Watch Raavanan For Free

That was an excellent one.

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

A pure cinematic treat! Crime noir pulled off perfectly well without violence Its like watching a maniratnam film in parts. THe scenery of Roja, the retribution theme of Dil Se (Uyire in Tamil) , the atmospheric thrill of Thirudha Thirudha and the grand feel cast assemble of Yuva ( Ayudha ezhuthu in Tamil)This is a story closely resembling the real life character called Veerapan, a well known bandit of South India mixed with the classic story of Rama and Sita legend. Genius!and the bestpart of the movie is the atmosphere , it feels like one is really living the bandit character on screen, feel his emotions and know what he is thinking. Amazing. A group of criminals, a police manhunt, a lush forest and a woman caught in between. The visuals are extraordinary, the atmosphere is dark and moody, the plot is terrific and the action is mind bogglingly flowing without any bloodshed and minimal pyrotechnicsThis is a must watch either on big screen or in HD home theater. Watch the atmospheric visuals come to life with beautiful scenery of a lush jungle, with rain effect put to good use in all scenes...This is a gritty and thrilling drama of abduction, adultery, crime , a wild goose chase and a revenge tale rolled into one, all occurring in a middle of the worst monsoon season and surprisingly well crafted in equal parts carrying a strong flavor of crime film noir straight out from a David Fincher movie . Definitely not worth missing for the tight screenplay and excellent cinematography. The trailers don't do any justice to this film. It has to be experienced on the big screenOne would love to think it cant be an Indian movie but though it is, it has little to do with conventional Indian film making antics but made as one that will challenge Hollywood with a genre bending tale with all the technical bells and whistles.Some critics may argue it is not maniratnam's best work, but definitely its Maniratnam's best turn towards a new direction ( Yuva, Guru) which no other director in the last few years have done. The feel of this movie is just marvellous ,natural and gritty. Of all maniratnams;'s movies , Raavanan is probably one that makes u feel the same way as as his other Roja and Kannathil Muthamittal.The film is another magnum opus from internationally acclaimed director Maniratnam. In case u haven't seen any of his well made films in the last 2 decades, its a privilege to see one , especially Ravana in which Maniratnam returns with a unprecedented bang at the box office

