Rann (2010)

Ram Gopal Verma has always been renowned for making movies that cater for audiences who search for intelligent cinema. He is a director that believes in the movies he makes and will not resort to family cinema. He has gone through his good and bad phases. However in my opinion he has made more good than bad movies and has come out as a winner. I respect his morals and ethics. His latest venture revolves focusing on the the news and media corporations. We are introduced to 2 channels that are always competing with each other to sustain their viewer ratings. India 24 is owned by Amitabh Bachan and Headlines 24/7 is owned by Mohnish Behl. Both characters have their own principles in running the channels and have alternative methods in presenting stories to the public.Amitabh believes in conveying the truth. His policy is believing in showing people reality and not fabricated information. Mohnish Behl is more desperate to keep his channel in the competitive lead that he stands for presentation. What is right or wrong has no significance to him. The plot begins with the involvement of Paresh Rawal's character. He is a politician who has the support of industrialist Rajat Kapoor(Bhachan's son). Sudhir who plays Amitabh's second son is tempted in to making a broadcast on the news that accuses a rival politician's involvement in a bomb blast. Kapoor and Rawal feel that this will help increase their level of support in the public's eye. The mission is achieved and the channels TRT ratings increase to a high point. However the new recruit played by Ritesh Deshmuk decides to play detective and uncover the truth behind what had happened. He discovers a conspiracy that would indeed bring down the politician and Headlines 24/7 which he presents to Amitabh Bahchan.Verma takes on quiet a challenge with this movie. The subject matter is more groomed to the tastes of someone like Madhur Bhandarkar. The theme itself is not new at all. However Verma presents it with his unique style of direction. At certain intervals the camera-work does become repetitive and annoying. The performances are great. Sudhir stands out of the cast. He gives a performance thats worth appreciating. Concept wise it felt like just another movie that Bhandarkar is known for. He is famous for his movies on exposes. However Verma does not disappoint and proves that he too his capable of making a movie on similar grounds. However maybe if there was more substance in the plot it would deserve a higher rating. The background score which suited the movie's tone went over the top n most scenes. Overall t6his would be recommended to those who search for meaningful cinema.

RGVs teaming with BigB always had led to highly anticipated movies and with Rann the same goes. So Post 26/11 when RGV got embroiled along with Ritesh, Rann was definite movie to watch out his vengeance. The product works, only at a few places - sad!Media is the crux of the movie, and the problem is a shallow depiction of it. Its evident that the writer did not do his homework properly but concentrated on fabricating a story around the industry. ¤ Big B:: In my opinion, the character is a straight lift from Mahabharata - Dhritarashtra, for the love of his son. The over-the-top idealistic portrayal was not warranted. It wasn't a full BigB outing and also it wasn't like his role was indispensable. The emotional charged lines in the grand finale attempt to cover up for the short-comings.¤ Ritesh:: The publicity machine portrayed his character to be derived from Howard Roark and honestly thats conning. Or maybe the character did not get screen time to crystallise into The Fountainhead. ¤ Sudeep:: A Duryodhana in disguise who know how to manipulate his Paa. His accent needed to be improvised and mimes Raghuvaran to the T. Also touching the face frequently does not qualify for acting. ¤ Paresh Rawal:: Its good to see Paresh joining hands back with RGV after a long gap. His character does have meat in it and I wouldn't be surprised if it was based on a couple of real-life conniving politicians. ¤ Mohnish Behl:: Now he is the one who steals the thunder practically right under everybody's noses. Fantastic performance and truly goes to show what he is capable of if truly tapped his potential. ¤ Rajat Kapoor:: Well, it is the usual "suave" character he portrays practically in every other movie.¤ Rajpal Yadav:: A realistic character and as usual he goes a bit over- the-top the moment camera starts whirring. But hey, he says one memorable line which pretty much sums up the industry "hum humari filmon ko NEWS kehte hain!".Finally coming to the ladies, if I dare say the truth - you were all conned by RGV. Background score is very loud, a la 1980's B-grade masala flick. Songs are pathetic, the composition or the lyrics - cannot decide which is the worst. What happened to the glorious days when RGV teamed up with R D Burman, Rahman, Vishal Bharadwaj, Gulzar etc. Rann goes to show the level "The Factory" is stooping to.

