Buzz up!
Mani Ratnam, who has penned the screenplay of RAAVAN, models his characters on the lines of 'Ramayana':


* An upright cop, the punisher, the law/Lord Rama [Vikram];

* His doting wife/Goddess Sita [Aishwarya Rai Bachchan];

* The lieutenant he befriends in the forest/Hanuman [Govinda];

* His confidante/Lakshmana [Nikhil Dwivedi];

* The antagonist's sister, who triggers off the war/Surpanakha [Priyamani]

* And, of course, the antagonist, the Robinhood turned Raavan who kidnaps the top cop's wife and keeps her in his custody, in his Lanka/Raavan [Abhishek Bachchan].

Mani Ratnam has also included the part where Goddess Sita was banished from the kingdom of Ayodhya due to the gossip of kingdom folk. It was agni pariksha then, but in the film, the husband [Vikram] asks the wife [Aishwarya] for a polygraph test to prove her chastity/fidelity. At the same time, RAAVAN brings back memories of a movie that, coincidentally, had a similar storyline -- Jungle [Ramgopal Varma].

You've come to expect scintillating visuals in the master film-maker's films and Raavan is no exception. But Raavan falters in narrating the story with dexterity. In fact, this one's a game of see-saw, with a dull and lifeless first hour, an absorbing second half and a weak, lacklustre climax.

Final word? Raavan comes with the baggage of humungous expectations, mainly for the one name attached to it: Mani Ratnam. Even though comparisons with the genius film-maker's earlier accomplishments like Mouna Raagam, Nayagan, Agni Nakshatram, Geethanjali, Anjali, Roja, Bombay and Guru are sacrilegious since all belong to diverse genres, Raavan is nowhere close to those epics. The benchmarks only get higher and higher every time Mani Ratnam makes a film and Raavan, unfortunately, is a step down. Sorry, several steps down!

Dev [Vikram] falls in love with Ragini [Aishwarya Rai Bachchan], a spunky classical dancer who is as unconventional as him. They get married and he takes up his new post in Lal Maati, a small town in northern India. A town where the world of law is not the police, but Beera [Abhishek Bachchan], a tribal who has, over the years, shifted the power equation of the place from the ruling to the have-nots of the area.

Dev knows that the key to bringing order to any place is not to vanquish the big fish; in this case -- Beera. In one stroke Dev manages to rip open Beera's world and set in motion a change of event which will claim lives. Beera, injured but enraged, hits back, starting a battle that draws Dev, Beera and Ragini into the jungle. The forest becomes the battleground. The battle between good and evil, between Dev and Beera, between Ram and Raavan.

Mani Ratnam's adaptation of 'Ramayana' begins with the wife getting kidnapped and her husband launching a massive hunt to track down his wife and nail Raavan aka Beera. The reason why Beera takes this extreme step is revealed much, much later, towards the post-interval portions, which means that Mani Ratnam follows the nonlinear pattern to narrate his story.

Let's talk about the factors that pull this film down. First and foremost, when you've a title like Raavan, the demon king, who couldn't be vanquished by Gods, demons or spirits, you expect Raavan aka Beera to be equally powerful, who could send a chill down your spine, who spells terror and fear. But, in Raavan, Beera comes across as a psycho. The streak of madness in his character makes a mockery of the character itself.

Also, his makeup and also the shabby avtaars of his family/henchmen is not something that makes them looks menacing. In fact, it makes the entire gang look repulsive.

Even the finale leaves a lot to be desired. Ideally, the film should've ended after the fight on the bridge, but the entire track thereafter seems like an add-on, which is forced into the screenplay. Ash having a change of heart for Abhishek is equally unpalatable and makes you wonder, how and when did she develop such strong feelings/emotions for Beera? The writing is flawed, no two opinions on that!

On the plus side, the track, which starts from Nikhil's kidnap to the entire flashback portion, is attention grabbing. The factors that prompt Beera to spell havoc in Dev's life are apt, although Beera's sister's portions, while narrating the atrocities committed on her, aren't easy to comprehend in entirety. What was she trying to say, frankly? Yet, the impact of the flashback portions is worth noting.

The fight on the bridge -- between Abhishek and Vikram -- is astounding. One hasn't watched something like this on the Hindi screen yet, I'm sure. In fact, the execution of each and every stunt [Shyam Kaushal, Peter Hein] is exceptional. Every Mani Ratnam film is embellished with stunning visuals and Raavan boasts of mind-boggling visuals as well. Shooting the film at tough locales isn't easy and Santosh Sivan and V. Manikandan's vision creates magic on screen. Every frame is worth admiring and applauding.

A.R. Rahman's music is excellent and the visual appeal only enhances the impact. I'd like to single out 'Behne De' and 'Thok De Killi', two tracks that I'd like to hum even after the show has concluded. In fact, the latter is very energetic in terms of choreography. Vijay Krishna Acharya's dialogue hit you like a sharp object at times, which is in sync with the mood of the film.

I've admired Abhishek's work in Mani Ratnam's earlier films Yuva and Guru, but despite putting his best foot forward, for some strange, inexplicable reason, Abhishek doesn't look convincing for the part. Also, the dialogue delivered by him aren't coherent at times. Aishwarya is wonderful, looking ethereal and enacting her part with conviction. Vikram is first-rate, although the role isn't substantial enough. Govinda fails to create any impact whatsoever. Amongst the plethora of actors, Nikhil Dwivedi [a revelation; very good], Ravi Kishan [nice] and Priyamani [perfect] stand out.

