11 years of Kanchana: Why Raghava Lawrence’s horror-comedy is still loved by audience

Kanchana (Photo/PR)

It's 11 years since Raghava Lawrence's Kanchana dropped in theatres and there's no doubt that the film has been of the most successful horror-comedy franchises made in the history of Indian cinema. The relatively unchartered horror-comedy genre was redefined by director Raghava Lawrence, who successfully managed to create a legacy with the Kanchana series.

All the films in this series, in a way, are structured around the 2007 film Muni, about how the hero helps a ghost avenge the villains by letting it possess his body. The movies under the Kanchana series serve as the perfect family evening plans with some brilliantly shot horror scenes, packed with the perfect amount of humour and characters essayed by some of the most popular actors.

Here are a few of the reasons that make this series a hit:

Its intriguing plot

Most of the credit for the hit Kanchana series goes to choreographer-turned-actor Raghava Lawrence, the films' creator and 'moving spirit'. Raghava Lawrence and actress Kovai Sarala are the only actors to appear in all three instalments of the series. The first film Kanchana was released in 2011 followed by Kanchana 2 and Kanchana Returns in 2015 and 2017 respectively. All films were highly successful at the box office, continuing the comedy-horror genre trend in Indian Cinema. All four films revolved around the same plot of a coward who gets possessed by a ghost seeking revenge.

Horror-comedies gained immense popularity among kids and family audiences

The success of Kanchana series served as an inspiration for filmmakers and storytellers to deep dive into the horror-comedy genre. Lawrence's film has the right dose of entertainment, action, drama and peppy songs which essentially attracts the younger audience to come and watch it along with their parents. It's a formula that works well, as a result of which we saw a Hindi remake of the movie as well. Akshay Kumar-starrer Laxmii too was helmed by Lawrence. The addition of drama and emotions in the storyline completes the entire entertainment package that the series offers.

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An amalgamation of versatile actors presenting surprise elements for the viewers

Another noticeable aspect of the series is the star cast. Besides the usual cast, Lawrence has new additions in every film of the series. The first film in the series Kanchana featured Sarathkumar while Kanchana 2 had Taapsee Pannu, Nithya Menen, Kovai Sarala, Devadarshini and Kanchana Returns starred Ritika Singh alongside Lawrence.

If you haven't watched this series yet, Sony MAX has got you covered. This month, enjoy Kanchana on April 25, Kanchana 2 on April 21 and Kanchana Returns on April 26.