Sunday, June 20, 2010

Raavanan - not my Mani's worth

Raavanan was a let down for me. During the weeks leading up to a ManiRatnam movie release and for a few days after, I usually devour all the reviews/analyses that I come across. It serves as a nice buildup. This is what I did this time too. Most of the reviews were good which, I guess, upped my expectations.
Well, I knew that this movie was based on the Ramayanam. I supposed that the general story would be used. But this is a straight lift - down to Shurpanakha's nose humiliation ! It is as if characters and scenes have been injected into the storyline just to make it fit into the Ramayan mould. There are some loose ends which want tying up as well. How the SP identifies there is a traitor in his camp is never shown.

The dialogues fall flat. Suhasini Maniratnam is the culprit. The vacuum created by Sujatha's death is all too tangible.
When Prithviraj rescues Aishwarna and taker her back home, he asks her to take a polygraph test to prove she is 'clean'. The scene is so un-Maniratnamesque. Left me squirming in my seat.

The climax is also messed up. Dozens of STF personnel start shooting at Vikram with Rai hardly two feet from him. She is also shown mourning Vikram's death ! Doesn't quite add up.

The photography, though, is brilliant. The movie is a visual treat. Rahman's music would stand up to critique. No complaints there.
But the cons outweigh the pros. Definitely not my Mani's worth.

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