Raavan | |
---|---|
Directed by | Mani Ratnam |
Screenplay by | Mani Ratnam Vijay Krishna Acharya (Dialogues) |
Produced by | Mani Ratnam Sharada Trilok |
Starring | Abhishek Bachchan Aishwarya Rai Bachchan Vikram Govinda Nikhil Dwivedi Ravi Kishan Priyamani Prithviraj Sukumaran |
Cinematography | Santosh Sivan V. Manikandan |
Edited by | A. Sreekar Prasad |
Music by | A. R. Rahman |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Reliance BIG Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 131 minutes [1] |
Country | India |
Language | Hindi |
Budget | ₹550 million (US$6.9 million) [2] |
Box office | ₹495 million (US$6.2 million) [2] |
Raavan is a 2010 Indian Hindi-language epic action-adventure film written and directed by Mani Ratnam, who also co-produced the film. It stars Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Vikram, while Govinda, Nikhil Dwivedi, Ravi Kishan and Priyamani feature in key supporting roles. It marks the Hindi film debuts of Vikram and Priyamani. The film follows the crux of the epic Ramayana , but with a modernized plot which reveals the perspective of Ravana.
Raavan was announced in February 2008, whilst Abhishek and Aishwarya's collaboration in the second time after Guru (2007), [3] creating more anticipation. Shooting began soon after, and took place in various locations with a record number of extras in areas including Chalakudy, Kerala and Ooty, Tamil Nadu amongst other regions throughout India. The film's music was composed by A. R. Rahman, with lyrics written by Gulzar, the cinematography was handled by V. Manikandan and Santhosh Sivan, and editing is done by A. Sreekar Prasad.
The film was simultaneously released in Tamil as Raavanan with Vikram, playing the lead role and Aishwarya Rai reprising her role in Tamil as well. Both versions released simultaneously on 18 June 2010 worldwide. The film's premiere was held in London on 16 June 2010. [4]
A naxalite named Beera Munda and his gang are busy distracting the cops, where police vehicles are set ablaze and women seduce cops into a trap whereby Beera's henchmen attacks and brutally kill them. Whilst on a boating trip, Raagini Sharma is kidnapped by Beera, where her husband ASP Dev Pratap Sharma, is informed of the incident. It is revealed that Beera is a local hero in his village, who runs a parallel government in rural areas with his brothers – Mangal and Hariya. Though considered a naxalite by the local police, Beera is respected by the villagers. He actually kidnapped Raagini hoping to avenge the death of his sister Jamunia, where he brings her to a cliff to kill her. She refuses to die at his hands and jumps off the cliff into the water far below, hoping to kill herself, but to no avail.
This causes Beera to hold off the murder, being unable to kill someone who has no fear of death. Dev and his team enter the forests with the aid of Sanjeevani Kumar, a local forest guard. Despite searching deep in the forests, Dev is unable to hunt down Veera. Meanwhile, Raagini (who is actually suffering from Stockholm Syndrome) learns that Dev had led an encounter against Veera during Jamunia's wedding, where his shot grazed Beera in the neck. Fighting for his life, Beera is unable to protect his sister and is led out of the fiasco by his gang. The police pressurised Jamunia into revealing Veera's hideout. When she refused, she was subjected to torture and was physically assaulted by the cops. Beera returned home to find Jamunia depressed and traumatised. The next day, Jamunia committed suicide by drowning in a nearby well. Unhappy with the ways of leading the war causing distress to his gang, Hariya offers a truce to Dev, who initially seems to agree.
When Hariya arrives from his hideout, Dev shoots him to death revealing that he considers the destruction of Beera as more important than saving Raagini. Beera and Mangal are enraged and attack Dev's camp where they wipe out completely. A final confrontation ensues between Beera and Dev on a rickety bridge where Beera triumphs over Dev, but leaves him as Dev told that he is leaving him alive because of Raagini. Dev manages to extricate himself out and finds Raagini bound and tied up with Veera leaving her. While returning to their hometown, Dev accuses Raagini of infidelity and informs her that Beera actually told him. Furious, Raagini leaves Dev to meet Beera through Mangal, where she manages to meet him and asks him about the accusation. Beera denies the accusation, where the duo quickly realises that Dev lied, hoping Raagini would lead him to his hideout. Dev appears with a police team and confronts Beera. Raagini tries to save Beera, but he pushes her out of the line of fire, and is shot multiple times, where Beera falls to his death with a smile while Ragini is distraught.
