Chandramukhi - Tamil Film 2005

Chandramukhi is an Indian Tamil-language ( Horror Comedy and Psychological Thriller ) film released in cinemas on 14 April 2005.

Chandramukhi [meaning: Moon-faced girl] is an Indian Tamil-language film released in cinemas on 14 April 2005. The running time of the film is 164 Minutes.

Chandramukhi is a remake of the Kannada-language film  Apthamitra (2004), which itself is a remake of the Malayalam film Manichitrathazhu (1993). The 2007 Hindi film, Bhool Bhulaiyaa, is a remake of Manichitrathazhu (1993).

The 2023 Tamil-language film Chandramukhi 2 is a standalone sequel to the 2005 Horror Comedy Telugu-language film Chandramukhi. The film features Raghava Lawrence and Kangana Ranaut in the lead roles.

Jyothika played the titular role of Chandramukhi in the 1993 Tamil-language film, whereas Kangana Ranaut portrays the titular character in Chandramukhi 2 (2023).

Cast and Crew

Cast

Rajinikanth Jyothika, and Prabhu play the lead roles in Chandramukhi. The film also features Nayanthara, Nassar, Vadivelu, Vineeth, Vijayakumar, Sheela Ravichandran, and many others.

Crew

1. P. Vasu - Director
2. P. Vasu - Writer
3. Ramkumar Ganesan - Producer
4. Prabhu - Producer
5. Vidyasagar - Music Director
6. Sekhar V. Joseph - Cinematographer
7. Suresh Urs - Film Editor

Chandramukhi - Budget and Box Office

The tentative budget of Chandramukhi was Rs. 19 Crore. The film did exceptionally well commercially and earned approximately Rs. 80 Crore at the Worldwide Box Office. Chandramukhi became the Highest Grossing Tamil Film in 2005.

Movie Plot

Intending to bring her family together, Kasthuri (played by K. R. Vijaya) arranges her son Senthil's (Prabhu) marriage to Priya (Malavika). Priya is the daughter of Senthil's father's cousin, Kandaswamy (Nassar).

However, Senthil enters into a love marriage with Ganga (Jyothika) without letting it known to the family of Kandaswamy (Nassar).

Saravanan (Rajinikanth) is a psychiatrist and best friend of Sethil from the United States. He visits India for a vacation and plans to stay with (Senthil) and his  Ganga (Jyothika).

Senthil purchases a mansion (Vettaiyapuram Villa) in the same village where Kandaswamy (Nassar) lives with his family. Before entering the newly purchased villa, Senthil visits the Kandaswamy with Ganga and Saravanan.

Kandaswamy and his family get surprised when they learn about Senthil's marriage. The family members get a bigger shock when they discover Senthil's plan to stay in the newly purchased villa.

Akhilandeswari (Sheela), the dominant sister of Kandaswamy (Nassar), is not happy with Senthil's marriage to Ganga.

However, since she knows that Vettaiyapuram villa is not a safe place to live alone, she decides to accompany Senthil and Ganga to the Vettaiyapuram villa with her entire family.

Sethil, Saravanan, and Ganga enter the mansion with the entire family of Kandaswamy (Nassar). Ganga finds a door locked, and everybody asks her not to open the room.

Gana becomes curious to know more about the locked room. When the family goes to the nearest temple, the priest tells the story of Chandramukhi.

Mystery and Tension in the Mansion

The family learns about the terrifying legend of King Vettaiyan (Rajinikanth in a dual role), who fell in love with the dancer Chandramukhi (Jyotika in a dual role). When she rejected him for another dancer, Gunasekaran (Vineeth), Vettaiyan's rage led to the killing of Chandramukhi.

Vengeful Chandramukhi becomes a ghost and starts living in the Vettaiyan villa. Later, a priest traps her in a room and locks the same with some magical power so that Chandramukhi may never come out.

Priya and Vishwanathan's Love

Despite the supernatural tales surrounding the mansion, Priya's (Malavika) love for Vishwanathan (Vineeth in a dual role), a dance professor, blossoms with Saravanan's support.

Saravanan seeks Kandaswamy's help to arrange their marriage, aiming to bring happiness to the young couple amidst the unsettling atmosphere.

Ganga's Curiosity Unleashes the Ghost

Senthil and Ganga are highly educated and do not believe in the ghost story. However, Ganga becomes more curious to know about the locked room, and she manages to make a duplicate key with the help of Durga (Nayanthara), the granddaughter of the gardener (Vijayakumar) who works for Akhilandeswari (Sheela).

A twist in the story

Ganga learns that the man who made the duplicate key dies mysteriously. Curious about the mystery surrounding the mansion, Ganga opens the forbidden room, leading to strange and terrifying occurrences within the household. Objects break, a ghostly presence frightens everyone, and Ganga's sari catches fire, raising suspicions about Durga (Nayanthara). 

Saravanan Investigates

Saravanan (Rajinikanth) starts an investigation when the haunting intensifies, with attempts on Senthil's life through poisoning and dangerous accidents.

Eventually, after a near-fatal encounter with Oomaiyan (Sonu Sood), Akhilandeshwari's assistant, he resolves to solve the case and protect the family. However, someone has to die to save the entire family.

Is Durga (Nayanthara) the ghost of the house? Will Saravanan unravel the mystery? Who, why, and how? The film Chandramukhi gives replies to all such queries in a logical manner.