Banner: Red Chillies Entertainment
Cast: Shahrukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Rampal, Shahana Goswami, Tom Wu
Direction: Anubhav Sinha
Production: Shahrukh Khan, Gauri Khan
Music: Vishal-Shekhar, Ilaiyaraaja
Ra. One' has finally released and one thing is obvious - It is indeed a brave and fruitful effort for sure since nothing like this has ever come out of Bollywood. From the sheer experience perspective of seeing something as big as this being unveiled, 'Ra. One' turns out to be a major win for the makers as well as the industry. It is established in the very opening sequence of the film that with the way technology has advanced, there is a thin line between real and virtual world. This pretty much happens in the real life of a game developer as well (Shahrukh Khan) who creates the biggest ever virtual villain (Ra. One) who ends up entering the real world as well. However the villain's endeavour here is not to destroy the whole world; it is basically a game of one upmanship (pun intended) where all he wishes for is to get even with the developer's son (Armaan Verma) who had once challenged him on the game. With a plot like this, it is pretty much announced that the superhero 'G. One' has one basic task cut out - Save the young boy and get 'Ra. One' way from him forever. Now this basic virtue of the plot has it's strengths as well as weaknesses. Strength, because most in the heartland of India would relate to a father-like figure standing up for a boy instead of someone who is trying to stop a global warfare. Weakness, because those exposed to the superhero flicks from the West can well be expected to become impatient whenever the focus moves from action and thrills to family affairs. This is what happens in 'Ra. One' as well where initial 15-20 minutes are dedicated to typical moments around a nerdy father, his supportive wife (Kareena Kapoor) and an evasive son. However it's the points after the interval where 'G. One' accompanies Kareena and Armaan to their ancestral house where the film slackens a bit. Attempt to create emotional moments between Shahrukh and Kareena don't quite bring a lump in your throat while humour too passes muster as one keenly awaits 'Ra. One' to return on track. Thankfully it's the thrills and action which ensure that 'Ra. One' stays on to be a largely engaging affair. Creation of 'Ra. One' in the lab, the sequence where it accumulates it's powers, the one where it takes on Chinese game developer (Tom Wu) or the point where he comes face to face with Shahrukh for the first time - one can well experience the kind of grandeur that is about to explode. However the best is reserved for the sequence just before the interval point where 'Ra. One' runs after Kareena and Armaan on busy London roads. This action sequence could give any Hollywood action film a run for its money. The train sequence is simply fantabulous and though there would be obvious comparisons with a similar sequence in Rajnikanth's 'Robot', this one not just stands on it's own but also manages to surpass it. On the other hand the sequence just after the interval point (outside the Mumbai airport) is good, though not extraordinary. Even much talked about Rajnikanth sequence doesn't quite build on well after a good promise. The fight in the climax between Shahrukh and Arjun is fine though not exceptional. A film belonging to this genre can't be expected to have too many songs but still 'Chammak Challo' (though arriving all of a sudden) brings the right energy in the film and so does 'Criminal'. However the background score (also by Vishal-Shekhar) is terrific and boasts of international standards with a good 'desi' touch coming in during the train sequence with 'Raftaarein' playing in the background. Shahrukh does well in playing his role well though there isn't scope to get any histrionics in place. While he is fine as 'G. One', he is endearing as the nerd. Kareena does what is expected from her though she does look like a million bucks in both of her dance numbers. Armaan is efficient and thankfully doesn't go overboard. Arjun appears only towards the later part of the film's second half and one does miss his presence for a long time. Let's admit it - today everyone and his grandmother as well as the driver is aware of the fact that Anubhav Sinha directed 'Ra. One' is the biggest movie ever to come out of India. In that aspect results can be pretty much seen on screen with all the crores spent on the making being quite visible. It is indeed the hugest ever film that one could have ever imagined to be emerging from Bollywood in the current times and that by itself is a good enough reason to check out what the film is all about. LINK TO SOURCE