During the making of his 2007 biopic Guru starring Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Mani Ratnam had finalised a script for his next directorial venture titled Lajjo. [6] Based on a short story by Ismat Chughtai, [7] it was a musical period film set in the desert and was to star Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor in the lead. [8] Though the film was slated to go on floors after the release of the former, [9] there were reports of a fall-out between Ratnam and Khan due to creative differences. While cinematographer P. C. Sreeram denied the reports, [10] the film's would-be lyricist Gulzar said there were actually problems with acquiring the copyright of the story, [11] and composer A. R. Rahman even confirmed to having completed 80% of the film score. [12] Yet, the project was put on the back burner for reasons unknown. [13] [14]
Following the critical and commercial success of Guru, Ratnam announced his next film in February 2008. [15] A modern-day retelling of the mythological epic Ramayana , the film again features the real life couple in the lead. [16] The film was initially planned to be made only in Hindi and the idea for the Tamil version came later. [17] In January 2009, while the film was in the making, it was further decided to dub the Tamil version to Telugu making it a tri-lingual. [18] [19] While the film was yet to be titled, [20] it was widely reported in the media that the Tamil version was titled Ashokavanam in reference to the place where Sita was held captive by Ravana. [21] Subsequently, the film was titled Raavan in Hindi and Raavanan in Tamil. [22] While the plot is inspired by Ramayana, the story is narrated from Ravana's perspective making him the protagonist. [23] The film is centered on the 'Ashokavanam' episode where Ravana kidnaps Sita and keeps her in Asokavanam. Later Rama ventures to save his wife and bring her back.
Bachchan and Vikram were roped in for the contrasting leads. [17] Rai plays the female lead in both versions of the film. [24]
Manikandan was hired as the film's cinematographer; however, he walked out in May 2009 and was replaced by Santosh Sivan. [25] [26] The editing was done by Sreekar Prasad. [27] Rai's costumes were exclusively designed by fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee. [28] Choreography was by Ganesh Acharya, Brinda, Shobana, [29] and Astad Deboo. Peter Hein and Shyam Koushal choreographed the action sequences and Samir Chanda took care of production design.
Raavan was shot in numerous locations around India including the forests of Karnataka (Tumkur), Kerala (Athirappilly Falls), [30] Ooty, Dharmapuri (Hogenakkal Falls), Jhansi, Kolkata, Mahabaleshwar and in the Malshej Ghats in Maharashtra. [31] [32]
Principal photography commenced in October 2008, in the forests near Kochi, Kerala. A few scenes were filmed at Athirappilly Falls, Ratnam's favourite location. Incidentally, he has shot for the songs 'Jiya Jale' in Dil Se.. and 'Barso Re' in Guru at the same location. [33] Forest officials banned the shooting at Malayattoor, an eco-tourism centre, for violating rules and constructing temporary huts, [34] [35] [36] [37] [38] delaying the shoot for 11 days until the issues were resolved on 22 October 2008, while laying down reworked rules. [39] [40] [41] The second leg of the shooting at Ooty that began in December 2008 was also delayed as local cab drivers protested the use of film federation (FEFSI) vehicles which affected their business, [42] [43] forcing a dejected Ratnam to call off the shoot temporarily and move on to Hogenakkal Falls. [44] [45] In February 2009, the crew advanced to Kolkata where the song 'Kalvare' was shot by the banks of Hooghly at Agarpara. [46] [47] [48] [49] Later, as the shooting resumed and progressed at Ooty, Ratnam fell ill in April 2009 and was hospitalised at Apollo Hospitals, [50] [51] [52] causing a further delay of 47 days until filming resumed in June 2009 following his recovery. [53] As the numerous delays affected his other projects, DOP Manikandan walked out in May and was replaced by Santosh Sivan. [54] [55] By July, the crew moved back to Kerala, [56] to reshoot a few scenes at Chalakudy as Ratnam was reportedly unsatisfied after seeing the rushes. [57] [58] This time around, heavy rains played spoilsport leading to another delay in filming. [59] Moreover, when an elephant brought for the shoot ran amok killing the mahout, [60] the Animal Welfare Board served a show cause notice to the production company (Madras Talkies) for not taking permission to use elephants. [61] [62]
