Raavan: Lyrical Masterpiece
Mani
Ratnam's movies are special, for he is a director who has chosen themes
that are dense, complex and often dark. Box office success has
sometimes welcomed him; and sometimes eluded him; but this has never
stopped the maker from trying out new visual forms, narrative forms and
darker themes. This time he is back with Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya
Rai and Vikram with perhaps his most polarizing work - Raavan.
The movie was always a subject of speculation - whether the film is based on Naxalism/Maoism or based on Ramayana. This question can finally be laid to rest. Raavan is about both. Though, it is not the story of Kobad Ghandy. Essentially, a story of two different worlds, a tribal, under-privileged sect of the society and the other being the law-enforcers the upper class.
Raavan inspects the worlds of Beera (Raavan) who "controls" Lal Maati. He is the protector of the marginalized class and the voice of theirs. In this world, comes Dev Sharma (Ram), a law enforcer with the single-minded goal of nabbing the "evil", the "anti-social" and restoring "law and order". In a shot, Dev rips open the world of Beera which causes a retaliation from him. Beera abducts Ragini (Sita). The rest of the story is a cat and mouse game of Dev trying to get back his wife and nab the anti-social.
Thematically, the film is an exploration of Ramayana; but if only Mani's films were so simple, then he would not have been what he is. Scratch the surface and you will unearth various comments the director is making here.
Mani, who has always tried new script-writing techniques and new narrative forms ever since the inception of his career, settles for a pattern which is primarily dictated by editing, camera work and shot framings.
The entire first half is devoted to setting up the thought trajectories of Beera, Ragini and Dev towards each other and also setting up the thought trajectories of the tribal world vis-a-vis Law and Order machinery. Through the first half, Mani examines a belief that both these worlds hold against each other. If each of them believes that the other should cease to exist, he examines why? He sets up the stage vis-a-vis these two worlds and the inhabitants of these two worlds, for they are the ones who will collide in the second half.
The second half is where Mani makes his political statement by examining the cause and effect behind the Naxalism. He doesn't justify the rise of Naxalism; but he presents another side to the rise of such movements. He says that even the Law enforcers sometimes responsible for creating such repulsion in the minds of the marginalized people. This depiction is disturbing and provocative. It is also in this half he also subverts Ramayana and makes his another socio-political statement of society's fixation with the labeling of moral-immoral, right and wrong, good and evil. Using the strokes like an artist, he paints a picture where he says, if only the labeling is so easy, the world would have been a better place. He explores the concept of Yin-Yan in this film.
In Raavan, Mani has used two strong females, Sita and Surpanakha as pawns in the game of chess to pit Ram and Raavan against each other and examine the idea of good and evil. This is a clever scripting ploy but not the one that's too conventional.
The approach to this is complex and not so explicit and hence radical reactions. He has used editing and framing to tell the story. Note the opening sequence and the intercuts between bunch of cops being burnt alive and AB playing the dholak - Brilliant! Similarly, note the framing of shots in the scene where Beera expresses his love for Ragini - he frames Beera against the backdrop of a Vishnu statue. The shift in framing is subtle and brilliant... It's such strokes that make this movie.
Performances are sharp, eccentric and boisterous. AB incorporates Beera with eccentricity and loudness and he does amazing justice to the way Mani has written the character. Ash as Ragini is surprising... She has a tough role and she does it with elan. Vikram plays with his eyes and expressions... He is brilliant as well. There comes a point in the film where there's a subtle transition in terms of Beera's and Dev. Dev begins to behave like Beera and he is consumed by rage. Brilliant stuff.
Technically, the film is a masterpiece. Manikandan and Santosh Sivan's lens work is phenomenal. Every drop of water, rain and mist has been captured brilliantly. Editing is sharp. The jump cuts and transitions and the montage-like editing approach is superb. Sreekar Prasad does justice to Mani's vision.
Raavan might evoke radical reactions; but to me this is Mani's one of the most mature works as a director and a writer.
Brilliant film.
The movie was always a subject of speculation - whether the film is based on Naxalism/Maoism or based on Ramayana. This question can finally be laid to rest. Raavan is about both. Though, it is not the story of Kobad Ghandy. Essentially, a story of two different worlds, a tribal, under-privileged sect of the society and the other being the law-enforcers the upper class.
Raavan inspects the worlds of Beera (Raavan) who "controls" Lal Maati. He is the protector of the marginalized class and the voice of theirs. In this world, comes Dev Sharma (Ram), a law enforcer with the single-minded goal of nabbing the "evil", the "anti-social" and restoring "law and order". In a shot, Dev rips open the world of Beera which causes a retaliation from him. Beera abducts Ragini (Sita). The rest of the story is a cat and mouse game of Dev trying to get back his wife and nab the anti-social.
Thematically, the film is an exploration of Ramayana; but if only Mani's films were so simple, then he would not have been what he is. Scratch the surface and you will unearth various comments the director is making here.
Mani, who has always tried new script-writing techniques and new narrative forms ever since the inception of his career, settles for a pattern which is primarily dictated by editing, camera work and shot framings.
The entire first half is devoted to setting up the thought trajectories of Beera, Ragini and Dev towards each other and also setting up the thought trajectories of the tribal world vis-a-vis Law and Order machinery. Through the first half, Mani examines a belief that both these worlds hold against each other. If each of them believes that the other should cease to exist, he examines why? He sets up the stage vis-a-vis these two worlds and the inhabitants of these two worlds, for they are the ones who will collide in the second half.
The second half is where Mani makes his political statement by examining the cause and effect behind the Naxalism. He doesn't justify the rise of Naxalism; but he presents another side to the rise of such movements. He says that even the Law enforcers sometimes responsible for creating such repulsion in the minds of the marginalized people. This depiction is disturbing and provocative. It is also in this half he also subverts Ramayana and makes his another socio-political statement of society's fixation with the labeling of moral-immoral, right and wrong, good and evil. Using the strokes like an artist, he paints a picture where he says, if only the labeling is so easy, the world would have been a better place. He explores the concept of Yin-Yan in this film.
In Raavan, Mani has used two strong females, Sita and Surpanakha as pawns in the game of chess to pit Ram and Raavan against each other and examine the idea of good and evil. This is a clever scripting ploy but not the one that's too conventional.
The approach to this is complex and not so explicit and hence radical reactions. He has used editing and framing to tell the story. Note the opening sequence and the intercuts between bunch of cops being burnt alive and AB playing the dholak - Brilliant! Similarly, note the framing of shots in the scene where Beera expresses his love for Ragini - he frames Beera against the backdrop of a Vishnu statue. The shift in framing is subtle and brilliant... It's such strokes that make this movie.
Performances are sharp, eccentric and boisterous. AB incorporates Beera with eccentricity and loudness and he does amazing justice to the way Mani has written the character. Ash as Ragini is surprising... She has a tough role and she does it with elan. Vikram plays with his eyes and expressions... He is brilliant as well. There comes a point in the film where there's a subtle transition in terms of Beera's and Dev. Dev begins to behave like Beera and he is consumed by rage. Brilliant stuff.
Technically, the film is a masterpiece. Manikandan and Santosh Sivan's lens work is phenomenal. Every drop of water, rain and mist has been captured brilliantly. Editing is sharp. The jump cuts and transitions and the montage-like editing approach is superb. Sreekar Prasad does justice to Mani's vision.
Raavan might evoke radical reactions; but to me this is Mani's one of the most mature works as a director and a writer.
Brilliant film.
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