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| RAAVANAN
REVIEW |
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| By
Behindwoods Visitor Shyam |
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Thanks
to a true auteur and a living legend in
the form of Mani Ratnam, Raavanan was
set out to create history (again) in Indian
Cinema that aroused humungous expectations
among audience and critics alike. Analogous
to the phrase “Dig your own grave”,
Mani Ratnam’s own stupendous record
could turn out to be a major downfall
for the success of this movie as it is
painted all over with mediocrity as a
film overall, by his own standards. Although
Mani Ratnam has failed to deliver the
goods as a film-maker, he has more than
indemnified for the shortcomings by employing
Oscar-worthy technicians in the likes
of Santosh Sivan (Cinematography), ARR
and Samir Chanda (Art Direction). Their
ingenious work in Raavanan would undoubtedly
fetch them national awards at the very
least.
The story basically revolves around Veera,
who is a tribal leader of the economically
backward villages where the laws are driven
and imposed by Veera and any attempt at
law enforcement by the police would certainly
end in disastrous results. Veera abducts
Ragini to avenge his sister’s death
as Ragini is the wife of Dev, the SP appointed
to bring the goon down and restore law
and order. Dev along with his subordinates
and the forest guard (acted effortlessly
by Karthik), begin their journey in the
dense jungles to rescue Ragini and they
find deliberate clues from Veera to help
them proceed in the right direction. Meanwhile,
Ragini begins to develop a soft corner
for Veera after
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listening to his sister’s story in which Dev
was also involved, although indirectly. In an effort
to bring a peaceful end to the intense clash between
police and Veera, Veera’s brother ends up at
Dev’s camp to discuss a possible ceasefire but
a malicious Dev kills him to show his real intent
to Veera. Veera and his people retaliate by destroying
Dev’s camp and his police force and intentionally
sparing Dev to lead him to a one-on-one encounter
with Veera. To know whether Dev managed to end Veera’s
atrocities or Veera tasted his sweet revenge, watch
the movie for a grand (and twisted) finale.
The acting department is bound to receive mixed reviews
although Vikram leads all the way with another stellar
performance. Big B’s attributing of Abhishek’s
poor performance (as Beera in Hindi Raavan) to poor
editing (even if it’s true) seems to have no
effect on Vikram’s portrayal of Veera and such
is the magnitude of this man’s talent. Aishwarya
finally seems to have learnt and delivered some good
acting but her obsession with makeup is quite evident
in few scenes. The Karthik that we know of Mouna Raagam
days, seems to have only gotten better with his comic
timing leveraging his unique voice. Prabhu does complete
justice to his character as Veera’s brother
and also excels in comedy. The most disappointing
performance is from Prithviraj, who seems to have
got into a look-fit groove to enact a tough police
officer. Though he looks OK as SP, he fails miserably
as Ragini’s husband as a result of complete
lack of chemistry between the two.
The technical department is the pillar of Raavanan
in all possible senses and that is what might keep
Raavanan going for a longer time at the cinemas, even
if it does. ARR has already generated some frenzied
fans for “Usure Pogudhe” and “Veera
Veera” but they are not in the same league of
VTV (Vinnai Thandi Varuvaaya). ARR’s BGM throughout
the movie is slightly vociferous yet gripping and
extracts the real sense of the situation with its
aptness. Santosh Sivan and Manikandan have left no
stones unturned to achieve a level of greatness in
cinematography that is unmatched in Indian Cinema.
Their camera capturing the crystal clear buzz on the
rain-soaked fly is a testimonial of the kind of depths
they have gone to create a new standard. No other
forest would ever look more beautiful yet ominous
at the same time unless it is captured by their flawlessly
probing cameras. Samir Chanda might seem jobless as
the backdrop of entire movie is the natural forest
but if one looks closely, the sets erected for the
village and the hanging bridge for instance, require
deep and thorough attention to make it look veridical.
The stunts choreographed by Peter Hein and Shyam Kaushal
are mind-boggling in their own sense but seems a tad
superfluous at some points.
Mani Ratnam, who usually tells his tales in the way
they are, stumbles at many places as there is a mixture
of both realistic and fantasy-driven situations and
actions. Also, a very close resemblance to Ramayana
at many instances is a sure turn off, which is where
I guess Mani Ratnam was trapped in an uncomfortable
dilemma. A soggy screenplay makes one wonder if it
was the same writer who wrote the screenplay for Alaipayudhe,
which switched between the present and the past so
beautifully. The direction department also lacks the
depth and clarity leading to quite a few plot holes
although the dialogues from Suhasini stand out in
most places. A true fan of Mani Ratnam would only
hope that he musters the right script for his next
project that would go places, which Raavanan was originally
supposed to accomplish.
If you’re in a cinema screening Raavanan and
you’re expecting a Mani Ratnam spectacle, you’ll
be disappointed but if you’re looking for an
offbeat flick that defies conventional story-telling
and clichéd (or rather stolen) movie-making
techniques, don’t miss this one.
Verdict: Sumptuous cake without Mani’s
icing
Thanks & Regards,
Shyam
a_shyam41@yahoo.co.uk
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| Tags
: Raavanan,
Vikram,
Mani
Ratnam,
Aishwarya
Rai,
Prithviraj,
Priyamani,
Karthik,
Prabhu |
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