Cast: Suriya, Vivek Oberoi, Priyamani, Shatrughan Sinha, Sasi, Sudeep Direction: Ram Gopal Varma Production: Ram Gopal Varma Music: Mani Sharma

Ram Gopal Varma is a pet child of controversies. Some of his biopics in the past invited the wrath of many. So is ‘Raththa Charithiram’, which created waves in Andhra Pradesh even before its release. The movie on the life of AP politician Paritala Ravi makes one sit sraight and watch. Ramu seems to have done intense research to render an film movie which is strikingly different from run of the mill stuffs. Thanks to a stellar performance by Suriya and intense show by Priyamani and Vivek Oberoi, ‘Raththa Charithiram’ makes it count. Add to it Shatrughan Sinha’s role, the movie leaves one spellbound. Suriya lives as Suriyanarayanan, who is baying for the blood of his enemy. His subtle emotions, body language and dialogue delivery gives meaning to the movie. Suriya is right there giving one of his best performances as angry young man. Pratap Ravi (Vivek Oberoi), who goes on a killing spree in Annathapuram to avenge the killers of his father, settles down to become a politician. He wins the Assembly election from Ananthapuram thanks to the blessings of actor-turned-Chief Minister (Shatrughan Sinha). He bumps off all his enemies and their relatives and paints the town red. When everything goes well, an attempt on his life creates kerfuffle. He comes to know that it was Suryanarayana (Suriya), who was waiting for an opportunity to avenge the deaths of his relatives, who got killed in the hands of Pratap. DCP Mohan Prasadh (Sudeep) identifies the culprit as Suriya. He threatens Suriya to surrender to police holding his wife Bhavani (Priyamani) as captive. Soon, Suriya surrenders to police and goes to jail. Ravi decides to bump off Suryia in jail but his attempts fail. Meanwhile, leaders of the opposition party, to settle scores with Ravi, volunteers to help Suriya. They decide to clip the wings of Ravi by making Bhavani as candidate in the elections in Ananthapuram. Ravi now decides to kill Bhavani. Eventually Suriya hatches a plan and decides to execute it at a party meet convened by Ravi. Comes Suriya in disguise to realise his mission. Does he or not forms the climax. Awesome is one word to describe Suriya's performance. His eyes emote well and in many scenes Ramu has zeroed in on his eyes to make one understand the scene. His diction and body language ooze revenge. Priyamani is adequate. Vivek Oberoi matches Suriya in performance. However it’s Suriya who walks away with all honours. Technically, it’s one of RGV's best. The slick editing, different colour tones used by cinematographer Amol Rathod adds to the momentum. Especially he has captured the stunt sequences really well. But there is no denying that the movie oozes blood and gore. There are crude violent scenes. Bullets fly around. On the whole, it is a tight rope walk, but RGV manages to walk with ease. Thanks to Suriya's performance and RGV's slick narration, ‘Raththa Charithiram’ is a movie that strikes a chord. Source 1 - Cam


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Banner: Madras Talkies
Cast: Vikram, Aishwarya Rai, Priyamani, Prithviraj, Prabhu, Karthik, Vaiyapuri
Direction: Mani Ratnam
Production: Mani Ratnam
Music: A R Rahman
watch ravanan tamil movie online
Mani Ratnam returns to spread magic (or a blunder, as this review progresses) with his ‘Raavanan’ after a splendid show in the form of ‘Guru’. Well lets be positive to some extent now, his team is world class, with Santosh Sivan behind the lens, Srikar Prasad on the editor’s table and A R Rahman handling the music and besides that the stellar star cast! The movie looked like a bouquet of flowers but only the fragrance seemed to fade!

'Raavanan' is cinematic brilliance. Watch the movie without expectations and watch it for what it has to offer rather than searching for what you want! It is a celluloid adaptation of ‘Ramayana’ written by sage Valmiki (and interestingly, no name is displayed for ‘the story’ when the titles are showed.) with modern publicity techniques that will attract the audience. Let’s get to the analysis part and wrap this review up as soon as possible, because the movie is just above 2 hours. And about wrapping it soon, anyone among the audience will tell you to get out of the hall as soon as possible once the movie is over!

