Cliches exist for a reason… they work. But horror comedies in Tamil cinema are mostly a trainwreck of cliches because even the ghosts would now have been bored with the same creaking doors, dimmed lights, sudden extinguishing candles, and the dirty white dress. In fact, Santhanam’s latest, DD Returns, has all of this, and a lot more that are expected out of a horror comedy. However, the writing ensures that employing cliches was only half the job, but subverting it with liberal doses of self-awareness is the real deal, and the makers do a mostly stellar job of taking care of the rest.
Director: Premanand S
Cast: Santhanam, Surbhi, Pradeep Rawat, Masoom Shankar, FEFSI Vijayan
DD Returns takes its time to establish the history of these ghosts, and it is a welcome respite from films that want us to wait for the final act for the reason behind their antics. A family living in the French Castle hunts people for pleasure and has a macabre way of bringing more contestants – A game that promises 50 times the betting money. Director Premanand builds this world with precision, and with any good world-building, entrusts it with a set of rules, which he follows to the very end. The film, once again, takes time to introduce the characters in the present, who would undoubtedly soon be inhabitants of the French Castle where they play the game of chance with a bunch of blood-thirsty ghosts. The attention to detail in sketching these characters adds flavour to the proceedings. Each of them gets a scene or two to score, and they hit it out of the park every single time. If Lollu Sabha Maaran and Sethu play Santhanam’s trusted aides who are bumbling, there is FEFSI Vijayan with a terrific character sketch that comes in handy at the most unexpected of places. The unlikely combinations of Redin Kingsley-Sai Dheena, Rajendran-Thangadurai, and Munishkanth-Bipin might seem like the iconic Sakkarai Pongal-Vada Curry combination… but they effortlessly complement each other.
With so many actors with excellent comic timing coming together to fight a band of ghosts, the resultant humour is uproarious, especially when the proceedings shift from the city of Puducherry to the haunted and dilapidated French Castle. Nevertheless, there are a lot of fine moments till we reach that castle too. There is a hilarious series of heists that introduces all the players of DD Returns, and it is such a pleasure to watch randomness fall into place with such consistency. Of course, there are places where the gags don’t hit the mark, and it only leaves half a smile. In fact, even when we are witnessing a game of life and death, there is a serious lack of urgency in certain places. However, we still go for the ride because these half-a-smiles and stretches of nothingness are often bookended by guffaws and loud laughter.
DD Returns is bolstered by the never-ending punch lines and impeccable staging of some really quirky gags that add to the hilarity. They range from the silly and wacky to the smart and ingenious. There are brilliant one-liners and there are fart jokes, and both are written and delivered with a lot of honesty. In fact, one of the dialogues is left hanging for the audience to fill in the blanks. While we assume the usual, and feel vindicated when Santhanam says the same line soon after, he immediately sucker-punches us with a self-aware jibe that makes us smile. Such instances are a dime a dozen in DD Returns that reiterates the makers’ respect for the audience.
Setting horror comedies in closed spaces might often result in monotony, and full points to the art direction by AR Mohan, and cinematography by Dipak Kumar Padhy for ensuring it never kicks in. Despite running up and down the same stairs, and opening and closing the same doors, the French Castle looks like a well-constructed maze that flummoxes its contestants. What really works in favour of the film is also the respect the writing gives to its ghosts, and the performances of Pradeep Rawat, Manaswini, Masoom, and Rita just make things better. These ghosts have a sense of integrity even if they are really really evil people, and it is a delectable contrast that is milked perfectly. There is a lot happening in DD Returns, but it is never too much or unnecessary. Even Surbhi, who plays Santhanam’s love interest, has a rather fascinating arc that could have gotten ugly, but the writing extracts a few jokes from her, but never antagonises or shames her. It is such moments of honesty that make DD Returns one of the better horror comedies to come out of the assembly line in Tamil cinema.
It is not easy for a comedian to make a transition to a hero in Tamil cinema, especially if the said comedian has been regaling us for years together. It hasn’t been a bed of roses for Santhanam, who is trying hard to break out of the clutter. Unlike, say Suraj Venjaramoodu in Malayalam cinema, Santhanam isn’t always backed by strong scripts that will make him a success in the serious realm of cinema. But Santhanam has found a way to move forward in his career. Every time he does a Gulu Gulu, he keeps a Parris Jayaraj behind him. Every time he does an Agent Kannayiram, he has a Dhillukku Dhuddu-type film ready to hit the screens. This allows his ‘market’ to stay afloat whenever one of his ‘experiments’ fail. Seeing him effortlessly orchestrate a DD-type film is a reminder that he is aware of his strengths, and yet he wants to do the Gulu Gulus and Agent Kannayirams. Santhanam is a rare breed of hero in Tamil cinema, and it is only a matter of time before he finds takers for his experiments. But till then, we will always have DD.
