Conjuring Kannappan

Conjuring Kannappan (also marketed as Conjuring Kannappan: Dreams Come True) is a 2023 Indian Tamil-language]], comedy horror film that was written and directed by Selvin Raj Xavier in his directorial debut, and produced by AGS Entertainment. The film stars Sathish and Regina Cassandra alongside Nassar, Anandaraj, Saranya Ponvannan, VTV Ganesh, and Redin Kingsley.

The film was announced in September 2023 following the completion of principal photography. Yuvan Shankar Raja composed the film's music, S. Yuva handled cinematography, and Pradeep E. Ragav edited the film.

Conjuring Kannappan was released theatrically on 8 December 2023, and opened to positive reviews from critics.

Plot
Kannappan’s mother is an aspiring influencer but he wants a job for himself but is unable to find work. Kannappan loves playing games and wants to turn his hobby into a career. Kannappan starts talking to a young boy who plays games with him; Kannappan advises the boy to make a few in-game purchases and the boy spends ₹10 lakh. After that, the boy's uncle, a goon named Devil Armstrong, asks Kannappan to pay for the boy's purchases, threatening him to pay the amount in two weeks.

One day, there is and issue with the water supply, and Kannappan, who wants to take a bath, goes to the well, which has not been used for months. As he draws water from the well, Kannappan finds a dreamcatcher with a voodoo doll attached to it. He idly plucks a feather from the dreamcatcher. That night, he dreams he is in a palace and ghosts are trying to kill him. Kannappan wakes up feeling anxious, thinking it was just a bad dream but he is stuck in his dream; whenever he sleeps, Kannappan has the same dream. Not knowing what to do, Kannappan calls an expert named Exorcist Ezhumalai and asked him for help. Ezhumalai starts his research and tells Kannappan not to let the dream catcher come into contact with anybody else. But Kannappan’s family members, Devil Armstrong and his therapist Dr. Johnny pluck feathers from it and get trapped in the same dream, hoping on Ezhumalai’s research can find a solution to end this nightmare.

Ezhumalai found out about the infamous cases of Robert Langdon and Magdalene Ellis, both of whom lived in the 1930s in the palace Kannappan sees in his dream. Robert was a wretched man who abused a lot of women during his stay there. He forcibly married Magdalene and kept abusing her. Magdalene loved a soldier named William but while Robert was there, he would not let them meet. Magdalene lost her patience and asked William to do something about it, so he contacted a white witch and asked her to help. The witch created the dream catcher and told them although she could not unite them in the real world, she could create a dream world where Magdalene and William could stay without hindrance. Magdalene and William agreed to it and were transported there. Whatever happened in the dream world had an effect on reality and both worlds were not exclusive to each other. Robert found out about the dream world and unwittingly plucked a feather from the dream catcher; he entered the dream world and killed William and Magdalene, and then himself. Now, their souls are trapped in the dream world; their only means of escape is to use a monkey paw and chant the spell the white witch had told William. Unbeknownst to Magdalene, the white witch trapped Robert in the dream world using a voodoo doll. To escape the dream world, Kannappan and the others must go to the dream palace and kill Robert.

Ezhumalai and paranormal investigator Dark Deves realise the white house, which belonged to Dark's grandmother, and Kannappans’ house were built on the site where the palace stood in the 1930s. Ezhumalai wants to go with Kannappan and the others but suffers a heart attack, so they must wait because they need Ezhumalai's guidance. Kannappan does have a monkey claw so Ezhumalai finds another way to end the dream. He says if they take the dream catcher with them into the dream world and pluck a feather, it might have an similar to the paw, but it is a huge risk and Ezhumalai is not sure, telling everyone if the feather trick does not work, they will be trapped there forever. Kannappan knows he must take the risk and the others agree.

The feather trick does not work but Kannappan burns the voodoo doll to get the better of Robert's spirit. With Dark's help, Kannappan kills the spirit of Robert, ensures the spirits of William and Magdalene get salvation, and takes everybody back to the real world, ending their nightmare.

Production
On 18 September 2023, AGS Entertainment announced their next project Conjuring Kannappan, which was written and directed by debutant Selvin Raj Xavier, and would star Sathish in the lead role alongside Regina Cassandra, Nassar, Anandaraj, Saranya Ponvannan, VTV Ganesh and Redin Kingsley. The project is Sathish's second collaboration with AES Entertainment after Naai Sekar (2022). On 28 October, composer Yuvan Shankar Raja was named as part of the project, along with technicians including cinematographer S. Yuva, editor Pradeep E. Ragav, art director Mohana Mahendran, costume designer N. Meenakshi and stunt choreographer Miracle Michael. The film was mostly shot on a set in Chennai.

Music
The music and background score of Conjouring Kannappan were composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja, in his maiden collaboration with Sathish and Xavier. T-Series acquired the film's audio rights.

Release
Conjuring Kannappan was released theatrically on 8 December 2023. Netflix bought the streaming rights.

Reception
Times Now gave Conjuring Kannappan a rating of three out of five, and wrote: "Selvin Raj Xavier's directorial vision, coupled with the stellar cast and technical excellence, promises a cinematic experience that transcends genres". Janani K of India Today said the film has "sporadic laughs ... But, mostly ... lacks new ideas".