Raavan

Subject: Raavan Sat Jun 19, 2010 7:27 am

It's time for the modern-day version of 'Ramayana' to unfold this
Friday, exactly two weeks after 'Mahabharata'. The very thought of
watching an epic in the present-day milieu only enhances the curiosity
for the film. And if the present-day adaptation of 'Ramayana' is helmed
by a master storyteller [Mani Ratnam], the moviegoer should, and must
expect the moon. Nothing less would suffice. After all, a Mani Ratnam
film is not merely an experience, it's an event!

oneindiain121:http://entertainment.oneindia.in/bollywood/reviews/2010/raavan-movie-review-180610.htmlMani Ratnam, who has penned the screenplay of RAAVAN, models his characters on the lines of 'Ramayana':

* An upright cop, the punisher, the law/Lord Rama [Vikram];

* His doting wife/Goddess Sita [Aishwarya Rai Bachchan];

* The lieutenant he befriends in the forest/Hanuman [Govinda];

* His confidante/Lakshmana [Nikhil Dwivedi];

* The antagonist's sister, who triggers off the war/Surpanakha [Priyamani]

* And, of course, the antagonist, the Robinhood turned Raavan who
kidnaps the top cop's wife and keeps her in his custody, in his
Lanka/Raavan [Abhishek Bachchan].

Mani Ratnam has also included
the part where Goddess Sita was banished from the kingdom of Ayodhya
due to the gossip of kingdom folk. It was agni pariksha then, but in
the film, the husband [Vikram] asks the wife [Aishwarya] for a
polygraph test to prove her chastity/fidelity. At the same time, RAAVAN
brings back memories of a movie that, coincidentally, had a similar
storyline -- Jungle [Ramgopal Varma].

You've come to expect
scintillating visuals in the master film-maker's films and Raavan is no
exception. But Raavan falters in narrating the story with dexterity. In
fact, this one's a game of see-saw, with a dull and lifeless first
hour, an absorbing second half and a weak, lacklustre climax.

Final
word? Raavan comes with the baggage of humungous expectations, mainly
for the one name attached to it: Mani Ratnam. Even though comparisons
with the genius film-maker's earlier accomplishments like Mouna Raagam,
Nayagan, Agni Nakshatram, Geethanjali, Anjali, Roja, Bombay and Guru
are sacrilegious since all belong to diverse genres, Raavan is nowhere
close to those epics. The benchmarks only get higher and higher every
time Mani Ratnam makes a film and Raavan, unfortunately, is a step
down. Sorry, several steps down!

Dev [Vikram] falls in love with
Ragini [Aishwarya Rai Bachchan], a spunky classical 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 world of
law is not the police, but Beera [Abhishek Bachchan], 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 not 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 change of event which will claim lives. Beera, injured but
enraged, hits back, starting a battle that draws Dev, Beera and Ragini
into the jungle. The forest becomes the battleground. The battle
between good and evil, between Dev and Beera, between Ram and Raavan.

Mani
Ratnam's adaptation of 'Ramayana' begins with the wife getting
kidnapped and her husband launching a massive hunt to track down his
wife and nail Raavan aka Beera. The reason why Beera takes this extreme
step is revealed much, much later, towards the post-interval portions,
which means that Mani Ratnam follows the nonlinear pattern to narrate
his story.

Let's talk about the factors that pull this film
down. First and foremost, when you've a title like Raavan, the demon
king, who couldn't be vanquished by Gods, demons or spirits, you expect
Raavan aka Beera to be equally powerful, who could send a chill down
your spine, who spells terror and fear. But, in Raavan, Beera comes
across as a psycho. The streak of madness in his character makes a
mockery of the character itself.

Also, his makeup and also the
shabby avtaars of his family/henchmen is not something that makes them
looks menacing. In fact, it makes the entire gang look repulsive.

Even
the finale leaves a lot to be desired. Ideally, the film should've
ended after the fight on the bridge, but the entire track thereafter
seems like an add-on, which is forced into the screenplay. Ash having a
change of heart for Abhishek is equally unpalatable and makes you
wonder, how and when did she develop such strong feelings/emotions for
Beera? The writing is flawed, no two opinions on that!

On the
plus side, the track, which starts from Nikhil's kidnap to the entire
flashback portion, is attention grabbing. The factors that prompt Beera
to spell havoc in Dev's life are apt, although Beera's sister's
portions, while narrating the atrocities committed on her, aren't easy
to comprehend in entirety. What was she trying to say, frankly? Yet,
the impact of the flashback portions is worth noting.

The fight
on the bridge -- between Abhishek and Vikram -- is astounding. One
hasn't watched something like this on the Hindi screen yet, I'm sure.
In fact, the execution of each and every stunt [Shyam Kaushal, Peter
Hein] is exceptional. Every Mani Ratnam film is embellished with
stunning visuals and Raavan boasts of mind-boggling visuals as well.
Shooting the film at tough locales isn't easy and Santosh Sivan and V.
Manikandan's vision creates magic on screen. Every frame is worth
admiring and applauding.

A.R. Rahman's music is excellent and
the visual appeal only enhances the impact. I'd like to single out
'Behne De' and 'Thok De Killi', two tracks that I'd like to hum even
after the show has concluded. In fact, the latter is very energetic in
terms of choreography. Vijay Krishna Acharya's dialogue hit you like a
sharp object at times, which is in sync with the mood of the film.

I've
admired Abhishek's work in Mani Ratnam's earlier films Yuva and Guru,
but despite putting his best foot forward, for some strange,
inexplicable reason, Abhishek doesn't look convincing for the part.
Also, the dialogue delivered by him aren't coherent at times. Aishwarya
is wonderful, looking ethereal and enacting her part with conviction.
Vikram is first-rate, although the role isn't substantial enough.
Govinda fails to create any impact whatsoever. Amongst the plethora of
actors, Nikhil Dwivedi [a revelation; very good], Ravi Kishan [nice]
and Priyamani [perfect] stand out.

On the whole, Raavan is a
king-sized disappointment, in terms of content. From the business point
of view, a Mani Ratnam film might ensure a healthy opening [at plexes
mainly], but the weak script on one hand and the heavy price tag on the
other will make Raavan see red.

Subject: Re: Raavan Sat Jun 19, 2010 12:27 pm

COPY+PASTE= +1 POST...

Subject: Re: Raavan Wed Jun 30, 2010 7:25 pm

HMM
utna toh kiya na lolz
Evil or Very Mad

Subject: Re: Raavan Sun Jul 04, 2010 9:35 am

abhishek shud retire 4m bollywood now xD Razz

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Subject: Re: Raavan Tue Jul 06, 2010 7:15 am