Movie Review: Raavan - Completely Devoid of Soul

It hurts me a great deal to say this but Mani sir has got it all wrong this time. After gems like Roja, Bombay, Yuva and Guru, Raavan is a half baked, badly scripted film which feels forced because there is no feel or flow in it. The story is based on Ramayana and is an attempt to make people see Raavan's side of the epic saga. Raavan aka Beera (Abhishek) kidnaps Ragini (Aishwarya) to take revenge from Dev (Vikram) for being responsible of Beera's sister's death. I don't think there is any need to give details into the story because, well, there are none. It’s too simple a story which runs on a single track, at the same pace towards an ending which we are all too familiar with.

The most one can do is praise the cinematography which captures the locales beautifully. But even here there was an attempt to do much. As for the editing and screenplay, the less I speak the better. Some scenes in the first half did not connect to each other at all. It felt like a collection of scenes rather than a film. The music which has become really popular thanks once gain to Rahman's brilliant score is also a letdown in the film. All songs are either picturised badly or are forced into the film. The song Beera (a scintillating composition) would qualify as the best song simply because it comes and goes in the titles. Sadly none of the cast member had the luxury of appearing and disappearing in the titles itself.

Abhishek Bachchan definitely looks the part, but that is it. He over does (read made to overdo) the part of Beera and you fail to sympathize with the character which was necessary for this film. Aishwarya Rai is irritating as Ragini even though like most of her films, she manages to look extraordinary. All she does is make faces and shout which becomes really boring after the first 5 minutes. Vikram does well in the first half but loses it as he goes along. The 'Hanuman' of the story Sanjeevni played by Govinda is yet another mistake by Mani sir. Not bacause he casted Govinda, but because he made Govinda a buffoon even in a film like this. Ravi Kishen on the other hand looked the most convincing out of the entire cast and by saying this I hope one can imagine how bad everything was for this to be true.

Raavan is a nonstop bore without any soul what so ever and is recommended only for those who pass their time by watching Ramgopal Varma Ki Aag.

Rating: 1.5 / 5