Lal Maati is a town where the only law is a man called Beera (Abhishek Bachchan). He might be one man but there are a million myths attached to his name; the tribals consider him a god while the police think of him as an irritant who has been allowed to grow big. Enter Dev Pratap Sharma (Vikram), an upright cop who makes it a personal mission to end the reign of Beera. Dev and his men try to nab Beera at his sister's (Priyamani) wedding but he manages to escape. Raped and insulted by the police Beera's sister kills herself. An enraged Beera kidnaps Dev's wife Ragini (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) and wows to kill her in fourteen hours. But Beera is unable to kill Ragini. He is intrigued by her, a fragile woman who isn't scared of a man whose name runs a chill down the spine. Aided by Sanjeevani (Govinda), an alcoholic forest guard who knows Beera's jungles better than anyone else, Dev closes in Beera. With Ragini in the center Beera and Dev battle it out and with each step the lines between good and evil, god and demon start blurring.
By far his most intriguing film, Mani Ratnam's Raavan tries to put a new spin on the timeless myth of Ramayan. Written by Ratnam himself, the film manages to set up the ageless epic in this day and age but that is not what ails the film. In spite of the slightly theatrical acting, which at places reminds you of a bad school play, and the sloppy narrative which seesaws a tad too much, it's the screenplay that ends up forming the weakest link of the film. The tension is missing and while the idea might be complex it's execution ends up being too simplistic. After all if you want to show 'Sita' harboring some feelings for 'Raavan' then it can't be so basic. Just because they share a few moments in the rains or worse still Ragini simply dresses up like one of his, Beera falls in love.
Santosh Sivan's cinematographer adds a very visceral touch to the film so much so that you can almost smell the rain but at times the imagery takes over the film. While the background score blends very well with the visuals, AR Rahman's songs aren't exactly of the level that would be expected of him in a Mani Ratnam film.
Abhishek Bachchan's performance is sure to win him accolades but he brings to the screen the leftovers from his Lallan Singh in Yuva. His Beera talks to himself, shakes his head like an angry rattlesnake and comes across as an overgrown schoolboy who's so angry at not being included in the fun and games that he decided to create his own parallel world. The problem with casting Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan is that more than the story or the characters they seem to be too eager to run into each other's arms! Vikram, who plays the titular role in the Tamil version of the film, is an exceptional actor and for those who are unfamiliar with his oeuvre, Vikram might end up looking like an overrated south Indian star who is trying to make it to Hindi films but that is far from the truth. Govinda's Sanjeevani manages to get a few smiles and the supporting cast of Nikhil Dwivedi, Ravi Kissen and Ajay Ghei is passable but even in a very small role Priyamani shines.
By the time Dev and Beera confront each other their personas have switched sides and sympathy swings the opposite way. While this transition doesn't really surprise you, for why else would this film be called Raavan, it's the epilogue that grabs your attention. The entire agnipariksha truly gets a fantastic makeover and as a result Ragini stands confused between the human she considered god and the man she knew to be a demon.
Mani Ratnam's Raavan looks like a complex tale but ends up too being convenient and in spite of the rather handy journey Raavan's destination is surely appealing. It fleetingly shows Sita's situation and suffering but more importantly leaves her on a high note. This is a story that didn't need someone to connect the dots and if Ratnam could manage to leave viewer guessing where Sita stands in the end, he could have allowed the audiences to question more during the film rather than simply idiot proofing everything.
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Vikram, Govinda, Nikhil Dwivedi, Ravi Kissen, Priyamani and Ajay Ghei.
Written by: Mani Ratnam (Screenplay), Vijay Krishna Acharya (Dialogues)
Directed by: Mani Ratnam
By far his most intriguing film, Mani Ratnam's Raavan tries to put a new spin on the timeless myth of Ramayan. Written by Ratnam himself, the film manages to set up the ageless epic in this day and age but that is not what ails the film. In spite of the slightly theatrical acting, which at places reminds you of a bad school play, and the sloppy narrative which seesaws a tad too much, it's the screenplay that ends up forming the weakest link of the film. The tension is missing and while the idea might be complex it's execution ends up being too simplistic. After all if you want to show 'Sita' harboring some feelings for 'Raavan' then it can't be so basic. Just because they share a few moments in the rains or worse still Ragini simply dresses up like one of his, Beera falls in love.
Santosh Sivan's cinematographer adds a very visceral touch to the film so much so that you can almost smell the rain but at times the imagery takes over the film. While the background score blends very well with the visuals, AR Rahman's songs aren't exactly of the level that would be expected of him in a Mani Ratnam film.
Abhishek Bachchan's performance is sure to win him accolades but he brings to the screen the leftovers from his Lallan Singh in Yuva. His Beera talks to himself, shakes his head like an angry rattlesnake and comes across as an overgrown schoolboy who's so angry at not being included in the fun and games that he decided to create his own parallel world. The problem with casting Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan is that more than the story or the characters they seem to be too eager to run into each other's arms! Vikram, who plays the titular role in the Tamil version of the film, is an exceptional actor and for those who are unfamiliar with his oeuvre, Vikram might end up looking like an overrated south Indian star who is trying to make it to Hindi films but that is far from the truth. Govinda's Sanjeevani manages to get a few smiles and the supporting cast of Nikhil Dwivedi, Ravi Kissen and Ajay Ghei is passable but even in a very small role Priyamani shines.
By the time Dev and Beera confront each other their personas have switched sides and sympathy swings the opposite way. While this transition doesn't really surprise you, for why else would this film be called Raavan, it's the epilogue that grabs your attention. The entire agnipariksha truly gets a fantastic makeover and as a result Ragini stands confused between the human she considered god and the man she knew to be a demon.
Mani Ratnam's Raavan looks like a complex tale but ends up too being convenient and in spite of the rather handy journey Raavan's destination is surely appealing. It fleetingly shows Sita's situation and suffering but more importantly leaves her on a high note. This is a story that didn't need someone to connect the dots and if Ratnam could manage to leave viewer guessing where Sita stands in the end, he could have allowed the audiences to question more during the film rather than simply idiot proofing everything.
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Vikram, Govinda, Nikhil Dwivedi, Ravi Kissen, Priyamani and Ajay Ghei.
Written by: Mani Ratnam (Screenplay), Vijay Krishna Acharya (Dialogues)
Directed by: Mani Ratnam
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