
Director – Mani Ratnam
Music – A R Rahman
Lyrics – Vairamuthu
Cast – Vikram, Aishwaraya Rai Bachchan,
Priyamani, Prithviraj, Prabhu, Karthik
Raavan was one of the biggest flops
of 2010 which turned Abhishek Bachchan’s career upside down. His father the
senior Bachchan blamed the editorial faults for the failure of the film. As
such seeing Raavanan at PIFF was taking a big risk. What made the jury select
the Tamil version of the film for PIFF whose Hindi version was a big dud? This
anxiety made me go opt for Raavanan over the other foreign films.
The story is the same except for the cast.
Veeraiya or Veera (Vikram) is a wanted Naxal taking shelter in the dense
forests of the south. He is believed to have the capacity of ten people, thus
having ten minds making him to be one step ahead of the law. Veera kidnaps
Ragini (Aishwaraya) wife of Dev (Prithviraj) the newly appointed SP of the
area. Ragini is not afraid of Veera. When she learns about Veera’s real
intentions behind her kidnap she develops a soft corner for him, her loyalties
rest with Dev. Veera’s younger brother is murdered in an attempt to negotiate surrender.
What happens next? See the film for the
twist.
Vikram dominates the film with his
superb portrayal of Veera. The film belongs to Vikram. His style, dialogues,
costumes and attitude make you hate and love him at the same time. Aishwaraya
and Prithviraj have done justice to their roles while Priyamani, Karthik and
Prabhu provide useful support. Mani Ratnam creates magic in Tamil and you must
see the film in order to understand his concept behind the film – Is there a
Ram inside a Raavan? The dialogues create a bigger impact in Tamil as compared
to Hindi. Suhasini Mani Ratnam has penned some fiery dialogues.
Cinematography by Santosh Sivan and V Manikandan
is outstanding (Majority of the film was shot in the dense forests of Kerela
and some portions in Malshej Ghat in Maharashtra). Editing is flawless. The
only drawback is the poor animation used at the beginning of the film. Music by
A R Rahman matches to the lyrics of Vairamuthu in such a way that the film
creates an impact on your mind. It forces you to think. Who is right? Veera or
Dev?
Adaptation of the Ramayana by Mani Ratnam
in Raavanan is more logical and practical than the adaption of the Mahabharata
by Prakash Jha in Raajneeti. The film belongs to Vikram and Mani Ratnam. I go
with three and a half stars out of five for Raavanan. If you understand Tamil
(even to a little extent) you’ll adore the film and if you don’t you’ll still
return satisfied. Don’t miss it.
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