Raavan (2010)

After more than 4 years of it's release and a million criticisms, I finally decided to watch Mani Ratnam's Raavan. After 122 minutes, I was awestruck by the poignancy and the minor details in this film that the director had focused on.Let me tell all those who're reading this and have still not seen it. Most people got offended by the fact that this movie glorified Raavana, the antagonist in the mythology Ramayana and showed him to be a bigger man than Lord Rama, who they thought was being depicted as a selfish and shrewd person; who finally was able to make Sita fall in love with him or at least kindle feelings in her heart, contrary to the mythology. This is not the case. It's just a movie and the title of the film is with respect to what the police think of Beera(Abhishek Bachchan). He is a Robin Hood like character who loses a bit of his mental stability and innocence, but not his moral integrity, after a personal tragedy for which he holds the local police responsible. So he kidnaps the wife of the local police superintendent. During the period he holds her captive, both develop feelings for each other and the wife also becomes unsure about her feelings for her husband. During the chase, the SP becomes obsessed with the thought of nabbing Beera, while getting back his wife takes a secondary position. This is in no way comparable to the Ramayana, where Lord Rama was always genuinely offering Raavana a chance for truce and returning Sita back to him. The inability of the audience to separate the mythology from the movie is why it tanked in the the entire country except for in South India, where supposedly people worship Raavana and where the Tamil Version was a big hit.Starting with the negative aspects, I absolutely loathed Vikram, in his portrayal of the Police SP. Then there was the editing, that could have been a little better and some scenes could have looked better polished rather than seeming unnecessary at certain places.NOW, coming to the positive aspects…. Abhishek Bachchan gave a powerful performance as the mercurial Beera and enacts the weird characteristic traits with aplomb. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is pretty good considering her limited acting talent. Govinda and Ravi Kishan excel in their respective roles. I really loved Priyamani , who plays the role of Beera's deceased sister, whose death is the layout for the entire story. Another major reason for this film's criticism, is that most of the Indians have a tendency to enjoy brainless comedies, as we have a normal human tendency of running away from the stress in our lives and do not wish to see a movie that is a bit too serious.I sincerely hope, that people do watch or re-watch this movie to observe it's sheer genius. It's unfortunate, that the role that should have cemented Abhishek's image as a versatile lead actor in the Hindi film industry,turned out to be just the opposite because of the inability of today's generation to appreciate intelligent acting.

I first saw this movie and was bold over. Completely driven by passion and being more than 2 years in making, the film actually caters to the senses rather than intellect.Starts on a high pitch, it moves on a roller coaster ride and ends in the shockingly magical movement, a cinematic thrill, it can be called.If seen as a one piece, not as fragments like performances, music, direction or screenplay, this movie can be the 2 hour 20 minute immersion in the waters from which when u come out feels like ooh..this world still exists!@#$?.This is the best till date from Mani Ratnam. The second time I saw this movie I felt just the images not the sounds. In the era of Tata-Sky- Plus-record-now-and-watch-later, not many can savor a movie of beauty spontaneously but the times to come, more will surely get the pleasure of watching this movie.

its disappointing to read some of the reviews here. I think many missed the beauty of this movie. There's so much subtext there. This is one of those movies where you leave the theater still talking about it. The beauty of the cinematography. The beauty of the acting. All the leads played their characters very well. If one wants to nitpick as some do then you will find problems but Ialways believed they were the characters they were playing. I think bollywood fans were confused by the story since its not told in a linear fashion. I guess I can't blame them when one is use to watching some of the worst movies made in the likes of MNIK and KANK.If you're a fan of Mani Ratnam movies I highly recommend this one. It's not your typical Mani film. This is more a darkly eccentric psychodrama but its certainly worth a watch.

Mani Ratnam had an idea that there is a Ram (god) / Raavan (demon) in everyone. He has tried to give human emotions, needs and weaknesses to every character immortalized in the timeless epic, Ramayana.The questions being explored are: What if Raavan (Beera) wasn't such a bad guy after all? What if there was a human side to him that Sita (Ragini) actually fell for? What if he was actually a better man than Ram (Dev) was capable of being? What if his biggest vice was his style of exacting justice upon those he thought deserving and nothing more?The locations were breathtaking but, sadly, Mani Ratnam chose individuals who are not capable of enacting these complex characters or demonstrating their emotions. Abhishek Bachchan outright ruins the character of Beera with his urban drawl, manicured hands and designer stubble. There is not a single shot in the film where he even comes close to playing the intended Beera. Aishwarya Rai has made some progress from being just another pretty face but seriously lacks the thespianic maturity required for the character of Ragini. Govinda does not deserve a mention either.The idea was fantastic. The movie could have been GREAT....but Mani Ratnam decided that allegiance to the Bachchan clan should not get in the way of good cinema...so he gave us this crap.SAD