and Upeksha Swarnamali [31]
2017 Tar Tay Gyi Burmese Nay Toe and Shwe Thamee [32]
Mayabini Bengali Bangladesh Symon Sadik, Airin Sultana, Amit Hasan [33]
2020 Laxmii Hindi Akshay Kumar, Kiara Advani, Ayesha Raza Mishra, Rajesh Sharma, Ashwini Kalsekar and Sharad Kelkar [34][35]
2016 Kalpana 2 Kannada Upendra, Priyamani and Avantika Shetty Remake of Kanchana 2 [36]

Legacy

[edit]

Along 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).[37][38][39]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Sharadhaa, A. (18 November 2015). "Upendra' s Challenge with Kalpana". The New Indian Express.
  2. ^ Srinivasan, Meera (28 October 2017). "Now, Mersal finds a supporter in Sri Lanka". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 25 July 2020. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  3. ^ "'New wave' directors take movie industry forward". Frontier Myanmar. 7 June 2018. Archived from the original on 25 March 2023. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  4. ^ "Akshay Kumar to star in the Hindi remake of 'Kanchana'?". The News Minute. 19 October 2018. Archived from the original on 16 February 2025. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
  5. ^ "Akshay Kumar film Laxmmi Bomb to premiere on Disney Plus Hotstar". The Indian Express. 29 June 2020. Archived from the original on 2 July 2020. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  6. ^ "Happy Birthday, Raghava Lawrence: Five times when the actor proved he is the 'Master' of horror dramas". 29 October 2020 – via The Economic Times - The Times of India.
  7. ^ "Muni Review – Three cheers to Saran and Larencce". IndiaGlitz. 9 March 2007. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ "Lawrence Raghava, Ritika Singh pair up for horror flick Shivalinga". 24 November 2016.
  10. ^ Ramachandran, Rohit (22 July 2011). "Kanchana Review". Nowrunning.com. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  11. ^ a b Team, DNA Web. "Made for Rs 7 crore, earned Rs 108 crore, this blockbuster movie was released in..." DNA India.
  12. ^ https://www.hindustantimes.com/regional-movies/kanchana-2-new-stills-this-tantric-looks-devious/story-EJZQvmZdkh75X9kmLrMcNI.html
  13. ^ Lakshmi, V. "Taapsee is part of Ganga" – via The Economic Times - The Times of India.
  14. ^ "'Ganga' Rechristened 'Kanchana 2'". Indo-Asian News Service. 23 February 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  15. ^ "'Ok Kanmani', 'Kanchana 2' First Day Box Office Collection: Films of Mani Ratnam, Raghava Get Fantastic Openings Worldwide". IB Times. 18 April 2015.
  16. ^ '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.
  17. ^ "Kanchana-2 Movie Review". The Times of India. 17 April 2015.
  18. ^ Service, Express News (6 August 2015). "Raghava Lawrence's Priceless Gift". The New Indian Express.
  19. ^ "KANCHANA 3". British Board of Film Classification.
  20. ^ "Raghava Lawrence is on a spree". 16 January 2017 – via The Economic Times - The Times of India.
  21. ^ "కాంచన 3 ట్విట్టర్ రివ్యూ". Asianet News Telugu.
  22. ^ "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.
  23. ^ "Kanchana 3 to hit screens on April 19". 11 March 2019 – via The Economic Times - The Times of India.
  24. ^ "Kanchana 3 Movie final box office collections report". www.thehansindia.com. 22 May 2019.
  25. ^ https://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/kanchana-3-mints-rs-100-crore-in-a-week-119042600955_1.html
  26. ^ "Tamil film 'Kanchana 3' hits the jackpot, mints Rs 100-crore in a week". The Economic Times. 27 April 2019. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
  27. ^ Hungama, Bollywood (24 January 2025). "MEGA EXCLUSIVE: Manish Shah of Goldmine Telefilms gets back to producing films after Pushpa: The Rise – Part 01; backs Kanchana 4 starring Pooja Hegde, Nora Fatehi, Raghava Lawrence : Bollywood News - Bollywood Hungama".
  28. ^ "'Kanchana 2' a blockbuster, collects over Rs.100 crore". 9 June 2015.
  29. ^ "Bigil, Petta, Viswasam, Kanchana 3, Nerkonda Paarvai, Kaithi power Kollywood's theatrical takings in 2019 to Rs 1000 cr". Firstpost. 4 December 2019.
  30. ^ "Upendra to Star in Kalpana 2". Desimartini. 28 August 2015.
  31. ^ Srinivasan, Meera (28 October 2017). "Now, Mersal finds a supporter in Sri Lanka". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  32. ^ "'New wave' directors take movie industry forward". Frontier Myanmar. 7 June 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  33. ^ Bureau, ABP News (6 June 2024). "Kanchana 4: Raghava Lawrence's Return, Cast, Release Date & Everything We Know About The Film". news.abplive.com. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  34. ^ Lakshmi, V. "Akshay Kumar in the remake of Kanchana". The Times of India. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  35. ^ "Disney Plus Hotstar Makes Strategic Choice to Bypass India's Theaters, Give More Movies Streaming Premieres". Variety. 29 June 2020. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  36. ^ Khajane, Muralidhara (9 May 2016). "Sequel time in Sandalwood". The Hindu. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
  37. ^ "Like Chandramukhi... Horror comedy franchises in Tamil cinema | Times of India".
  38. ^ K. Jeshi (8 May 2015). "The funny thing about horror". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 10 May 2015. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
  39. ^ 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.
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