The film began its last schedule in August 2009 at the Malshej Ghats in Maharashtra where the climax sequence was shot, [63] the final encounter taking place on a wooden bridge. [64] Production designer Samir Chanda built three identical bridges to facilitate the scene to be captured from different angles. [65] [66] Though initially planned to be built either in Sri Lanka, Australia or South Africa, the bridge was constructed in Mumbai to reduce costs. [67] [68] While bad weather and heavy rains disrupted shoot for a few days, [69] the forest department filed cases against some crew members for trespassing. [70] [71] The film went into post-production by the end of 2009. [72]
Numerous action sequences were performed by the actors. [73] The actors suffered from real cuts and bruises so they didn't need make up. [74] [75] The stunts were directed by Mani Ratnam and choreographed by Peter Hein, who received a Filmfare action award for the Hindi versions of Ghajini and Anniyan . For his introduction scene, the protagonist has to jump from a 90-foot high cliff near the Hogenakkal Falls into the river below. [76] This risky dive was performed by a body double, Balram, a Bangalore based former national diving champion. [77] Kalarippayattu, a martial art form origaniting from Kerala, was also featured in the film. Sunil Kumar, a Kalari gym trainer from Kozhikode, trained the actors. [78] Dancer Astad Deboo choreographed a passionate chase scene and a tandav dance between Abhishek and Aishwarya for the film. [79] [80] [81] [82]
The soundtrack for the film was composed by A. R. Rahman with lyrics penned by Gulzar. It features six songs and an additional song that was performed by Rahman at the audio launch. It was released on 7 May 2010 by T-Series.
The additional track performed by Rahman, titled "Jaare Ud Jaare", was not included in the CD. The song was cited to be an "instant composition": "The night before the launch, Rahman closeted himself in his Mumbai studio and worked through the night to compose the song." This song is believed to be included in the later stages. [83] The soundtrack also features three additional songs that were featured in the movie.
Raavan, along with its simultaneously made Tamil version Raavanan, was released on 18 June 2010.
Among Indian film critics, Raavan received mixed reviews and responses. [84] Rajeev Masand of IBN gave the film 1.5/5 and said, "Despite some eye-watering camerawork and a stunning action piece in the film's climax, the film -- especially its first half -- is a carelessly edited mess of long scenes that make little sense when strung together." [85] Noyon Jyoti Parasara of AOL rated it 2.5/5 and stated, "Raavan is more a choreographed musical-cum-psychological drama but without proper character backing. What makes the movie worth watching is the peaks in the second half, of course apart from the imagery." [86] Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama rated it 1.5/5 and said, "On the whole, Raavan is a king-sized disappointment, in terms of content." [87] Sukanya Venkatraghavan of Filmfare rated the film 3/5 and said, "Raavan has its moments but it lacks depth. The first half is fairly riveting but the second half slowly slips into a coma." [88] Nikhat Kazmi of The Times of India rated it favourably at 3.5/5, saying, "There are enough punches in the second half to keep the momentum going, but by and large, the film scores mostly on art and aesthete." [89] Raja Sen of Rediff rated it 2/5 and said, "Raavan truly and tragically fails us is in taking one of our greatest epics, and making it unforgivably boring." [90] Parimal Rohit of Buzzine Bollywood said, "Raavan is ultimately a clever film, as it pushed the envelope on how one goes about defining who is good and who is evil." [91]
As of February 2022 [update] , Raavan holds a 46% approval rating among the audience. [92] Cath Clarke of The Guardian gave the film a rating of 2/5 and found it sexist, [93] while New York Post critic Lou Lumenick wrote, "If you're not a fan of Bollywood movies – which have long resisted crossover attempts in this country despite the success of hybrids such as Slumdog Millionaire — Mani Ratnam's action melodrama Raavan probably isn't going to make a convert out of you." [94] However, Frank Lovece of Film Journal International found it a "cracklingly stylish, suspenseful psychological drama" with "a visual sense that evokes David Fincher at his darkest", and admired the dance numbers, "one taking place somewhat naturalistically at a wedding, the other essentially a stunning war dance." [95]
The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times likewise gave it positive reviews: Rachel Saltz of the former made it a Times "Critic's Pick" and lauded Ratnam as "a talented visual storyteller who directs action crisply and fills the screen with striking images" including "an eye-popping climactic battle", [96] while Kevin Thomas of the latter said the film "is replete with dizzying camerawork, myriad complications, violent mayhem, broad humor, [the] usual musical interludes, a cliffhanging climactic confrontation and a finish that strikes a note of poignancy." [97]