There is a terrifying sequence during Mani Ratnam's Raavanan, or 'Villain' out of the Tamil language and into the English one, that sees two hard-bodied men, both specialists in what it is they do either side of the line of the law, duking it out on board a delicate rope bridge hovering above a drop, which will bring about certain death, as its gradual falling apart syncs up with how much the two men's hating of one another escalates during this fight – such are the lengths you'd probably go for Aishwarya Rai. The sequence carries with it a great deal of both horror and trepidation, principally because it is as a fight to the death and we genuinely feel someone is going to get seriously hurt, but additionally because we are inclined naturally to get behind one man and yet are simultaneously invited to root for the other. This recent Indian film, about the good guy not necessarily being all that nice and the titular villain not necessarily being as evil nor as one dimensional as one would assume, is a sweeping and deeply involving piece; a film it is difficult not to get as involved in as I did; a film with a concise and interesting idea at its core, before efficiently going on to explore such items in an exciting and cinematic manner.We begin with a series of sequences highlighting a real disregard to police officers, or those of whom stand for law and authority; the merciless execution of several Indian police officials and the rampaging through their offices carried out with brutal precision. Those perpetrating the chaos are followers loyal to that of Veeraiya (Vikram), an influential and physically toned individual whom occupies lonely forestry up in the rural nowheres of India with his minions; a man whom the police so desperately desire to catch and someone who shares some back-story with that of local police chief named Dev Subramaniam (Prithviraj), against whom this war on the machine of law and order is effectively raged. Dev is equally inclined towards his job, carrying with him respective characteristics of influence and physicality only dedicated to fighting for the polar opposites to that of what Veeraiya strives towards. The existence between the two becomes particularly heightened when Veeraiya takes it on himself to kidnap Dev's wife, a Sita named Ragini played by the aforementioned Rai; thus kicking into action all sorts of strife and hard-edged plights which formulates the bulk of the film as Dev and a crack team of commandos plus one eccentric forest expert take it upon themselves to find her.Dragged through the jungles, Ragini's appearance as a smart, photogenic and outspoken woman amidst an array of disparate Veeraiya-led troops consisting of various unshaven; overweight and cross dressing individuals, is stark. She manages to hold her corner; to philosophise and later comes to instill some sort of thinking or order into the wild society of fear and gangsterism she finds herself enraptured in, a society encapsulated by Veeraiya's own uncontrollable characteristic of having several disconnected, sporadic voices inside of his head at once which is challenged. Principally, it is a film exploring the duality Ragini has with her captor; Mani Ratnam's piece a text rife with varying elements of Stockholm Syndrome pausing for thought and refraining form merely relegating Ragini to that of the damsel requiring rescuing. The film does so in providing her with scenes and exchanges that she shares with her captors that are full of life and energy; something that runs in deliberate contrast to that of the police and their searchings, which gradually become more and more anonymous as motions are gone through and sequences that we've all seen before of them hunting through wildlife, or whatever, are provided.Running with the same theme, the idea is captured by way of a terrific dance number at the bandit's jungle-set abode; a number which celebrates, despite their ways, individualism and a living of their own way of life with their own infrastructures and foundations - something placed into contrast to that of the officials and their blank nature and preordained demeanour, gradually becoming more and more anonymous in comparison to Veeraiya and his clan's exaggerated and spontaneous existence. A further instance of this subverting of the respective male leads and their personas is in Veeraiya's raiding of a local police camp; the uncovering of his file mugshot seeing him verbally identify the brooding, threatening anonymity of the hulking terrorist criminal in comparison to what he feels is truthfully there in relation to him.The scenes between Ragini and Veeraiya carry with them a real sense of shift and change in that, as she fights him and he subdues her attacks, his face brushes through her hair during a physical evading; something executed in such a manner that when Ragini has some linen brushed across her own face when another attack is foiled on another occasion involving Veeraiya, their sharing of the the same physical sensations born out of similar catalysts suggest an echoing of respective internal responses. In spite of my comment made in jest about what one would do to get Aishwarya Rai back, there is this burning question hanging over proceedings, even highlighted by those within, as to whether Dev chases the villain out of personal motivation due to his wife's taking, or professional levels born out of the fact he has hated Veeraiya for a lot longer than he has loved Ragini. The drama born out of this ambiguity, of which, works well. The film is a really involving; well made and taut thriller whose undercurrent of forbidden romance as the idyllic Indian wife is allured by that of the bandit, and he himself by a human he cannot push around nor merely tame, is set up and explored wonderfully well; a rousing and involving film one cannot help but recommend.

What I can say about the movie..... WOW, only Mani can make like this. I watched both version, simply superb, I love the tamil version. The music, picturization, editing, direction overall...speaks the Director new imagination. Oh yeah, the powerful star casts. Mind blowing performances. Did anyone feel "The Raavan" from Mani's view? WOW...... only Mani can touch that .... The modern RAM and RAAVAN...I watched both version...GO AND WATCH THE MOVIE IN BIG SCREENS..FEEL THE NEW KIND OF CINEMA I have read so many bad reviews for this movie....come on ppl ... i don't understand y people make a mindset with full of expectation for this movie. and y ppl comparing with his previous movies? Yes, it is maniratnum's movie. Forgot abt his previous movies. if the director make movies with mindset compare his previous work, i think mani's last movie is Roja. I really like the way he took challenges to giv new kind of cinema....make us to feel his new touch...his imagination, his technical skills,... Overall ,Raavan and Raavan is must watch movie ..feel the director new imagination, wonderful direction, strong powerful performance from main leads. I never thing so, any other director have this kind imagination, or make movies like this nowadays.

