Make no mistake, I am an ardent Mani Ratnam fan. And I am not even a critic. But the fact that one of the most intelligent film-makers made this movie, or shall I say, sheer torture, saddens me to no ends. For someone who has made Bombay, Roja, Mouna Raagam, Nayakan, Kannathil Muthamittal and numerous other cult movies, Raavan comes, perhaps as an indicator that Mr. Ratnam's directorial career is heading towards an unceremonius,fag end. How can someone who made Naayakan, give us Raavan? Raavan, is neither a love-hate story nor a movie depicting the reason why naxalites are what they are. Some may call it a delapitated version of modern Ramayana. I will call it as Mr. Ratnam's biggest mistake. I have a serious advice for him, please watch all the movies you had directed till now and then go about your next movie, for you shall know, better than any of your viewers, that your ardent and most loyal fans like me, did not deserve this.
I shall not delve into the storyline per say but there are a few aspects that everyone reading this should know. For those who have seen Rajnikant's hit Tamil movie 'Chandramukhi', Abhishek Bachhan seems to have watched countless re-runs of the dog scene of its hit song 'Ra Ra'..(the tamil version of Bhul Bhulaiya's Mere Dholna, nothing as exquisite as the Vidya Balan song)..his acting is not even a topic worth discussing and I don't believe myself when I write that Abhishek's acting isn't the worst part about this movie. There is no storyline. I had read somewhere ages back that Mr. Ratnam had shot four climax scenes for this movie because he was unable to decide which one to go with. Perhaps till the end, he did not know which storyline to go by. One minute you are shown a gross-looking Govinda as a caricature of Hanuman and the other minute you are made to believe that the naxalites are like that because of the atrocities of the police. This ever so topsy-turvy storyline(if you may call it that) is too much for someone who had expected another classic like Kannathil Muthamittal(albeit with subtitles) from this genius. Mani Sir, I still revere you, and come what may, I will still watch all your movies despite you holding on to the plastic-demon couple but giving us Raavan and expecting the same adulation as Naayakan and Roja fetched you, is like asking us to support Pakistan in an India-Pakistan cricket match.
Perhaps the genius did realise that this venture shall not be well received and won't create the same magic as his previous blockbusters. For those who heard and saw it, recently there were rumours of Mrs. Plastic Bachhan and Mr. Stone Bachhan expecting their first kid. That might have been a ploy to create some much-needed publicity for this movie. Nevertheless, even if trade pundits go on to declare that Raavan is the biggest hit of all times, everyone who has watched this movie and everyone who is reading this and will still watch the movie, will know it within his heart, that it is difficult to choose the better movie out of the two, Kites and Raavan.
I will not stop you from watching this movie but do watch that show which costs you the least. Perhaps then, you shall not face the anguish which I am facing right now.
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