Raavan opened "below expectations" at the Indian box office, with the Hindi version earning Rs 60.1 million on its opening day. [98] [99] In North America, Raavan opened in 120 theaters and ranked No. 15 on the domestic weekend box office chart with $760. Box Office India declared the film a Flop. [100]
Unlike its Hindi counterpart, which tanked at the box office, the Tamil version tasted success in the South. [101] [102] During its opening weekend on 15 screens in Chennai, it was the number one film and netted ₹9 million (US$110,000), an opening weekend record then. [103] [104] Though the film opened to packed houses, it slumped a little due to mixed reviews but later picked up following a local holiday. [105] The film collected $8 million at the box office in the first month of release [106] including $400,000 from Kerala. [107] [108] It went on to make over ₹ 600 million at the worldwide box office and remained one of the top Tamil grossers of the year. [109] Uk opening weekend. [110] UK boxoffice second week. [111] New York boxoffice. [112] [113]
Won [114]
Nominated [115]
Nominated [116]
Nominated [117]
Gopala Ratnam Subramaniam, known professionally as Mani Ratnam, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. Ratnam has won six National Film Awards, four Filmfare Awards, six Filmfare Awards South, and numerous awards at various film festivals across the world. In 2002, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri, acknowledging his contributions to film.
Abhishek Bachchan is an Indian actor and film producer known for his work in Hindi films. Part of the Bachchan family, he is the son of actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan and the grandson of poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan and social activist Teji Bachchan.
Sarkar Raj is a 2008 Indian Hindi-language political crime thriller film directed by Ram Gopal Varma. The film is a sequel to the 2005 film Sarkar and the second installment of Sarkar film series. The film was premiered at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, the New York Asian Film Festival, and the 9th IIFA World Premiere-Bangkok.
Kennedy John Victor, better known by his stage name Vikram, is an Indian actor and playback singer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema and has also acted in Malayalam, Telugu and Hindi films. He is among the most decorated actors in Tamil cinema, with awards including seven Filmfare Awards South, a National Film Award and a Tamil Nadu State Film Award. Amongst his other honours include the Kalaimamani Award from the Government of Tamil Nadu in 2004 and an honorary doctorate by the Popular University of Milan in May 2011. Based on the earnings of Indian celebrities, Vikram was included in the Forbes India Celebrity 100 list for 2016 and 2018. He played a variety of roles in his films, and he is among the most prolific actors in Indian cinema.
Ravan, or Ravana, is the prime antagonist in the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is an Indian actress and the winner of the Miss World 1994 pageant. Primarily known for her work in Hindi and Tamil films, she has established herself as one of the most popular and influential celebrities in India. Rai has received numerous accolades, including two Filmfare Awards, and was honoured with the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2009 and the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the Government of France in 2012. She has often been cited in the media as "the most beautiful woman in the world".
V. Manikandan is a leading cinematographer who works as the cinematographer for a number of major box office hits in Hindi, Tamil and Malayalam. He is an ad film cinematographer with more than 3000 ad films to his credit.
Raavanan is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language epic action-adventure film co-written, co-produced, and directed by Mani Ratnam.The film stars Vikram, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Prithviraj Sukumaran with a supporting cast led by Karthik, Prabhu Ganeshan and Priyamani. It marked Aishwarya Rai’s return to Tamil after a decade gap, since her last Tamil film, Kandukondain Kandukondain (2000). The film follows the crux of the epic Ramayana, with a ruthless cop named Dev Prakash Subramaniam, who is on a quest to find a tribal leader-turned naxalite named Veeraiya as he had kidnapped his wife Raagini, who is suffering from Stockholm syndrome and begins to develop emotions for Veeraiya after learning his purpose.
