Film Name:
Raavanan (Tamil)
Actors:
Vikram, Aishwarya Rai, Prithviraj, Prabhu, Karthik, Priyamani, Ranjetha
Director:
Mani Ratnam
Summary:
This is not a commercial crapper. This is not a masala movie. This is not anti Ramayana. This is not a B, C center movie. This is a Mani Ratnam Film and it lives up to its intended expectation. This is a genre that has never been explored in our cinema for a long long time… Dense jungles, uninterrupted rains making little differences between days and nights and a story that has been neatly handled with near brilliance. The master craftsman, Mani Ratnam once again proves that the visual splendor alone is enough to take a simple storyline to brilliant heights. Though none of Mani Ratnam films have any similar resemblance this movie is far far apart from the various genres he has worked on. Santosh Sivan and Manikandan are one of the best cinematographers that India has ever produced and they have once again proved their real worth when it comes to special films. I have no words when it comes to music as you can always expect the best of AR Rahman’s BGM and soul stirring songs for his master’s cinema.
I got the tickets for the premiere show on time and was pretty happy that I would be one of those very few who would be watching the film even before people in India would get to watch. It was a packed screen and the ambiance was simply electric. And when the visuals started to come by, there were loud cheers for three names even before the movie began…
1. Vikram’s visuals in the background…
2. When Mani Ratnam’s name appeared on the screen
3. And when A R Rahman’s name appeared on the screen
So what is the story all about? Veera is an outlaw living in the dense forests and is desperate to seek revenge for the dire consequences that he and his people faced over a period of time. Dev is an IPS officer who is keen on eliminating Veera and is ready to take any route to accomplish his task. Ragini is his wife who is strong from outside but tender at her heart. The movie begins with the abduction of Ragini by Veera and Dev begins his tirelessly search to get her back. The 14 days that Ragini spends with Veera gives her an understanding of what Veera and his folks are all about and why they are named outlaws. The movie concentrates on emotions, human perceptions, trust, myth and an undying spirit in each of the characters to accomplish their tasks! The bare truth Ragini gets to know about the police, Veera’s people and her inner dilemma between Dev and Veera is presented neatly. The individual emotions and perceptions takes precedence to what is right and what is wrong. The movie also draws a lot of inspiration from our timeless tale Ramayana and the characters are certainly built around them. What stands out as a difference between this movie and Ramayana is that the story is not narrated from Ram’s Angle or Raavanan’s angle but from what is right and what is wrong. And Mani scores full marks. Since I didn’t want to take away all the excitement, I am not going to reveal the plot or the storyline further. On the other side, the story could have moved at a faster pace in the first half as too much time is spent in understanding the characters and their motives. The supporting characters have also done a decent job but lots of their portions have been edited out. Priyamani role is more of a guest appearance than a full fledged character. Prabhu and Karthik have done a decent job but at times they looked artificial. Ranjitha’s role had been heavily edited and we get to see her in just 3 scenes without any dialogue. Prithvi has done a decent job as a ruthless police officer but I don’t understand why he is often smiling when he is in a painful situation. Aishwarya Rai is fantastic and she remains the single connecting point between the male leads. Last but not the least… Vikram once again proves that he is a versatile actor and has executed his character to sheer brilliance. Right from the start till the end, if there is one man who carries the weight of the story then its Vikram. The film is a must watch at least once for its sheer cinematographic brilliance and fantastic direction.
Scenes to watch out:
1. When the starting titles roll over…
2. Every single confrontation scene between Aishwarya and Vikram
3. The scene where the tribals rob a police checkpoint
4. The scene between Karthik, Vikram and Prabhu
5. The climax scene
Patchy Scenes:
1. Too many time consuming scenes in the first half.
Final Verdict:
1. Music/ Background Music
The Internet is spammed with Raavanan’s music review and I don’t want to spend time typing laurels about ARR. The music is the backbone for the story and its the songs that helps the story to move forward – 0.85/1
2. Story
Its a simple story picked up from one of India’s age old ever green story and presented with sheer execution techniques. Certainly not for masala or comedy cinema lovers. Many might like it and a few might hate it but that’s how its been for all of Mani’s movies – 0.75/1
3. Screenplay and Casting
Mani Ratnam proves again that he is the best screen writer in Tamil for technical cinema. The movie moves constantly with the help of songs as the screenplay takes its effect in the 2nd half. The casting of supporting actors is kind of a let down as I felt other actors could have done a decent job as well – 0.55/1
4. Climax and Impact
To me the climax was predictable and there could have been no better climax than the present one. Full marks for the climax and Vikram’s impact to the movie is phenomenal – 0.70/1
5. Final Presentation
All I could say is, its a Mani Ratnam film and you need to watch it to feel it. Certainly not a movie for time pass movie goers and afternoon soap viewers. The visuals take your breath away and a national award is certainly in waiting for Santosh Sivan and Manikandan – 0.70/1
My Verdict: Raavanan, predictable story but outstanding performances
Final Score: 3.55/5
Note: Will watch the Hindi version over this weekend and will come up with a review soon…
Comments
💬 How to comment: Sign in with your GitHub account to join the discussion. Your comments are public and will appear in our GitHub Discussions.
🔒 Privacy: We use GitHub's secure OAuth for authentication. No passwords are stored on this site.