Usually a Mani Ratnam film gets two reviews. Either Brilliant or Boring. But Raavanan is unique in the sense that a viewer cannot tag this movie under any of the two Bs. This film has got it all - Big time pre-release Hype, Technically astounding visuals, sensational music, exceptional acting from the Lead characters, powerful visual metaphors and the fascinating intellect of the director, yet one feels at the end of it all something critical is missing. Raavanan stands up tall, but one expected it to fly high, which it never does.Mani Ratnam's movies prosper in the Hype surrounding it before its release, but Raavanan needed less of these hypes. For once, it seems, the publicity has marred the grip that the screenplay could have otherwise had on the viewer. For, the story is just a modern adaptation of the Ramayana and almost all of us know what the epic holds in its stable.STORYLINE : The face-off between Dev (Prithviraj) an upright police officer and Veeraiya aka Veera (Vikram) is the central post around which the movie revolves. Dev is the usual clichéd police officer, bright, upright, honest et al. Veera, called Raavanan by all, is many things rolled into one. Fearless, imaginative, angry, intelligent, good hearted, he is all these and more, but what he is not, is being new to tamil cinema. Veera is the tribal version of Nayagan, a la God father to his people. The Dev -Veera battle gains an explosive premise with the kidnapping of Ragini (Aishwarya Rai Bachan) by veera and his people to avenge the death of Vennila Veera's sister(Priyamani). What happens hence is the story we all know.PERFORMANCES : For the record, Vikram has the role of his life and one must say he has performed with panache. That the role would have demanded extreme levels of skill and mettle is out of question. Aishwarya Rai is another actor that Mani Ratnam has used brilliantly. She shines in her part. Vulnerability, ferocity, grit, pain, she carries all these emotions admirably. The pair of veterans Prabhu and Karthik do their roles perfectly. The technical front of the movie keeps the viewer hooked. Cinematography deserves a special mention. The camera angles and the visuals are spell binding and the entire feel is poetic. Editing is top notch, yet the speed could have been bettered especially in the first half. A.R.Rahman has added real muscle to the movie. His belligerent tracks are already a rage. The re-recording is top notch. Where words fail, the Re-recording sizzles. Kudos ARR!DOWNFALLS : Movies like Raavanan need Dialogues of the highest standard. Powerful, precise and razor sharp. But sadly, Suhasini Maniratnam's dialogues range from, Weak to downright silly. The power of dialogues cannot be questioned and one wonders how come Mani Ratnam over looked this aspect of the movie. But the principle disappointing factor is the weak characterizations. Every character in the movie has a very frail flavor. The characterization is confusing. One feels Mani Ratnam is unsure of how he wants to project his characters. It doesn't help either when the director introduces sequences to act as metaphors of the Ramayana. Introducing Karthik as a tree jumping comic caper is Downright SILLY! In retrospect Karthik's entire role has been botched by the director's persistence to show him as Hanuman. Such irritating aspects of the film bring the appeal down drastically. Another huge problem with the flow of the movie is the reason for Veera targeting Dev. Revenge is totally baseless. Veera's sister's fate has nothing to do with dev, only the director has to explain why Dev's wife is kidnapped by Veera and once again the number 14 keeps cropping up senselessly. One wonders if Mani Ratnam bit off more than he could chew. In concentrating on making the movie in three languages, it seems the director's concentration has slipped and the screenplay and the story as a whole have sufferedBOTTOMLINE : Ravanan scores high on the technical front. Direction, music and cinematography are un-matched. Yet, something somewhere pulls the movie down from reaching greater heights. The characters needed more definition, the scenes needed more pace and the dialogues needed to be more powerful, menacing and explosive.The movie scorches the screen in parts. Certain sequences are Vintage Maniratnam. No one can do what he does, better. The whole movie carries his intellect and his brand identity yet, summing up Raavanan is tough, for, no verdict can justify the product. But one can safely say, the Whole is lesser than the sum of its parts.