This is a great movie ! I was hesitant to see this movie because of Ram Gopal Verma's recent flops due to which I thought he lost the knack on making a good movie.This is definitely one of the best movies I saw. Those who are looking for a sensible and realistic movie to watch then this is it.If you are looking for songs, dances and bollywood masala then you may not find it here. This movie is an eye opener and exposes the present mindset of news channels - news has become a sort of a drama (a sansanati khabar) to make money than really to provide news. No wonder all the media people have given this movie a bad review and rating. Do not go by such bad reviews and ratings.I will give it a honest 8 !!

"Government, businessmen and politicians are responsible for the stability of the country, thereby encouraging development but to the common man, how are they accountable for their duties? For this very reason, Media was born". Rann deals with the misuse of media's power that reaches out to millions with the truth. This high voltage, no nonsense thrilling drama that captivates your mind and engages you into its unpredictable screenplay has Ram Gopal Verma written all over it and it is indeed among his finest films. Rann is technically brilliant in every aspect. The subject is serious and seldom will you find a light moment and when the story demands it, Ramu enters the realm with all his might. Not a single song for diversion, not a single heroine dancing around, not a moment to edit, not a single mundane dialogue and not a stone unturned. This is cinema in its finest story telling form.Vijay Harshvardhan Malik (Amitabh Bachchan) is the Godfather of India's news media. Righteous and truth seeking in his approach, Malik always favors the truth over TRP ratings and sensationalism. His son, Jai (Sudeep) wants the company to prosper by catering to the viewers' choices while supporting his father's integrity. Naveen (Rajat Kapoor), brother-in- law to Jai, introduces Jai to Mohan Pandey (Paresh Rawal), the cunning politician who will cross all limits to gain his political mileage and together, they convince Jai to create news to gain a tremendous jump in the channel's viewership. Purab Shastri (Ritesh Deshmukh), the new comer in the channel is a devotee of Vijay Malik and as the sinister plot unfolds before him, politics and media unleash true mayhem. In all this, Amrish Kakkar (Mohnish Behl) stands to gain advantage out of his competitive positioning and his shrewdness. Rann moves at a reckless pace with a riveting narrative and explosive dialogue from its ensemble starcast. In terms of its distinct musical score, Sikkon Ki Bhookh, Gali Gali Mein Shor & Jana Gana Rann are very pertinent tracks to the movie's theme and will take repeated listening to catch the essence of the lyrics. Credit for a phenomenal screenplay goes to RGV and for optimizing the potential of such a strong cast of actors. Amitabh Bachchan is outstanding as the restrained and truthful media baron. His finest moment is towards the end when he comes in front of the nation, unravelling his channel's misuse. Paresh Rawal as Mohan Pandey is evil yet his confidence in his techniques is appalling. The smoothness with which he misleads the public in his speeches deserves some chuckles. Rajat Kapoor impressively plays the over ambitious businessman, Ritesh Deshmukh portrays the right amount of composure for his character while walking straight on RGV's guided path while Mohnish Behl deserves an applause for such an awesome come back. He is a capable actor and one wonders why his on screen shrewdness went unnoticed for so long. Gul Panag and Suchitra Krishnamoorthi are worthy in their roles while Rajpal Yadav renders some comic relief without digressing from the movie's theme. But RGV is the true hero of the Rann. With slick presentation, brevity, brilliant screenplay aiding the seamless narration and a no-nonsense, to-the-point approach in every scene, he conveys the movie's message in a thriller like socio-drama. Sikkon Ki Bhookh, Gali Gali Mein Shor & Jana Gana Rann are very pertinent tracks to the movie's theme and will take repeated listening to catch the essence of the lyrics. Rann is uplifting, enlightening, meaningful, intense and worthy of a large combo deal at the cinemas. 8.99 on a scale of 1-10.