Usirey Poghudhey …Usirey Poghudey…Script a nee konjum suzhikayilai….

We’ve all come across them Tamizh movies where the hero idolizes the heroine, fascinated by her, he follows her every move and then when rejected turns all furious, resorting to threatening, drinking and cursing the day he laid his eyes on her. How would you then describe his emotions ? Disappointment or anger ?
Or, just affectionate despair ?

Well, that was me after watching Raavanan. Frustrated facebook-status updating and online venting.

In affectionate despair…..

Mani Ratnam. The guy who gives us extraordinary Tamizh cinema. The man who teased us with classy music and trailers as we waited with bated breath for his movies to release. He would take us into the homes of his characters, making us form a rare connect with them, as we yearned for further glimpses into their lives, long after the credits rolled.

We loved everything about his movies. I repeat, everything.

The visuals, the music, the screenplay, dialogue and even home decor on his sets.

He converted the simple act of his actors eating and hanging clothes into an art.
And, we fell in love with them over and over again.

We cheered Gautam and Ashok as they joined hands and fought the bad guys. We were amused by Anjali, sneaking a smoke with her friends. We fell in love with Karthik a hundred times over as he jumped and jumped amidst dry leaves and green pastures in the  best conceptualized song of Tamizh cinema.
We shared Sakthivelu Nayakar’s agony in losing his only son while still recovering from the chemistry of ‘ Nee oru Kadhal Sangeetham’. We were shocked when Manohar died at the steps of a court yet went home wanting a husband like Chandrakumar. We were moved when Anjali paapa came into her new home and then again when Kabir Narayan and Kamal Basheer were born.

And how can one forget the timeless character of Karna portrayed by Thalaivar. No other director has dared to bring out such natural acting in him. In a film world that makes him prance around with heroines less than half his age, Mani made him adopt and fall in love with a widow with child, plots unheard of in traditional Thalaivar cinema.

Saira Banu, Geethanjali, Roja…..the list is endless.

In summary, Mani’s characters are magical, yet real, timeless yet contemporary.

Yet, somehow Raavanan’s characters are forgettable. From the insipid hero, to the confused protagonist to their flaky object of attention, the characters fail to hit home.

Well, I did enjoy the movie as a visual treat. I marveled at the cinematography, gasped at the greenery and appreciated some of the scenes that were delightfully fast. Yet, try as I might, I was unable to connect with anything beyond the visuals.

Click here for the movie’s story. The overall premise of the movie is fascinating. The Yin and Yang concept. There is a bit of good in all things bad and a bit of bad in the pure. Which is where the film disappoints. The pure is made to look like a completely insensitive ‘bee-hind orifice’ while the bad is made to look rabid ?

Ratnam in response to the critics who complained that many parts of the movie were unexplained, explained that he felt the need to remove the flab and stick with the basics while catering to an ‘intelligent audience’. Which, when understood as a statement makes sense, but fails to explain the obvious gaps in the movie. Does the cop really suspect his wife or was he trying to be clever ?
If he was suspicious and did not really care of her, there is no other evidence to stake the claim. How is it so simple for a kidnapped victim to jump off a train and find a nomadic bandit within a few minutes, a feat the police could not accomplish in 14 days.

There are trite references to the Ramayana, the baddies pulling at Venila’s nose and Karthik swinging from a tree to talk to Aishu. While Vikram shines in parts, there is a hang-over effect from Kandasamy. Speaking of hangovers, Priya Mani’s  Venila, supposedly the character who the movie’s events are triggered by is merely the ghost of Muthazhagu. Subjecting her as a victim of gang-rape seems awfully repetitive somehow.

And the Razzies go to …..

Prithviraj for Actor in a Lead Role
Sadly, one of my favorite Tamizh heroes looks awkward in a Ratnam movie. He pales next to Vikram, looks like Aishu’s kid brother and does not make any sort of emotional connect with the audience.
Would have been better with : Suryah. Kaakha Kaakha. Justification enough.

Sabyasachi Mukherji for Costumes
Mr Mukherji, Wives of Tamizh SP’s of Police rarely wear fitted Anarkali salwars and find Bandhini blouses in remote villages. Kindly research before you display your outfits in a large-scale movie. If confused, kindly watch Kaakha Kaakha or VTV to understand how ‘smart’ Tamizh women dress. Also,Raavanan aside, did some astrologer tell you to always dress Aishu in black net. Like, always ?
Would have been better with : Nalini Sriram

Prithviraj and Aishwarya’s Chemistry for Romantic Duo in the Lead
During the movie, I commented on how there was ‘ no chemistry’ between the lead pair, someone next to me corrected me saying. This is not ‘ no chemistry’, this is ‘ physics’. And Physics it was with Aishu’s mechanical robotic dance moves and Prithviraj’s ‘ constant’ deadpan expression.  Where was the expression that is meant to show how much he loves the ‘most beautiful woman in the world’. And, did Aishu serve him breakfast with a heave of her chest ? Come on now….
Would have been better with : Kamal Hasan as a Romance Consultant

Shobhana for Choreography
Now, Ash Rai is not a bad dancer but somehow Shobana converts her into a Avatar-ish robotic figure in Raavanan. Probably, hung-over from Maayaravan, she tries to make poor Aishu do the same scary expressions. And even the movie’s brilliant cinematographers could redeem the Veeraiya song. Design Rule 101 : White Space. The song’s picturisation gave me a head-ache. Too much activity. Too many bare-bodies. Scary.
Would have been better with : Good old’ Prabhudeva and Raju Sundaram

Aishwarya for Actress in a Lead Role
The scene where she confronts a giant statue of Vishnu asking him not to confuse her feelings is justification enough for a  Razzie in the lead actress category. And, what was with the perfectly painted lips across 14 days ? Her L’Oreal campaign ?
Would have been better with : Sneha. Has Mani seen her smile. Casting her would explain why Raavana fell in love with her without any other justification. In the flash of a smile. Aishu-can’t-dance-saala could have simply done only the Hindi version with her husband.

Suhasini Maniratnam for Dialogue Writing
The biggest villain in the movie, Mrs… Ratnam’s awkward, jumpy dialogues.
Ref : Scene in train where Prithviraj tells his wife “ Your body is full of lies. Your eyes are full of lies. You are lying”. Sigh.
Would have been better with : Not-Suhasini-Mani Ratnam. Radha Mohan

And the Oscars go to……

Santosh Sivan & Manikandan for Cinematography
Brilliant. Enough said.

Vikram for Actor in a Lead Role
For getting on that bridge, twice.

The entire Raavanan/Raavan crew
For braving Mother Nature’s wrath, daring slippery peaks and obviously dangerous conditions while shooting for a visual masterpiece in Indian cinema.

P.S : The person who attracted the maximum number of hoots, whistles and cheers was Ranjitha. Item number in slow motion ?