About 95 per cent of the shooting for the third instalment of director Ajay Gnanamuthu’s popular horror franchise ‘Demonte Colony’ has been completed, according to industry sources.
A source close to the film unit confirmed that only some patch work remains. The film is shaping up well and is likely to hit screens in April next year, although no official confirmation has been provided yet.
For those unawares, the ‘Demonte Colony’ franchise features Arulnithi in the lead and is immensely popular, generating excitement among fans for this upcoming instalment. The second part, which starred Arulnithi and Priya Bhavani Shankar, was a major superhit.
Director Ajay Gnanamuthu began pre-production for the third instalment in April this year. He even shared a picture of his team in Sliema, Malta, stating, “Demonte Colony 3 work in progress.”
The significance of the Demonte Colony franchise lies in the fact that there is a real location by the same name in Chennai, which is interestingly known for its haunted reputation.
The franchise began in 2015 with the first part, which quickly became a hit, setting a new benchmark in the horror genre for Tamil cinema. Eight years later, the makers released the second instalment, which also became a superhit.
The second part featured not only the leads but also Arun Pandian, Muthu Kumar, Meenakshi Govindarajan, and Archana Ravichandran in pivotal roles. Cinematography was handled by Harish Kannan, with music by Sam C S. Art direction was by Ravi Pandi, and editing was done by D Kumaresh.
Initially, the film was produced by Vijaya Subramaniyan for White Nights Entertainment, in collaboration with RC Rajkumar of Gnanamuthu Pattarai. However, Cyber Forensics expert Bobby Balachandran acquired the rights to the film even before its completion, thereby becoming its producer.
The second instalment, which released last year, enjoyed an impressive 85-day theatrical run, much to the delight of its makers. The conclusion of this part clearly indicated the creators’ intent to develop a third instalment.
The upcoming third instalment will again star Arulnithi and Priya Bhavani Shankar in lead roles, promising to build on the franchise’s popularity.