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
Movie: Rajneeti
Language: Hindi
Date : Saturday, 05 June 2010
Review
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To hold the attention span of a viewer is very difficult in this age when there are so many distractions at one's finger tips. Many movies struggle to hold viewer's attention for 2 or 2.5 hours. And amidst this is Prakash Jha's new movie 'Rajneeti' which succeeds to hold the interest for almost 90% of the 2 hours and 50 minutes length of the movie. This Sweeping epic full of melodrama is commendable for that one facet among others.
'Rajneeti' is a political melodrama about 2 families who fight in the dirt of Hindi Heartland politics to gain power and supremacy. Close to a Dozen characters are unleased on the screen which may confuse the viewer about their relations and this takes a good time to settle down. Performances are really competant. The youngest actor being the best i.e Ranbir Kapoor. He is the ace strategist and has the maximum screen time. Close on the heels are performances by Arjun Rampal and Katrina Kaif. Manoj Bhajpai also puts in a good villain act. Ajay Devgan is a bit of a disappointment considering his potential. Nana and Naseerudin are present and just that.
One of the major negatives, is the heaviness of the proceedings. Never does it divert to a lighter note. So, you have close to 3 hours of intense drama. A lighter scene never arrives. Prakash Jha had 2 good tracks in 'Bheegi Si' and 'Mora Piya' which are wasted as background passing tracks. The movie could have been shorter by 10 minutes atleast but that doesn't mean that it is boring.
Prakash Jha's Direction is really top notch becasue to have these many characters and not to loose track at any point with them, is commendable. To have 3 hours of unrelenting high voltage poilitical melodrama is a great ability in itself. He never tries to ridicule the system or preach which comes as a relief. Just look at 'Rajneeti' and its just a story, say like Mahabharatha. There is no effort from the director's part to preach or lament.
'Rajneeti' should be taken as serious cinema and its been a long time since we had such a high voltage drama on Bollywood screens. There is never a dull moment.
Verdict - 3.5/5 and 'Engaging Drama' as an opinion.
'Rajneeti' - Sweeping Epic ...Political Melodrama.
Movie: Kites
Language: Universal
Date: 20th May, 2010 - Paid Preview
Review
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In one of the pivotal scenes from Hrithik Roshan's latest movie 'Kites', a Mexican born Linda (Barbera Mori) returns across the amber landscape of the Bryce Canyon, to tell her Indian origin lover Jai (Hrithik) that she doesn't choose to move away to safety leaving him alone in the chase they were involved till then. Linda says she would choose to live or die with Jai rather than escape alone. It can be a scene straight out of Bollywood love stories but the characters, setting and context in 'Kites' makes it UNIQUE. There are no two ways to it, 'Kites' is nothing like what you have seen on Indian Screen before. It is for sure - Unique.
Plot and Screenplay
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The story of 'Kites' is a no-brainer. It is exactly what you expect before you enter to see the movie. It is the age old romantic story between two of the most unlikely people. Heroine in a 'caged' situation. Hero and Heroine on the run along a gorgeous countryside. 'Kites' at its heart is a ‘pakka’ bollywood film. It has so many of its clichés. Customary scene for the villain to show of his villa nary. The rich father and the spoilt son as the villain. Breaking to a song and dance to show the romance. You name it and its all there. Yet what sets 'Kites' apart are 2 beautiful characters essayed by Hrithik and Barbera and the landscape of the movie.
Hrithik and Barbera
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Hrithik is awesome to say the least as the Indian origin 'Jai' who does false marriages to make money. Try placing someone else in this role and then you will for once understand how effortlessly Hrithik has done this. From the dance floor to the stunts to the emotional breakdown at the end, Hrithik moves effortlessly slightly reminding us of the Big B himself in his hay days. Such is his command and screen presence. The only negatives are his self conscious torso display scenes.
Barbera is the surprise package of 'Kites'. She is warm, bubbly, effervescent yet quite unpredictable (may be her adventures make us think if she can cheat him). Barbera is quite natural as the Mexican girl hence initially you feel difficult to accept her. But slowly as the movie progresses, Barbera emerges as the perfect foil for Hrithik.
Direction and the Climax
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Anurag Basu has a liking for tragedies. We have seen that in 'Gangster'. 'Kites' is a tragic love story. And for once not sure whether to pat Anurag or criticize him. The tragic end doesn't seem to be forced upon but it leaves 'Kites' as a pain in your heart. On the one hand you wish to praise the team for the guts they have shown with the ending. And especially to Hrithik, who is a big superstar and when he releases a movie after 2 years, he chooses such a 'unique' movie like 'Kites' and such a tragic ending. May it has a lesson for the Mammottys and Mohanlals, who dare not still churn out 6-7 formula movies a year for the fear of failure. Anurag does a decent job with the movie and has extracted commendable performances from the lead. The Las Vegas setting gives the movie the edgy feeling and the Arizona, New Mexico trail a beautiful canvas.
Technical Aspects
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Stunts are well choreographed. Cinematography is well done. Music is also a high point in the film with 'Zindagi', 'Dil Kyun' standing out. The 'Fire' Dance is a treat to watch with Hrithik's super moves.
Negatives
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Almost 50% of the movie, one keeps asking oneself of how these 2 people can fall in love without even knowing the common language. But for once, the scene mentioned in the opening of this review changes all that.
The Spanish dialogues of Barbera have been well subtitled but missing in some portions.
The re-recording is a major disappointment with the background scores missing the main tracks. Looks disconnected.
Its always a 2 character play hence can be a bit boring.
And the biggest dampener (if it can be called that) is a tragic ending. Though looking not forced upon will still leave the audience disturbed and not sure how many will have the patience to appreciate it.
In short, 'Kites' is nothing like you have seen on Indian screen before. May be it is India's true Universal Cinema. With a spirited performance by Hrithik and Barbera, if you have the patience to appreciate a unique love story that is tragic, then go for it.
Verdict - 3.5/5 and UNIQUE as an Opinion
'Kites' - Flying a Unique Trail.