Raavan: My views.

Raavan. The name itself had given rise to many expectation over the last few days. Today, it released and as promised to myself, I saw it on day 1. Let me make one thing clear to the people raving mad that there was no plot, please increase a digit in your IQ and understand that we all knew it was based on the epic Ramayana. Only thing you need to know is Abhishek bachhan is Beera, Aishwarya is Ragini and her husband is Dev played by Vikram. Govinda sucks as Sanjeevani Kumar i.e. Hanuman.  Now what remains is the treatment and of course the climax.

First of all, I bow to Maniratnam for choosing jaw-dropping shooting locations. It is not just about his imagination of how he wanted the locales to be, but greatness also lies in co-ordination with the cinematographer, Santosh Sivan in bringing to life what Maniratnam saw while writing the screenplay. Almost through out the entire movie, it was raining and the way every frame was captured is visibly the work of a thorough cognoscente. I personally recommend a Padma Vibhushan to be given to Mr. Santosh Sivan for his cinematography.

Abhishek Bachchan definitely has a screen presence, but this time, he wasn't able to create that impact and as the villain, he didn't scare me at all. He overdid a few scenes and that, to me, is the only low point of the film apart from Govinda. Aishwarya Rai is spotless. Also, Ravi Kissen is worth his salt any day. Priyamani looks fresh too. Vikram needs a special mention for that perfect police look. He, I'm sure will get some Bollywood offers after this one.Background music is mesmerizing and so are the songs. Picturization of songs was simply superb, especially the 'Kata Kata Bechara Bakra' song.

Raavan is a classy depiction of what goes on in a woman's mind when she is under captivity. Towards the end, you suddenly start liking Raavan. And full marks to Maniratnam for the way he has shot the last few scenes of the movie. Right from the scene where they are near a huge Lord Vishnu statue till the climax, I loved the flow.

Maniratnam has a master in portraying women and relationships. Whether it was Girija in Geetanjali, Revathi in Mounaragam or Manisha Koirala in Bombay and when it comes to relationships, Mammooty and Rajinikanth in Dalapathi, Revathi and Mohan in Mounaragam or the Abhishek - Aishwarya relationship in Guru, he has something different to offer. If you love drama, watch it for what happens between Beera and Ragini. The climax of the movie leaves you on an emotional high because at the end of it all, you are not sure which side you are on.

I enjoyed the movie. Definitely worth your time, attention and money. Watch it for the viuals. Avatar, thank you but we have something to beat you without computer graphics. And stars? forget it. If stars could rate a Maniratnam movie, you'd fall short of galaxies.

- Deepak Karamungikar