Aari Arjunan has been candid about the rough patch. His films after winning Bigg Boss Tamil Season 4 didn’t find the audience his reality TV fame promised, and industry talk had started writing him off. “Many people said Aari doesn’t make films anymore, what business does he have,” he acknowledged. Fourth Floor, a genre-defying thriller set inside a Chennai apartment building, is his response.
Directed by L.R. Sundarapandi and produced by A. Raja under Mano Creations, the film releases on February 27 with a U/A certificate. The premise follows strange events in a residential building where dreams begin bleeding into reality, pulling the protagonist deeper into danger.
What makes Fourth Floor curious is its refusal to stay in one lane. Sundarapandi, whose previous film Theerkadharisi was a straightforward thriller, describes this one as impossible to pin down. “When you first hear the story, it might sound like horror. The next moment it turns into a thriller. Then comedy weaves its way in,” he said. “If you ask me what genre this is, I can’t answer in one word.”
Aari was the first to sign on. Sundarapandi recalled that the actor committed as soon as he heard the pitch and pushed for the project to scale up from its modest origins. “This didn’t come together as a producer-technician arrangement. It came together as friends making a film,” the director said. Producer A. Raja, who runs a business in Tiruppur and has now backed four films, put it simply: “Spending money isn’t the hard part in today’s cinema. Bringing out a good film in this climate, that’s the real challenge.”
The crew brings proven credentials. Cinematographer J. Lakshman, whose work on Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu and Poda Podi established his reputation, shoots the film. Director Suseenthiran, who worked with Lakshman on Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu, praised his quiet efficiency under pressure. Art director Suresh Kalleri, behind the visual worlds of Aneethi, Jail, and the Mathagam web series, handles the production design.
Composer Dharan Kumar, known for his Poda Podi score, struck a personal note about why the film matters to him. “We keep saying small films should succeed. But for that to happen, honest efforts like this need to win,” he said. “The music I’ve done for many films has stayed locked inside my studio. For that work to reach people, films like this need to work.”
Director Cheran, who has known Aari since early in his career and cast him in one of his own films, offered a sharp observation. “He stands here having built everything purely on his own effort, with no backing from anyone,” Cheran said. He also noted that the film’s title design alone generates curiosity, a rare case where the branding itself pulls people in.
Aari’s own assessment was characteristically blunt. “I don’t know what kind of reception I really have. I don’t pay attention to that,” he said. “We put in honest work. That’s all I focus on.” He noted that while his post-Bigg Boss films didn’t connect, his show on Kalaignar TV found a significant audience, suggesting the issue was never his appeal but the projects he picked.
Deepshika plays the female lead, with Pavithra, Subramani Siva, Aditya Kathir, and Thalaivasal Vijay in supporting roles. Fourth Floor opens in theatres worldwide on February 27.