Sharan’s Choo Mantar censored; run-time of horror comedy revealed

Kannada actor Sharan’s next as a leading man should have, ideally, been Choo Mantar, a horror comedy directed by Navneeth of Karvva fame. The film, which has Sharan in the role of an exorcist and hinges more on the supernatural than the actor’s forte comedy, had been announced as an April 5 theatrical release. At the time, the leading man was set to have a release on March 22, with the much-delayed Avatara Purusha sequel, Trishankupayanam, but then the plans were changed, and the Suni-directed film on black magic got Choo Mantar’s spot.

While Choo Mantar does not have a new release date set, and will most likely be in theatres after the Lok Sabha polls sometime in May, the team is keeping it ready for release and has got it censored already. Choo Mantar has received a U/A censor certification, with a run-time as 2 hours and 22 minutes.

The official synopsis, as listed for the censor certification reads, “Gowtham, a paranormal expert, along with his teammates Akanksha, RJ and Nakul decide to explore the possibility of finding a treasure supposedly hidden beneath a dreaded and haunted place called MORGAN HOUSE. The four of them are oblivious to the history of the place they are about to set foot in.”

Exclusive! Sharan: Exorcism, as depicted in Choo Mantar, will be novel for Kannada audiences 

Choo Mantar, according to Sharan, will see him in a new light, with the focus squarely on exorcism and how it is conducted as per Christian rituals. In the first look of the film, Sharan was seen sporting a Crucifix, but is not a priest/pastor, who are the ones trained in the rituals of exorcism. Why and how Sharan’s character is an exorcist forms an integral part of the narrative.

Much of the film was shot in snowy locales of Uttarakhand, with the cast, which also includes Aditi Prabhudeva, Prabhu Mundkur, Meghana Gaonkar, among others. The film has music by rapper Chandan Shetty, whose title track was a hit.