Movie Review: Raayan
Duration: 145.12 min
Kaathavarayan ( Dhanush) shares a special bond with his sister Durga ( Dushara) whom he had taken care of right from her birth. Circumstances have forced Raayan and his two younger brothers Muthuvel ( Sundeep Kishan) and Manickavel ( Kalidas Jayram) to leave their villagr and escape to Chennai where they build a new life, aided by Sekar (Selvaraghavan) who gives Raayan a job at the vegetable market.
When they grow up, Raayan runs a fast food stall while Manickavel goes to college. Muthuvel, a short tempered alcoholic, often gets into skirmishes and Raayan gets him out of trouble. Mekala (Aparna Balamurli) loves him but her father (Ilavarsan) is against the match.
Durai ( Saravanan) and Sethuraman ( SJ Suryah) are notorious ganglords in the area baying for each others blood. They are being investigated by a ruthless cop, R Sargunam (Prakash Raj). He wants to catch both the rivals at any cost and is waiting for a spark to set off a gang war which will help clean up the city.
That spark inadvertantly becomes a drunk Manickavel, who in a bar fight, unknowingly kills Durai's son amongst others.
This act tips the balance and inadvertantly brings Raayan and his siblings into the very centre of a gang war.
What happens next? Does Raayan safeguard himself and his family? Or is he dragged into a path of bloodshed that he wants to avoid at any cost?
In Dhanush's second directorial, ( after Pa Pandi), he has excelled in delivering an all out action, revenge saga with a strong emotional core.
Among director Dhanush's many strengths is his casting. Every actor has been chosen with care and each character has been given space to prove himself which work tremendously in the film's favor and elevates the film straightaway.
The film is a revenge drama, about a man who is reluctantly forced to be violent due to his circumstances. And at every point, this is substantiated by Raayan's continued advice to his brothers to stay out of power struggles and irresponsible behaviour. The detailing Dhanush brings in his writing of characters, their actions, dialogues and traits helps in building a connect with each main character. That way when violence erupts, the viewer stays invested in the character's fate.
Despite a violent start in life, Raayan wants to lead a normal life and avoid conflict. The scene where he explains the vortex of the power game to his brothers, stands out, both for its content and Dhanush's performance.
A fast- paced screenplay, with twists at regular intervals, keep you engrossed and glued to the screen.
The strong emotional ties, yet the slowly emerging grudges and rumbles of discontent in family dynamics is strongly established, leading to surprises and also hugely impactful fallouts for each of them, and which substantiates the subsequent actions of Raayan and Durga later.
The dialogues which are crisp and convey the meaning without extra flab, are another highlight.
The bgm of AR Rahman greatly supports the action and drama while Om Prakash's dark frames, the play of light and shadow and use of red tones and firelight, adds to the drama on screen.
The dance choreography in a final song with all the main characters, in the climax is superbly powerful, dramatic and rivetting.
Sundeep Kishan and Kalidas Jayram have given top notch performances. Dushara steals the show in a meaty role, with a powerful performance in the second half. Selvaraghavan with his measured act brings gravitas to his role. Aparna Balamurli gives a sound performance while Prakash Raj add a quaint touch by his presence and measured act. Sj Suryah is at his powerhouse best and several scenes between SJ Suryah and Dhanush stand out. Varalaxmi Sarathkumar minimal presence is impactful ( maybe if there is a sequel, her role would gain importance?)
Dhanush's performance is superbly intense and spellbinding in every frame. He shines in the action sequences, superbly crafted by Peter Hein while the scenes with Durga and his brothers bring out his emotional facet in a finely nuanced performance. His eyes do the talking in every frame, as does his body language.
On the flip side is the gruesome violence and bloodbath especially more so in the second half and towards the climax which is not for the fainthearted. What happens to the siblings' parents could have been explained.
Raayan with its thrilling elements, an engrossing storyline with a strong emotional core, with a plethora of characters, exploring of how family relationahips and dynamics can change the course of life , regular twists in the tale, superb performances and Dhanush's intense, layered and finely honed act as a strong man with a vulnerable side, establishes his mettle yet again, both, as a superb performer and a director on top of his craft. A finely crafted, gripping watch.
Rating 3.75 /5
CAST:
Dhanush
SJ Suryah
Prakash Raj
Selvaraghavan
Sundeep Kishan
Kalidas Jayaram
Dushara Vijayan
Aparna Balamurali
Varalakshmi Sarathkumar
Saravanan
Dileepan
CREW:
Writer- Director: Dhanush
Produced by: Sun Pictures
Producer: Kalanithi Maran
Music: AR Rahman
Dop: Om Prakash
Editor: Prasanna
Choreographer: Prabhu Deva, Baba Baskar
Production Designer: Jacki
Lyricist: Poet’u Dhanush, Gana Kadhar, Arivu
Costume Designer: Kavya Sriram
Action: Peter Hein
Make-up: B Raja
Stills: Theni Murugan
Publicity: Sivam C Kabilan
Production Controller: Ramesh Kuchirayar
Executive Producer: Sreyas Srinivasan
