Jan 31, 2010

Rann - Movie Review

Rann is an OK watch. It is not bad but not great either. Ram Gopal Verma is in his element in places but is generally not able to decide when to stop. So Rann comes out as a drawn out, at times weary movie.

The story begins with Harshvardhan Malik (Big B) as a reputed journalist and the head of a channel. The channel is facing problems of falling viewership. His son (Jay played by Sudeep) and others in team are trying to convince him to change somewhat to ensure higher TRP. 

There is a spy in his team who seems to be leaking vital information to his biggest competitor, Mohnish Bahl. Then there is the politics of the land where Huda and Pande are the leaders. 

Big B breaks a big story and causes a political earthquake. His TV viewership shoots up. But there is a problem of which Big B is not aware. Riteish Deshmukh joins Big B as a fresh recruit with all the idealistic thoughts. He suspects something and investigates.

There is not much of suspense but I will not reveal more of the story.  There is the climax which is very long. The movie could have stopped a good 20 minutes before it actually did. The climax scene has Big B speaking long sentences that are made of good 30-35 words. The dialogue writer I think must have used every word in Hindi language in that ramble.

Who shines? Sudeep and his girlfriend are very good. Probably the most complete characterizations in the movie. Big B is quite flat - may be a problem the way script is written. It is good to watch Riteish in a different, more serious role. But he too wears just one expression throughout. Mohnish Bahl, Suchitra Krishnamurty, Rajat Kapoor are all ok in their roles. Gul Panag is unnecessary in the film. 

There is nothing that we don't know. Nothing that is stunning. And in the climax, Ramu takes the easy way out. When deciding between glory as a good analyst of human psyche and possible box office success, Ramu has opted for the latter.

All in all, see the movie if you don't have anything else to do. Else wait for it to come on TV.
3* out of 5*.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

kewl....thanks so much for the review..
i wanted to watch it but it being an RGV film was a lil apprehensive.. but i think this shows its atleast worth a watch...

P K said...

Disclaimer: I am a huuuuge RGV fan

Mostly agree with your points. Biggest handicap is the predictable storyline as is seen by numerous comparisons to Madhur Bhandarkar's movies. But there was enough novelty in how RGV to keep the viewer engaged. Unlike Madhur, where every scene is a mockery/take on reality, RGV did not take the easy way out by lampooning news channels. Even Rajpal Yadav's track was limited and controlled.

Like you said, Sudeep's character was the best written and perfectly portrayed. Big B got a couple of outstanding scenes I think - the pained expression was incredible. I loved the way the camera panned during his speech - focusing on his face from different angles. A couple more shocks/twists to shake viewers up would have been good.

Unknown said...

@megzone - thanks!

@Paddy - Yes I agree on the Bhandarkar thing. I wanted the climax to be stronger. The movie was simplistic.

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