Raavanan – Efforts are less than Expectations

Where would you get such a cast? Mr. and Mrs. AB (of course they comes on package either as Mr. and Mrs. or Senior and Junior), a versatile Vikram, Seasoned veterans like Govinda, Karthik, Prabhu. Only Mani Ratnam can bring them all out in one roof, make them struggle in the rainy forests of UP, Kerala, and drench them in all sorts of water from rain, to lake to stream to water falls to mud. All of them dutifully obey what the director wanted them to do. But the end product is far less convincing.

True to the rumour mills it is largely based on the Ravan-seetha-rama- lanka episode but as a story teller Mani ratnam is known for his details. Whether it is MGR-KARUNANIDHI in Iruvar, Ambani in Guru, Tamil Eelam in Kannathil Muthamittal he never shied away from facts. Here he takes cover may be to avoid wrath of the traditional audiences who will not digest a Sita falling for Raavan while Ramas’ merciless act against Raavan who strangely saved him.

As the opening credits roll out we are getting ready for a visual delight. We are not disappointed. Both Santhosh Sivan and V Manikandan, Cinematographers presented a magnificent canvas laced with water, fog, greenery and mist. From the first frame to the last fall, they have captured the beauty with a beastly smile in their eyes. The naked forests, jungle and sets are a treat to watch.

The film opens with Raavanan (Vikram) kidnapping Ragini ( Ishwarya rai bachchcan), and Dev ( raginis’ Husband - Pritviraj ) on their trail. Raavanan alias Veera is a sort of head of a Tribal community (or villagers) live in god knows where in Vikramasingapuram in Tirunelveli District. The reason for the kidnap of the wife of the police commissioner and their 14 days of existence formed the story in full.

The way Veera falls in love with ragini (by the way, who will not, when the person concerned is Ishwarya with her alabaster skin, raunchy looks and the glittering eyes ), ragini’s change of heart as she come to know the reasons behind the kidnap, a wolfish husband looking to increase his count on encounters to maximum, the police force’s futile attempt to tame a team of villagers with all their ammos intact, and the well known ending, gives us a feeling of discontentment at the end of 120 minutes and we wanted more as we expected more of a Mani Ratnam Movie.

Comparisons are inevitable with the epic as the story happens in forest (asoka vanam originally the movie titled as such, that would have been more apt than Raavanan at least in Tamil), the villains name, and a hanuman like character (nice cameo by karthik, but to indicate his character he was made to jump from tree to tree to tower, so unlikely for the caliber of both the actor and director), a lie detector test instead of Agni pravesham and so on.

Performance wise Vikram leads the pack because he has to do his double act in this bilingual movie (Raavanan in one and Ram in other) truly an achievement no wonder Abishek declined to do a bilingual. His body language, fiery eyes, chirpy movements enamours the audience. But the bak bak sound reminds of his earlier movie Kandasamy and dialogue delivery in some places are too fast not decipherable a trade mark of Mani’s Movies (Dialogues by Suhasini Maniratnam). Ishwarya rai who matched Vikram in the double act (she has to do twice the routine) followed by Pritviraj. Others who also made their act felt are Prabhu, Vaiyapuri and Priyamani. What is Ranjitha doing there in a no dialogue two scene character? Very Pathetic.

A.R. Rehman’s songs are truly captivating but only in Hindi version. In Tamil it looks very odd as song picturisation in Maniratnam movies are truly imaginative, and a movie goers delight. It was sorely missed here as the songs flow along with the movie and on montages. It is surely a disappointment. Dhok de gilli and Usire Poguthu songs may be an exception.

But, for 3745 feet and 15 reels the movies’ running time looks very short and I really wonder whether the movie was pruned to make way for international audience. Some cuts are abrupt through out the movie. Because bollywood movies run a minimum of 3 hours plus and Kollywood movies 150 minutes on an average.

