ARR's site says Rhymeskool CDs are in Stores on 17th June..
--- In arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com, Gopal Srinivasan <catchg...@...> wrote: > > RaavanNikhat Kazmi, TNN, Jun 17, 2010, 09.11pm IST > > <http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/hindi/Raavan/moviereview/6058139.cms> > STILL FROM RAAVAN MORE > PICS<http://photogallery.indiatimes.com/articleshow/5858280.cms> > <http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/hindi/Raavan/moviereview/6058139.cms> > Critic's Rating: 3.5 > Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Vikram, Govinda, Ravi > Kishan > Direction: Mani Ratnam > Genre: Drama > Duration: 2 hours 6 minutes > Readers Rating: 3.5Rate this movie 1 (Poor) 1.5 (Below average) 2 > (Average) 2.5 (Above > average) 3 (Good) 3.5 (Good +) 4 (Very good) 4.5 (Very good +) > 5 (Outstanding) > <http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/hindi/Raavan/moviereview/6058139.cms#write> > *More from Raavan* > Trailer > Making of Mani Ratnam's 'Raavan' > First look: Abhishek's wild tribal dance in 'Raavan' > Aishwarya is the 'hero' of Raavan > Watch: 'Raagini' Ash's bubblier side in 'Raavan' > Abhi-Ash promote 'Raavan' at Cannes > 'Raavan' will not be screened at IIFA: Mani Ratnam > [image: > Photogallery]<http://photogallery.indiatimes.com/articleshow/5862546.cms> > Photogallery > <http://photogallery.indiatimes.com/articleshow/5862546.cms>[image: > Official Site] <http://www.raavan-thefilm.com/> > Official Site <http://www.raavan-thefilm.com/> > Story: Cop Dev Pratap Sharma (Vikram) has just one mission in his life. He > wants to capture the local outlaw, Beera (Abhishek Bachchan) who may be a > Robin Hood for the tribals around, nevertheless, he is a law breaker. More > importantly, he has kidnapped the cop's beautiful wife, Ragini (Aishwarya > Rai Bachchan) to avenge a personal grouse and has escaped into the dense > jungles. Turn ofevents: the kidnapper falls in love with his trophy victim > who too gets indecisive about where her loyalties lie.... > > Movie Review: The epics return again to contemporary cinema. After a > re-telling of the Mahabharata against a political backdrop in Prakash Jha's > Raajneeti, cineastes can now feast their eyes on a modern-day rewrite of the > Ramayana, against a cops-and-robbers canvas. > > Feast? Yes. The high point of Mani Ratnam's film is primarily its visual > opulence. The film is literally a work of art where one luminescent frame > follows another as the scenes keep shifting from one wet and rocky landscape > to another misty mountainscape. You can't seem to get enough of the montages > that leave you breathless with the excellent camera artistry by Santosh > Sivan and Manikandan. From the opening sequences where Beera (Abhishek) > smashes his boat into wide-eyed Aishwarya's canoe, to the fleeing, flinging, > fulminating visage of Aishwarya, captured against wild waterfalls, turbulent > tidal rivers, crumbling trees and silken drizzle, the film is a string of > breath taking images. So much so, you seem to forget -- and almost forgive > -- the fact that the first half hardly has any story. It is essentially just > one prolonged chase, where cop Dev (Vikram) relentlessly pursues criminal > Beera (Abhishek Bachchan) in order to rescue his wife (Ragini) and book the > fugitive who garners great local support. > ------------------------------ > Best Readers' Reviews Vikram performance is real gud unless somebody's > voluntary opinion about his acting skills...Read > more<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/hindi/Raavan/moviereview/6058139.cms> > swamilion Mumbai 17 Jun, 2010 2333hrs IST» MORE READER > REVIEWS<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/mvopinions/6058139.cms> > YOU CAN NOW SMS YOUR REVIEWS TO > 58888<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/hindi/Raavan/moviereview/6058139.cms#sms58888> > The paper-thin plot in the first half, does get you somewhat restless, > despite a seminal scene where Sita-esque Aishwarya suddenly discovers a > strange new emotion for a Raavan-esque Abhishek. After having labelled him > beastly and brutish, a complete low-life when compared to her devta-like > husband Dev, she finds herself being involuntarily drawn towards her > kidnapper, despite his muddy visage and his gory past. And herein lies the > second hook that draws you to the film: it's revisionist tale of a Sita-like > heroine flipping for a Raavan-like anti-hero, even as the traditional hero > gets imbued in grey tones.... The anti-hero has always remained an alluring > figure in cinema lore and Mani Ratnam carries his charisma forward with > Raavan. > > The second half of the film does get a semblance of story, with adequate > twists and turns which reflect the Surpanakha legend (again revised), the > Hanuman-Sita encounter, the Agni-pariksha demand (re-interpreted again as a > polygraph test) and the film moves from sheer visual to visceral too. 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. Everything seems to be > geared to make Raavan an object d'art, including the music (AR Rahman and > Gulzar create a few foot-tapping numbers), the stunts, the cinematography > and the no-make-up and heavily-made-up look of Aishwarya and Abhishek > respectively. However, a little more attention to the narrative was > desperately needed in Raavan. > > In terms of performance, Aishwarya stands out as the lead actor, with her > competent rendition of a woman who is torn between her love and loyalty > towards her husband and her attraction towards a misunderstood brigand, with > a heart of gold. Vikram, by and large remains a side hero: somewhat > undefined and formless while Govinda's Hanuman-like rendition of the forest > guard is flippant. Which brings us to Beera: Abhishek Bachchan is immensely > watchable, but he fails to lift the character of the anti-hero to another > level altogether. Maybe, a less of multani mitti (mud packs) and `bagad > billa' antics would have allowed the natural actor in him to surface and > bloom. Also, his other two outings with Mani Ratnam -- Yuva and Guru -- > definitely tower above Beera. > > But hey, Raavan is chicken soup for the senses. Go, indulge yourself. > > A word about: > > Performances: Aishwarya leads, Abhishek follows, Vikram lags behind, > Govinda's going nowhere. > > Story: The screenplay by Mani Ratnam needed more substance and bite. > > Cinematography: Absolutely riveting! The camera artistry by Santosh Sivan > and Manikandan is the heart and soul of Raavan. > > Music: AR Rahman and Gulzar create an interesting audio track, although > Rahman's earlier associations with Mani Ratnam remain unforgettable. Numbers > to watch out for: Beera, Behne De and Khili Re. > > Styling: Sabyasachi Mukherji's costumes are apt, blending modernity with > tradition, just as the film tries to do. Aishwarya's no-make-up look is a > winner. > > Inspiration: The film is a modern day, revisionist adaptation of the epic, > Ramayana. > > http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/hindi/Raavan/moviereview/6058139.cms >