On the whole, Raavan is a king-sized disappointment, in terms of content. From the business point of view, a Mani Ratnam film might ensure a healthy opening [at plexes mainly], but the weak script on one hand and the heavy price tag on the other will make Raavan see red.

Film: Rajneeti

Director: Prakash Jha

Cast: Nana Patekar, Manoj Bajpai, Ranbir Kapoor, Ajay Devgan, Katrina Kaif

Rating:***

The Pratap family, sitting on a political throne in Central India, is on the verge of a thumping victory when its veteran leader collapses with a paralytic stroke. As he battles for life in the hospital, his two heirs, his son Veerendra Pratap (Manoj Bajpayee) and his nephew Prithvi Pratap (Arjun Rampal) vie to take his place.

When Prithvi is appointed leader and chief ministerial candidate, a bitter Veerendra finds an ally in backward class leader Sooraj (Ajay Devgan), who wants a place for his people on the political map. Together, they attack the backbone of Prithvi’s family, and as assassins’ bullets fly, they plot to put Prithvi behind bars and out of the political game.

Prithvi’s foreign-returned younger brother, Samar (Ranbir Kapoor), must leave behind an American girlfriend and his phd in European poetry, to take control of his family. Under the mentorship of his father’s closest confidante, Brij Gopal (Nana Patekar), Samar takes charge of affairs and with a cold bloodied calm, fights this battle to its finish.

Like a frenetic game of chess, the power balance shifts with every move in this political saga. Even though it takes obvious inspiration from the Mahabharata and Francis Ford Copolla’s The Godfather, Rajneeti comes through as an original piece of writing. Though, not without its flaws.

The canvas is gigantic and the pictures that Prakash Jha paint are jaw dropping. His images are stark and bear resemblance to dramatic poltical news-reels from India's modern history. Het puts into perpective the use of the media to stage out unparliamentry games, and the abuse of backward classes for votes. And somewhat like Gulzar did in Aandhi (1975), Jha dares to take us into the homes of dynastic politics. Cameraman Sachin Kumar Krishnan spectacularly lenses the political rallies thronged by thousands of poor voters.

Yet, Anjum Rajabali & Prakash Jha’s screenplay has several peculiarities that might not be palatable, especially in its second half. There are too many assassinations where all the victims are lured to their death in the same way. Also, the battle between the split family becomes one sided, leaving the opposition with no trump cards to unfold. There is even an incomplete item song, that makes you wonder if the projectionist made a mistake and put on a reel from some silly Bollywood film.

While ‘Rajneeti’ gets its politics spot on, it gets its emotions a little messed up. It is hard to feel for most of the characters as they all seem uni-dimensional. Yes, we understand that absolute power corrupts, but how can an audience feel for characters that themselves don’t feel at all?

Arjun Rampal, whose character seems inspired by the hot-headed Sonny Corleone from Godfather, shouts to portray his hot headedness. His craft is exposed by weak body language. His hands are mostly in his pocket and some powerful dialogue is wasted on his poor oration.

Ajay Devgan plays Sooraj, who bears a strong resemblance to Karna from Mahabharata and must make the ultimate sacrifice for his family. Devgan plays the character effectively, but doesnt go beyond what he has already played.

Katrina Kaif’s beautiful face appears frozen in crucial scenes. She doesn’t rise up to a well-mounted character that must sacrifice true love for the sake of ambition. She looks stunning when she dons the rich khadi sari and is compelled to take the podium at a rally. The drama beautifully builds when she waves to the crowds, dwarfed by massive cut outs of herself. Sadly, her speech is not awe-inspiring.

Ranbir Kapoor, with a character modeled on Micheal Corleone, puts in a sharp and restrained performance, but suffers from flaws in his written character. Even though he says at some point that he was forced to enter politics, no-where in his set-up does that come across. In fact, he offers cold bloodied suggestions to his family even before the shit hits the fan. His love story with Sarah (Sarah Thomson Kane), his American girlfriend and his relationship with Indu (Katrina Kaif) the girl that loves him, evoke no feeling. Yet, aided with effective dialogue delivery and good body language, Kapoor’s performance as the manupilative young ‘king-maker’ is noteworthy.

Thank god for actors like Nana Patekar & Manoj Bajpai. These are performers who know their craft and don’t allow the directors vision to crumble. Nana Patekar, like Krishna from Mahabharata, silently watches from the wings and gives calculated cues to his warriors. His reactions are superb, and without much dialogue, he conveys more than his many of his younger counterparts do.

Manoj Bajpai is sharp. This film offers him another chance to perform to his awesome potential, and he holds it perfectly right to the end. Even though his character is similar to Rampal’s angry & bratty Prithvi, Bajpai is extremely convincing and breathes life into Veerendra Pratap.

Prakash Jha deftly handles his technical crew. The cinematography is superlative as is Shyam Kaushal’s nail biting action sequences. Wayne Sharpe’s background score is excellent and the Rajneeti theme is haunting and dramatic. Rajneeti packs in some racy drama and keeps you glued to your seat right to the end.

Watch the film as a definitive reflection of our times and forgive its casting director for not choosing more experienced actors.