Mani Ratnam, the master of creating art on celluloid has possibly over worked to not reach the hype! He is class apart no doubt but his class on screen is visible only in parts. He has delicately portrayed bits and pieces of modern day Ramayana. Well nothing offending here but Ramayana is a story that is imbibed in to our lives from childhood, seems like this movie was shot to associate every scene with the happenings in the holy epic.

Characterisation and Performances

Suhasini Maniratnam pens the dialogues of the movie. Her dialogues are intelligent, credible and most importantly, conveying information. Characters and their strengths are informed through these wonderful dialogues. The homework seems to have been done well. Mani Ratnam has sketched his characters amazingly. Every character has a purpose and every actor behind the character has been rightly cast. . Leave alone the fact he was inspired from Ramayana but here in this, the Raavanan is the hero. The title role is played by Vikram (like you didn’t know). He is Veera alias Veeraiah. A tribal leader who’s fighting for their rights. He is strong, genuine and loyal to his tribe. Even other characteristics of his are mentioned through an enquiry scene where the police talk to the tribals to find out what kind of a person this Veera is. Vikram’s performance is simply electric.

The next in line is Prithvi Raj, who’s the dynamic Superintendent of Police. He is oozing with confidence as an actor and his chemistry with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is good enough on screen. He makes it quite obvious as being the Rama in this story. So you know the strings attached.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s characterization is simple. She is a loving wife who has been abducted (did we leak the story now?) and her expressions from thereon are simply amazing. She is beautiful on screen (sure is) and has come out with a noticeably extraordinary performance. Only a certain part of the credit goes to her, the rest goes to Mani for getting the best out of her.

The other supporting characters like Karthik( apparently Hanuman) as a forest officer, Prabhu as Vikram’s older brother, Munna as Vikram’s younger brother and others are impressively handled characters. The director has made sure all the characters receive the deserved importance. Mani Ratnam is the master unarguably; he has made sure the actors have their presence felt on screen.

At this predicament of the review, Priya Mani as Vikram’s step sister has done a commendable job. Her character as a bold sister to the strong brother is much appreciable. Her performance will definitely be applauded and as she’s playing the same role in the Hindi version, she has made an excellent start in her Bollywood journey.

Technicalysis

Technically speaking, Editor Srikar Prasad has sharp scissors. The screenplay in the first half, though nothing has been conveyed and is an utter waste of film reels, his editing is near precision. Stunts and bomb work by Peter Heines and Shyam Kaushal deserve appreciation and so is art director Sameer’s work, given the fact that most of the movie was shot in and around water. The tribal village, the police camp, a bridge and a marriage set were simply amazing and he would be one technician to make note of. The fight on the bridge just before the climax is an edge-of-the-seat scene that has been well shot and well directed.

But there is one man who will be applauded for his work (perhaps the only respite in the movie) is Santosh Sivan and his camera work! Mani’s movies always have natural lighting and Santosh has used it to good effect. Green pastures, water falls, rivers, trees, and all that nature can offer in a forest are radiantly shown. Hats off Santosh, you’ve done a splendid job!

Winding up this section, A R Rahman’s music is classy. His tribal beats merge with the movie’s theme. His rerecording could have been better but nevertheless, a great show! Hard work from cast and crew is evident in the movie, given that the movie was shot under incessant rain, blood sucking leeches etc, but what does it count for?

The Minuses

The list of minuses is being reduced with a lot of deliberation. Mani Ratnam has pictured beautiful movies in the past. ‘Raavanan’ was termed his magnum opus, etc but sorry it didn’t seem like one. The screenplay was a let down with only few scenes showing his directing supremacy. He has done another ‘Roja’ with only Aishwarya replacing Arvind Swamy and a few minor alterations. The movie was lost somewhere. May be because the first half was a major let down and the second half carried a lot to show (or burden) the audience.

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