Jun 19, 2010 06:01 PM
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(Updated Jun 19, 2010 06:08 PM)
The Ramayana is easily the oldest and the best instance of the battle of good v/s evil. Adapting the epic into modern times is of course a daunting task. One error and the entire work would fall like a pack of cards. Unfortunately, that’s what happens with the film Raavan. The makers did a huge mistake and that is, they tampered with the original concept. In Raavan, Rama isn’t good and Raavan isn’t bad…both have shades of grey. Fair enough since this is ‘modern Ramayana’. However, Raavan is more like Rama and vice versa in the film! Moreover, the flawed script and the disappointing climax make things worse. Raavan works but only in parts!
The story of the movie: Dev (Vikram), a tough cop, shifts to Lal Maati town with his wife Ragini (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) after he’s given charge there. The town is not under the control of the police but of the outlaw Beera (Abhishek Bachchan). Beera maybe the demonic force to reckon with for the police but for the locals, he’s God. Dev is adamant to wipe out Beera and gives a huge blow to him which shakes him. An angry Beera then seeks revenge by kidnapping Ragini. Thus begins the journey of Dev into the jungles of Lal Maati as he hunts for his wife and the kidnapper. Helping him in his mission is Laxman Pratap (Nikhil Dwivedi) and the eccentric forest guard Sanjeevani (Govinda). Will they succeed? And how come Dev hurt Beera so much that he kidnapped his wife? Watch Raavan to find out.
Raavan begins very unconventionally, making us expect fireworks in the next 2.15 hours. Then the scene where Beera kidnaps Ragini was just out of this world! I haven’t seen anything like this before in Bollywood! But after a point, the storyline doesn’t move ahead at all. The film wanders too much in unwanted quarters. Hence it’s not a completely absorbing flick. However, things bright up at the intermission point when Laxman is kidnapped by Beera’s men.
The 2nd half begins with a bang and the highpoint is definitely the entire Jamuniya (Priyamani) track, told in flashback. This reminds me…there are lots of flashback portions in the film especially in the first hour which does a bit in keeping the interest alive. Getting back, the entire Jamuniya sequence was very impactful and from here, you begin to see Beera in a new light. Then the dramatic fight of Dev and Beera on the wooden bridge was again exemplary. A scene like this is rare in our cinema. But the film slips down completely after this point. The climax was well shot but didn’t seem justified at all. Same with Ragini’s actions in the ending. The makers not only gave a wrong interpretation of the tribals and tribal activists, they ended messing up the whole film as well!
Several questions remain unanswered. Why did Beera wanted to kill Ragini only after 14 hours and not before? Also, the film is shown to have a North India setting. It is difficult to believe that considering they show wild jungles, fierce waterfalls and over-the-cloud mountain tops…all of which found in Maharashtra and in the South but definitely not in the North!
This wasn’t the best from Abhishek Bachchan but at the same time, he doesn’t disappoint as well. He was acting too weird in the beginning portions but then balanced off in the later scenes. However, the director should have made his role more villain-like which he didn’t. He didn’t seem fearful. This is the director’s fault and hence he’s to blame and not Abhishek. He followed the director’s orders perfectly which is evident. Raavan would flop but this won’t be a problem for Abhishek as he can cover up in his next half a dozen films that are soon going to hit theatres!
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