The Rainmaker

Movie: Raavanan
Language : Tamil
Date : 18th June, 2010

Review
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'Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder' is an old saying but that holds true for the master director Mani Rathnam's new movie 'Raavanan'. Its a 3 way saga which depicts the faith and love of a lady torn between the honesty of a villain and destiny of the unbecoming of a hero. If one is able to see this saga beyond the hype and the hooplah then you will find this one beautiful. Imagine this 3 way tale set against the breath taking backdrop you could possibly imagine and you get the delicately poised 'Raavanan'.

Raavanan - The thought
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A Women in captivation who to death believes that her husband is equal to god. Her beleif that he is true, honest and would never succumb his values to anyone. The Captivator who is a 'villain' she hates from the stories she has heard of him. She isn't able to even look at him without hatred. The Captivator who has never before seen fearlessness in the eyes of his prey at the point of death, falls for her when she fearlessly jumps of a cliff rather than dying at his gun point. The Captivator who later understands the lady's relentless belief and love for her husband and that he could never become like him eventhough how hard he tried. He wishes to get her love but sadly understands that he can't be match to her 'god'. And the third angle, the Brave Husband who is out to tame and capture a menacing villain and reclaim his love.
The point when the women stands at the relaisation of her beliefs and who the real hero is, becomes the high point of 'Raavanan'.

Who is ultimatley the real hero? One who compromises her trust to meet his goals or the one who even at death point would still think of her happiness.
'Raavanan' is the battle of good and evil in the canvas of love and faith.

Mani Rathnam - Master @ Work
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Mani Rathnam is in superb form as usual. If 'Guru' was biographic, 'Raavanan' has 3 strong characters. He builds their tryst slowly against the breath taking canvas of Forests and Waterfalls. Until the interval, the pace is a bit on the slower side but never boring. Interval arrives actually out of no where and in the second half he actually reaps in all that we have been waiting for. Character sketches reach its full clarity in the second half and the 3 way story tussle becomes interesting. For setting such a thought,for the backdrop, for the shots, for the amazing performances from the lead actors and for creating his own brand of cinema, Mani Rathnam deserves all the applauds and more. Hope that people have eyes to recognise this.

Performances
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Vikram as 'Veera' is the best role because it has everything packed in to it. From the helplessness of a villain who is in love with a lady who beleives that his enemy is god-like, to sounding and behaving completely crazy and maniac, to the heart broken lover, Vikram is powerful as only he can do. Aishwarya Rai as 'Ragini' is the central piece of the 3 way tussle and is the audience's consciousness. It is through her that the other 2 characters are discovered. She has put in so much effort in to the character that she needs applause for the same. Finally, Prithviraj as 'Dev' is strongly impressive. With superb screen presence and a performance that matches 'Veera' in terms of the tension on screen, Prithviraj puts in a solid performance. Its a 3 way story and all 3 are really superb. Karthik,Priyamani,Prabhu and Munna also chip in with competant performances.

Technical Aspects
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Santhosh Sivan's camera is amazing and its the life and soulf of the movie. A R Rahman's re-recording lights up the scenes with apt emotions. The tracks are not that well used especially the 'Kaattu Sirukki' track. Usire Pokuthe, Title track, Kalvare are nice on screen.Art Direction needs special mention.

Negatives
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The special effects in some could have been better especially Aishwarya's fall. The first half needs some better pacing.Also, Priyamani's episode comes in a tad late in the proceedings. Its emotions do not set properly in to the audience.Second half looks better than the first. There is a gradual gradient for the 3 way plot and the characters. Hope the audience has the maturity to understand the underlying layers.
In short, 'Raavanan' will require all hype and hooplah to be put behind and to be seen with an open mind to understand the nuances behind the thought and soul of the movie. Its canvas should not act as a distraction but should be an enabler. 'Raavanan' is way way beyond the craps we see each week day in and day out. For the poignant thought, the unforgetable backdrop and the amazing lead performances, 'Raavanan' deserves its rightful place - The rightful place of a hero!

Verdict - 4/5 and 'Watch it with an open mind' as an opinion

Raavanan - One of its Kind