Raavan Movie Review

Raavan (Hindi)

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4.5/10
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5.0/10
Release Date:
June 18, 2010

Dev falls in love with Ragini, a spunky classical dancer who is as unconventional as him. They get married and he takes up his new post in Lal Maati, a small town in northern India.

A town where the word of law is not the police but Beera, a tribal who has, over the years, shifted the power equation of the place from the ruling to the have-nots of the area. Dev knows that the key to bringing order to any place is to vanquish the big fish; in this case - Beera. In one stroke Dev manages to rip open Beera's world, and set in motion a chain of events which will claim lives, change fortunes. Beera, injured but enraged hits back starting a battle that draws Dev, Beera and Ragini into the jungle. The jungle which is dense, confusing, scary. And in this journey they must confront their own truth. A journey which will test their beliefs, convictions and emotions. Emotions which are as scary and confusing as the forest. The forest becomes the battleground. The battle between good and evil, between Dev and Beera, between Ram and Raavan. But when the lines dividing good and evil are blurring fast whose side will you take. When hate turns to love and the good starts looking evil which side will you battle for? Love is a battle that nobody wins but everyone must fight. Even this Raavan.

Dev falls in love with Ragini, a spunky classical dancer who is as unconventional as him. They get married and he takes... Show More

Raavan falls for Sita (and vice versa) in an intriguingly idiosyncratic take on the Ramayana – if you can get past the lead performances, that is

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The New Indian Express

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

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IBN

Lonely conjectures can take you only that far, when an entire movie’s merely in the moviemaker’s mind, and a plot so thin. Sometimes the camera circles so much in nothingness, your head spins

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Hindustan Times

Ratnam takes his time with his desultory first half, creating stunning scenery but listless characters. It’s only well into the second half of 'Raavan' that Ratnam breaks out of his stupor, and starts giving us a film

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Indian Express

It’s ironic that he would choose to show his demonic side with a film where he questions the roleplaying of bhagwan and rakshas. Raavan is Mani Ratnam’srakshas, the Mr Hyde in the Dr Jekyll you don’t need to meet

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The Telegraph

A radical spin on mythology and spectacular imagery can’t rescue ‘Raavan’. A poor screenplay and unconvincingly absurd situations make it disappointing

Mint

It's just ill-conceived, amateurishly adapted, and often too lamentably literal in its desperate attempts to reference the epic, trying recklessly but daftly to be contrary for the heck of it

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Rediff

Raavan has its moments but it lacks depth. The first half is fairly riveting but the second half slowly slips into a coma. It leaves you cold. It lacks what a Mani Ratnam film should be all about

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Filmfare

Mani Ratnam’s modern adaptation of Hindu mythological epic Ramayana with a twist, is a film made with good intention, beautiful music and mind blowing cinematography but unfortunately lacking everything else

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IndiaTimes

This is perhaps his most beautiful film. But it is also one of his weakest central characterisations

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India Today

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. However, a little more attention to the narrative was desperately needed in Raavan

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Times of India

Watch it if you must for Santosh Sivan's camerawork and if you can hold your horses till the second half because that is where all the action, whatever little, lies.

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