Of course when a wafer thin story line it cant be overstretched too. Who will want to watch, all the characters including the lead pair were given an ugly look the whole movie, characters meandering around forests and waterfalls speak in a language they can’t fully involve with, for more than two hours.

Only for die hard mani ratnam fans. Vikram has something to cheer about after the dud Kandasamy. But t is only something.

For ordinary and regular movie goers who are looking for 100 % entertainment and their value for money, wait till august. Enthiran will be over and ready to enthrall you all.

Mathu.

Recently I watched three movies all three have its own reasons to make them watchable.

First one is SINGAM. A usual Hari Movie with stunning fights, lip smacking duets ( thanks anushka ) and ear piercing sound levels reach a crescendo as the movie goes by. Thankfully the director never worried about the logics ( but who will ) and keep the pace intact through out presented a gripping entertainer no doubt. Surya literally fell short infront of anushka during duets who is definitely taller than him. Prakash raj is at his usual villainy...its high time he change such characters. Even villainy looks aesthetic when Raghuvaran performs it. Prakash is not so low and could do better. Music of DSP leaves much to be decided.
Another plus factor is vivek. Evokes laughter then and there. The fast pace of the movie with its lighting fast screenplay and its word of mouth spread of results will have an impact on the songs too. Sun Picture at last tasted money which they squarely lost by its last some ventures.

Second one is Goripalayam
Being a maduraite myself I could relate the places, slang, people and feel the pain, love, hatred, agony, blood and violence strewn throughout the movie. But I wonder why madurai always trumpeted as a violent city and given a projection that every citizen of madurai from executives to local dadas will have a sickle or knife as part of their garments. In reality it is not so. These people exist everywhere. But the sentiment attached to Madurai for a cinema's success clearly make people to look for the temple city atleast for a short shot in a movie. Even giants like Maniratnam, Vijay, Dharani, Surya etc are no exception to this.

A small act of robbery attempt and total misunderstanding by some members of the villain family, played havoc in the life of four friends who were forced to lose everything in their lives including their lives. There seems to be no positive character in the whole movie except the negative people have positive attitude.

However what makes the movie clicked was the nativity, new faces, excellent visuals, well executed realistic stunts. Performance wise the new comers and new faces have done their job to their satisfaction. All said and done the trend started with Subramanyapuram of the lead actors killing for the sake of killing giving the cine goers an animalistic pleasure and not a healthy sign though.

Climax seems a little bit contrived and urgent. The change of hearts is not justified clearly but done cinematically.

Third one is Angadi Theru

Vasantha balan is a director who dwells on misery and clearly an odd chip from the block of shankar who will have his own style of film making alongwith Bala, Ameer, Ram, who make movies others felt asindigestive. This movie about the sales boys and girls working in departmental stores and textile shops in big cities, their plusses and minusess, happiness and sorrows, reasons and retributions, love and pathos.

Some point of time you feel sorry for the boys and girls hitherto unnoticed by most of us and brushed as yet another sales boy. But the point i felt is this kind of documentary film making also give some reasons to cheer and a clear deviation from the modern day movies. Somehow showing the naked sides of the society wherein the poor becomes more poor or more violent or criminals gives us a jolt and only just that. We continue to be what we are.

The impact of the death of the ex salesman affected by psoriasis, suicide by a sales girl, loss of legs by the protagonist heroine is really emotional. The surprise factor of the whole movie is the actor in venkatesh an agmarg masala director who relies excessively on the likes of Namitha, Mumtaj and other glamour quotient and the brainless brawl between his hero and villain in innumerable movies of him. A clear revelation.

Anjali will go a long way from here. Here is an actress with potential to move up in the ladder provided she mixes the glamour and performances and trusts they are both sides of the coin. Rather than taking advantage of the glamour if she concentrates on her performances a bright future awaits her. Hero Mahesh can be spared on his maiden movie.

The songs of the movies which are clearly breaking the speed of the proceedings could have been trimmed to 2 or 3 than the customary six.

All said and done a must watch film.