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Wednesday, May 1, 2024
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TAMIL RAAVANAN
EDITOR'S PICK
`Raavanan` - compelling tale of modern-day Sita`s plight (IANS
Tamil Film Review)
Rating: *** 1/2
An innocent woman caught in a fierce clash between the system and the people --
Mani Rathnam`s `Raavanan` is all about the plight of a modern-day Sita and more.
Veerayya alias Veera (Vikram) is the head of a tribal community inhabiting the
forest areas. He is seen as the saviour by the people while the police force
sees him as a criminal.
A special police team under DCP Dev (Prithviraj), which goes after Veera to
apprehend him, outrages the modesty of Veera`s sister (Priyamani). This ignites
Veera`s anger and he abducts Dev`s wife Raagini (Aishwarya) as revenge.
Dev enters the forest with a huge police force to free his wife and to kill
Veera.
So far, on the lines of the epic, Ramayana. But here, the similarity ends.
Mani deviates from the epic by shaping Dev`s (supposed to be Rama) role with
gray shades, making Veera (Raavan) fall for Raagini (Sita), and making Raagini
take her own decision while being questioned by her husband about her `purity`.
The changing chemistry between Veera and Raagini is the turning point in the
movie.
Watch the film to find out who wins the battle between Dev and Veera, whether
Dev accepts his wife back, and what happens to Raagini. The film comes to an end
through a well conceived climax!
It begins in an eerie surrounding where the sound of the Adhirappalli waterfalls
and the speed of the tide of the river strike the viewers in the first frame
itself.
Mani Rathnam straightaway gets into the crux of the story. The scenes dealing
with abduction of Raagini, the oscillation of Veera`s mind towards Raagini, the
hunt for Veera, the tragedy of Veera`s sister, and the suspicion factor make the
film move ahead without hurdles.
Suhasini`s dialogues are razor-sharp.
In his inimitable style, though, Mani Rathnam makes the sequences speak for
themselves on many occasions sans the dialogues.
On the flip side, the depiction of characters except that of Veera, Raagini and
Dev, is inadequate.
The backdrop of Veera`s struggle for the welfare of the people should have been
shown in more detail. Probably, the director didn`t want any comparisons with
Veera`s role and the raging Maoist problem in the country and apparently
`underplayed` that particular portion.
Similar is the `muted` depiction of the police force`s brutalities while on the
hunt for Veera. It dilutes the screenplay and makes the film look incomplete.
Aishwarya`s screen presence, full of majestic beauty and grace, is amazing. She
expresses her anger and agony while caught as a pawn in the game of chess played
between the executive and the fighting group.
Her anger getting gradually subdued has been expressed well.
Vikram has doled out one of his best performances. His eyes express with amazing
speed the varied feelings of anger, agony, desperation and disappointment.
His rage against the system, the pangs of agony at the plight of his sister, the
attraction towards his hostage and his inability to handle the same are
astonishingly portrayed by the actor.
The way his eyes betrayed the instant attraction created in his mind while
seeing Aishwarya lying unconscious on a tree is outstanding.
Prithviraj fits the bill as the tough cop who hunts for the criminal. For some
reasons, though, his romantic moments with Aishwarya haven`t turned out as well
as expected.
The viewer can`t help feeling that he could have been more ferocious in
sequences of revealing his anger.
Karthick and Prabhu have carried their roles well. Priyamani, in a brief
appearance, manages to impress. Her narration of the torture she was subjected
to moves the audience.
Cinematography by Sivan is top-notch. He has captured the jungles amazingly
well.
Sivan has made the entire movie look like a work of art. Vairamuthu`s lyrics and
A.R. Rahman`s music are great plus points for the film.
The song `Usurey Pogudhey...` is particularly amazing and has been captured very
well. The background score by Rahman is also captivating.
The major flaw in the film is that the film fails to depict the struggle between
an insensitive system and the tribal people in a telling manner.
Yet, amazing performances (by Vikram and Aishwarya), screenplay, cinematography
and music make it for a compelling viewing!
Raavan is not a story, it is a world.
Beera Munda – Undisputed, Unlawful, Untamed.
Dev Pratap Sharma – The Punisher, The Law, The Righteous
Ragini – Consience, Beauty, Music
Dev falls in love with Ragini, a spunky dancer who is as unconventional as
him. They get married and he takes up his new post in Lal Maati, a small town in
northern India. A town where the word of law is not the police but Beera, a
tribal who has, over the years, shifted the power equation of the place from the
ruling to the have-nots of the area.
Dev knows that the key to bringing order to any place is to vanquish the big
fish, in this case – Beera. In one stroke Dev manages to rip open
Beera’s world, and set in motion a chain of events which will claim lives,
change fortunes. Beera, injured but enraged hits back starting a battle that
draws Dev, Beera and Ragini into the jungle. The jungle which is dense,
confusing and scary. And in this journey they must confront their own truth. A
journey which will test their beliefs, convictions and emotions. Emotions which
are as scary and confusing as the forest.
The forest becomes the battleground. The battle between good and evil, between
Dev and Beera, between Ram and Raavan. But when the lines dividing good and evil
are blurring fast whose side will you take. When hate turns to love and good
starts looking evil, which side will you battle for? Love is a battle that
nobody wins but everyone must fight.
Even this Raavan.
Raavanan Press meet