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Raavanan |
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How do you even begin to write about a movie that is very close to spectacular? Despite all denials from the Raavanan team, the movie is indeed an adaptation of the epic poem Ramayanam, but has been restricted only to the abduction of Seetha episode and some small incidents like Hanuman visiting Seetha in Ashokavanam.
Raavanan - Movie Review
Movie Language : Tamil
Direction: Mani Ratnam
Music: A.R. Rahman
Cast: Vikram, Aishwarya Rai, Priyamani, Prithviraj, Prabhu, Karthik, Vaiyapuri.
Banner: Madras Talkies/ Reliance Big Pictures
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What has Mani Ratnam has done differently? He has made the whole episode humane and real. Each of the characters is neither completely good nor completely bad. You might want to take sides, but the pace of the movie is such, especially in the second half, that you are not sure on whose side you are or want to be.
What is it about?
Superintendent of Police Dev Prakash (Prithviraj) is transferred to a tribal village. The mission set for this encounter specialist is apprehending Veera (Vikram), a dreaded tribal outlaw. Along with his beautiful wife Raagini, the cop makes the tribal village his home. But one day Veera abducts Raagini, and thus starts a cat-and-mouse chase. The beautiful landscape of hills and mountains, rivers and waterfalls, the dense and hard forests, all add to the storyline, an adventure for the eyes and the soul.
Performances:
Vikram as Veera is top notch. He is cruel and funny, gentle and harsh, romantic and vulnerable; not ten but a hundred different emotions quiver across his face. Veera's changing dynamics with Raagini, from the first time when his boat collides with her canoe till the last frame of the movie, is a poetic expression of varied emotions. He is indeed Raavanan; the one with ten heads and each head with a hundred different thoughts and feelings.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as Raagini is indeed music on celluloid. As the graceful dancer wife of a rugged police officer, as the helpless victim of Veera, as the strong woman who stands against wrong, as a fighter who does not give up in the most difficult situations, Aishwarya plays Raagini with a lot of passion. The fact that she has dubbed for the first time in Tamil adds a lot of emotion and reality to the role. Barring a few places, most of her performance is controlled and precise. Mani Ratnam sure has extracted a good performance from her.
Prithviraj as Dev Prakash does justice to the character. He is flawed like every human being. Though a police officer and a defender of the law, he is not scared to wear his emotions on his sleeve. His hatred for Veera, love for his wife and commitment to his job, all make him the man he is.
Karthik and Prabhu share screen space again after a long time. Though they have only one scene together, both these veterans add to the quality performances in Raavanan. Karthik as the forest guard adds humour to the script; Prabhu as Veera's elder brother brings a lot of dignity on screen. Mention must be made of Priyamani, who plays the important role of Veera's half-sister. Her character defines the twists and turns in the movie.
Technical review:
Santosh Sivan and V. Manikandan have created an amazing celluloid experience. Each frame is a canvas of nature's brilliance captured with such simplicity; yet not once shot must have been easy, given the difficult terrain. The action sequences and song montages are splendid.
Samir Chanda has created some amazing sets; be it the bridges for the action sequences or the tribal village, all are so real and believable. Every single set merges into the surrounding environment and becomes part of it.
Sreekar Prasad's crisp editing has added to the pace of the film.
A.R. Rahman's music is in sync with the story. The background score captures the onscreen drama and enhances the movie's narration.
And finally, what can we say about ace director Mani Ratnam? His screenplay is top notch; though it may feel a bit slow in the first half; it is more than compensated by amazing camera work. And of course, the second half is what sets the pace, making Raavanan an incredible ride.
Pluses:
Vikram's performance, camera work by Santosh Sivan and Manikandan, Rahman's background score
Minusus:
The pace in the first half; Aishwarya appears rather too neat and clean in some shots, especially for someone who has been abducted and kept in a dense remote forest for 14 days.
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Thillalangadi |
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After a string of blockbusters to his credit, remake king Jayam Raja and brother Jayam Ravi are now gearing up for the release of Thillalangadi, a remake of the Telugu hit Kick.
Thillalangadi : Movie Details
Movie Language : Tamil
Direction: Raja
Music: Yuvanshankar Raja
Cast: Jayam Ravi, Tamannaah, Shaam, Prabhu, Suhasini, Vadivelu, Santhanam
Production: Editor Mohan
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Jayam Ravi and Tamannaah play the lead roles and Shaam reprises his role from the original. Ravi has returned to his chocolate boy look after donning an action hero's look in Peranmai. This is Ravi's first film after marriage; Prabhu and Suhasini play pivotal roles; Vadivelu provides comic relief; music is scored by Yuvanshankar Raja.
Produced by Editor Mohan, the film is an out-and-out entertainer with peppy songs. Recently, actor Simbu has sung a song in the film. It is said that director Raja requested Yuvan to compose a song on the lines of 'Kozhi Veda Kozhi' from Something Something Unakum Enakum. When Yuvan finished composing the song, actor Ravi suggested Simbu's name as singer. Simbu has rendered 'Patta Patta Pattapuchi', which is expected to be a breathtaking peppy number. To make it more exciting, director Raja has picturised this fast beat number in a grand set.
Thillalangadi is the story of an intelligent thief who loots money from the rich and the famous, so who is that thief? Will he get caught? Watch out for the film! |
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