Kanchana 3 2019

Raghava, Raghava Lawrence, is a cautious man who lives surrounded by a close-knit family — his warm mother Kovai Sarala, his protective brother Sriman, and his sister-in-law along with a hopeful niece. Their lives take a sharp turn when a businessman’s desperate attempt to cure his daughter’s troubling problem leads them to a nearby temple of Lord Narasimha. The initial effort to banish the violent spirit fails to calm the turmoil, and the family scrambles for help, eventually bringing in Russian exorcists who manage to drive the demon away and seal it, hammering it into a tree with two metal nail crosses.

Meanwhile, the story centers on Raghava, a man who fears ghosts yet finds himself thrust into the heart of a mounting crisis. He shares his home with his family and cherishes the everyday joys that come with a full house. The family — including his mother, brother, sister-in-law, and a lively niece — sets out for Coimbatore to celebrate their beloved grandparents’ 60th anniversary. The mood is festive as they travel, but the road ahead quickly darkens. On the drive, they stop in a field for a picnic, and a sudden gust of wind nudges fate forward; Raghava discovers a strange power and pulls the old metal nail crosses from the ground, which then remain lodged in the picnic basket, harmless for the moment but ominous in implication.

In Coimbatore, the family’s arrival coincides with a spate of eerie incidents that trouble Raghava’s sister-in-law and his nieces Priya, Kavya, and Divya. Priya, Vedhika, Kavya, Oviya Helen, and Divya, Nikki Tamboli all witness unsettling happenings that cast a shadow over the grandparents’ home. Hoping to put an end to the disturbance, they visit a Muneeshwaran temple where an aghori provides them with a holy trishula to plant and protect the house. That night, a menacing force drags Priya out of the house, and the trishula suddenly appears in the area as a sign of the ongoing struggle between living memory and restless spirits.

The family returns to the aghori, who hands them three eerie dolls to test whether a ghost, ghoul, or vengeful vampire haunts them. They split up to conduct the first ritual, sending Raghava, his female cousins, and the elders to post notices while the aghori performs the rites. A terrifying sequence unfolds: a black horse smashes into the house and drags away Raghava’s brother; during the second ritual, a herd of bulls storms the home, frightening everyone; and in a final, brutal moment, the dolls’ heads are ripped off in front of them, as the spirit itself seems to close in. The family escapes the house, only to be stalked by the unseen presence that devours the doll’s head and then threatens them with further menace. The aghori reappears, seemingly capturing the spirit, and the family returns with a renewed sense of caution and fear.

One night, Priya kisses Raghava, and the ghost possesses him after he reaches into the picnic basket once more. The following night, the possessed Raghava behaves in ways that betray a feminine influence, wearing heels, lipstick, and mascara, while continuing a brutal assault on Shankar’s assistant and on his own brother and sister-in-law. The haunting intensifies, as the possessed Raghava reveals the full extent of the spirit’s violence when his female cousins embrace and flirt with him. The family’s shock grows as grandparents come home and Raghava’s mother reveals that two spirits — a male and a female — now inhabit Raghava. The grandfather calls the aghori again, who returns with a revelation that reshapes everything: Kaali’s backstory.

Past events unfold: Kaali is a compassionate social worker who runs an ashram, sheltering the underprivileged and supporting youths’ studies. A powerful adversary enters Kaali’s life — Bhavani, the younger brother of a minister named Shankar. Bhavani wants to stash a vast sum of black money in Kaali’s ashram, threatening to ruin everything Kaali has built. Kaali refuses, and Bhavani’s vicious plan escalates to murder: an innocent physically disabled juvenile is killed by Bhavani’s men, a righteous act of vengeance follows as Kaali kills Dheena, Bhavani’s right-hand man, and then Bhavani himself. Kaali’s supporters rally to his side after Bhavani’s death, and Shankar and his aide devise a plan to crush Kaali. Rosie and Kaali share a romantic ride, and in a cruel turn, Bhavani’s influence is shown as Shankar orchestrates a trap in which two lorries crash into them. Rosie dies in the wreck, and Kaali watches a video expose showing the Radhaamma ashram’s destruction, including those who supported him, all set off by Shankar’s scheming.

In the present, the possessed Raghava resumes his violent trajectory, determined to finish Shankar. Yet Shankar has already arranged for more Russian exorcists to confront Kaali. As the struggle unfolds, Goddess Kali herself enters Kaali, empowering him to outpace the exorcists and strike back with righteous force, avenging Rosie’s death and the pain his family endured. Kaali defeats Shankar, and, with Rosie’s blessing and the aid of Raghava, they bring the possessed back to their home. The uneasy calm returns to the family, and the tale closes with a return to ordinary life, now tempered by the memory of the battles they survived together.