Nikhil Dwivedi is an Indian actor and producer who works in Hindi cinema. He is best known for his role in television series Scam 1992 (2020). His other acting roles include My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves (2008), Raavan (2010), Shor in the City (2011), Ankahi Kahaniya (2021). As a producer, he has produced films like Veere Di Wedding (2018) and Dabangg 3 (2019).
Raavan is the soundtrack composed by A. R. Rahman, who accompanied for the music and background score for the 2010 Hindi film of the same name, directed by Mani Ratnam. It was released on 7 May 2010, by the label T-Series. The soundtrack features six songs, with four additional tracks included in the film were released later; the lyrics being penned by Gulzar. The same soundtrack was used for the Tamil version of the film, titled Raavanan as well as the Telugu dubbed version, titled Villain.
Raavanan is the soundtrack album composed by A. R. Rahman, who accompanied for the music and background score for the 2010 Indian Tamil film of the same name, written and directed by Mani Ratnam. The film marks Rahman's second collaboration with actor Vikram after Pudhiya Mannargal (1994). The soundtrack album was released by Sony Music on 28 May 2010.
"Changing Seasons" is a music video by Indian composer A. R. Rahman. The video was simultaneously released in Hindi and Tamil on 18 January 2011. The song "Jaare Udd Jaare" (Hindi) / "Naan Varuvene" (Tamil) featured in the video was composed by Rahman and performed by Rahman and Jali Fily Cissokho. The video, produced by Y. M. Movies and filmed by John Warner, features Aishwarya Rai along with Rahman. The song was originally composed for Bollywood film Raavan and its Tamil version Raavanan. The song was previously released on the Hindi Raavan (soundtrack) and the Tamil Raavanan soundtrack albums respectively in 2010.
Kadal is a 2013 Indian Tamil-language drama film co-written, co-produced and directed by Mani Ratnam. The film stars debutantes Gautham Karthik, and Thulasi Nair, with Arjun Sarja, Aravind Swamy and Lakshmi Manchu in supporting roles. The music was composed by A. R. Rahman. The film revolves around life of Christian fishermen who instill the fact that how faith can sometimes lead to the triumph of humanity.
Gautham Karthik is an Indian actor who works in Tamil-language films. He made his acting debut in Mani Ratnam's Kadal (2013).
Sobhita Dhulipala is an Indian actress and model who works primarily in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil and Malayalam films. She won the Femina Miss India Earth 2013 title at Femina Miss India 2013 pageant and represented India at Miss Earth 2013. Dhulipala made her acting debut in Anurag Kashyap's thriller film Raman Raghav 2.0 (2016) and she went on to star in the Telugu films Goodachari (2018) and Major (2022), and the Malayalam film Kurup (2021). She has also starred in the Amazon Prime Video drama series Made in Heaven (2019).
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is an Indian actress who has appeared in 47 films in five languages, predominantly in Hindi and Tamil. She made her acting debut in 1997 with dual role in Mani Ratnam's Tamil political drama film Iruvar, and her Bollywood debut that same year in the romantic comedy Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya opposite Bobby Deol. Rai followed it with a leading role in Jeans (1998), a high-profile Tamil film that was submitted as India's official entry to the Academy Awards. She won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for her breakthrough role in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's romantic drama Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and starred as a singer in the musical drama Taal.
Abhishek Bachchan is an Indian actor and producer known for his work in Hindi films. He made his debut in 2000, opposite Kareena Kapoor, in the J. P. Dutta-directed war drama Refugee. His portrayal of the titular unnamed refugee garnered him a nomination for Best Male Debut at the Filmfare Awards ceremony. However, the film was a box office failure, as were a series of his subsequent films, including Bas Itna Sa Khwaab Hai (2001), and Shararat (2002). His career prospects improved in 2004, when he played a gangster in the Mani Ratnam-directed political drama Yuva, and a police officer in Sanjay Gadhvi's action thriller Dhoom. For the former, he won his first Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor, and the latter became one of the highest-grossing films of the year and his first commercial success.
Mani Ratnam is an Indian filmmaker who works predominantly in Tamil cinema. Regarded as one of the greatest Indian filmmakers, he is credited with redefining the "range and depth of Tamil cinema". As of 2019, he has directed 28 films, and produced over 15 under his production company Madras Talkies.