How do you describe a movie that is very close to spectacular? We sure are talking about Mani Ratnam's magnum opus Raavan (Hindi), made as Raavanan in Tamil (with the Tamil version dubbed in Telugu and titled Villain).
The film is getting some rave reviews in the American media with the New York Times making it “a critics’ pick”, a distinction never earned before by an Indian film. Despite all denials from the Raavanan team, the movie is indeed an adaptation of the epic poem Ramayanam, but has been restricted only to the abduction of Seetha episode and some related minor incidents.
“Raavan has Bollywood glamour aplenty, with the lovely if occasionally dramatically challenged Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, [Abhishek Bachchan’s wife), playing the Sita stand-in. The real star, though, is Ratnam, a talented visual storyteller who directs action crisply and fills the screen with striking images,” The New York Times stated.
The movie was released in approximately 2200 screens worldwide on Friday and has collected a whopping Rs. 20 crores on its opening day.
“And that, folks, is entertainment,” The Times stated.
“Filled with rich colours and lively action, Mani Ratnam’s classically themed epic brings together the mythology of Indian culture and the flair and fun of Bollywood with tremendous flourish,” The Hollywood reporter's verdict.
The Los Angeles Times: “Ratnam and his colleagues give Bollywood fans full value. Ratnam’s pace is steadfastly brisk, and his film is replete with dizzying camerawork, myriad complications, violent mayhem, broad humour, usual musical interludes, a cliffhanging climactic confrontation and a finish that strikes a note of poignancy.”