Review of Raavanan (2010) by Ravikiran A — 20 Jun 2010

Beautiful movie. As usual, Mani Ratnam blurs the clear divide between good and bad and shows us the greys in both sides, while staying back a disinterested observer and getting us to understand the intentions and stories behind both sides. The movie is a visual and auditory treat, with simply beautiful cinematography. Ash, thankfully, is not given much of an acting role, which is good. Abhishek as the titular character is surprisingly good. He keeps his usual overacting to a minimum in this one. Vikram, in his tiny role, is effective. Govinda personifies Hanuman with his usual monkeying around (pardon the pun).. Rahman's music hits the target, with its folksy tunes being very hummable and perfect for the on screen storyline.

Like with most Mani Ratnam movies, Raavan too, does not have much of a storyline (which is the general public's complaint). True. His movies are all about the journey, exposing human nature, and beautifully choreographed sequences.

In Raavan, Mani Ratnam makes brilliant use of the camera to produce the right effect, whether he uses tight closeups to accentuate emotions, or the wide angles to make us appreciate the beauty of the jungles.

Kudos to Santosh Sivan's amazing cinematography, and to Mani Ratnam's artistic vision, which brings poetry to every motion, be it a chase scene or a captivity scene, or even one depicting a fall..

Watch the movie for the art and technical beauty.. Don't go expecting for great performances or a plot..