Ravanan - Definitely worth a watch

Quite a few years back, release of a Mani Ratnam film was a festival in Tamil nadu. Now it is a cause of celebration and anticipation for the whole of India. And when the ace director is back to do a straight tamil film after 5 long years(After Ayutha Ezhuthu in 2004-05), the expectations are bound to skyrocket. His latest offering "Ravanan"(Ravan in Hindi) is, as per the wild guesses by the pundits and laymen alike, a modern day adaptation of the epic Ramayana.


The film starts impressively with vaillage men running havoc by burning policemen alive, bombing police vehicles and looting weapons. We are bound to think that it would be a take on the burning maoist issue, which it is, eventually. But it is pushed into oblivion by Ramlila.

Ragini(Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) is abductud by the forest brigand Veerayya(Vikram), for reasons that are revealed later. Trouble starts there as Ragini also happens to be the wife of police officer Dev(Prithviraj), and Dev starts his hunt into the forest to retrieve Ragini and finish off Veera. This manhunt forms the crux of the story, which is intertwined by the so-called-unethical yearning of Veera for Ragini, knowing well that she is another man's wife.

The films belongs to two men, one on screen and one behind it- Vikram and Santosh Sivan respectively. Vikram's charismatic presence tends to carry the film forward almost single handedly. He simply rocks as Veera. His body language and voice modulation steels the thunder and shows his experience. Be it the angry retribution or proposing love to a married woman, he brings all his histrionic skills into picture.

The major plus for the film, along with Vikram, is the cinematography. Santosh Sivan beautifully captures the wild forests with breathtaking hill-top visuals. Almost throughout the film, rain plays a major part, and Sivan brings in natural lighting and thereby nature itself onto the screen. Some fine close-up shots bring in the feel of watching "Avatar" in 3D. Defenitely a work worththy of the national-award.

Aishwarya Rai tries to be the terrified woman in the clutches of a badman and evoke sympathy from the viewers, but we are hardly moved by her plight. She becomes boring after a while with the same kind of expression throughout the film. Prithviraj looks dashing as the cop, but tends to get too stiff for one's liking. Prabhu and Munna as Veerayya's brothers are apt, and so is Karthik as the forest guard. Priyamani does her bit wonderfully well.

Though the visual grandeur overshadows any visible flaw in the screenplay, the movie is undoubtedly predictable. Though the story is based on an epic, we expect a filmmaker like Mani to treat us with some shocking stuff. Only that doesnt happen, except for the climax. And Dev(Modern day Ram) is shown to be a brutal officer who doesnt mind killing anyone who is related to Veera, and that might no go well with the religious minded lot.

Suhasini's dialouges are found wanting in many places and Sreekar Prasad's editing is slick. The fight sequences are excellently choreographed, especially the climax fight sequence in a dilapilated bridge is a masterpiece. The film is just over 2 hours which itself is a great plus. A. R Rahman's songs are already a rage, but they have not utilised well in the movie. Background score is apt and "Usurey poguthu" is well picturised.


Defenitely nowhere near to be one of Mani's best movies, but it is not very often you can see such a team together in a movie. Go for it just for Vikram and also to enjoy a visual feast.

My Rating: