Raayan Movie Review

There were high expectations for Raayan, primarily because it's Dhanush's second directorial effort and explores a different genre than Power Paandi. However, upon viewing the film, it appears that the creators didn't approach it with grand aspirations. It seems more like a gesture of appreciation from Sun Pictures to Dhanush for the success of Thiruchitrambalam.

The film shares not only the cinematographer with Thiruchitrambalam but also has a similar visual style. While this aesthetic yet unrealistic look worked well for Thiruchitrambalam, it doesn't quite fit here. There's an abundance of glowing effects throughout the film, which sometimes produce pleasing results. A notable example is a fight scene near the end featuring glittering raindrops, which is visually stunning. However, this visual approach comes at the expense of realism.

It appears to draw inspiration from Dhanush's collaborations with director Vetrimaaran. Dhanush's performance, particularly his dialogue delivery and dialect, strongly resembles his portrayal of Kishore in Polladhavan. He executes this well. The film even borrows a plot twist from Kishore's storyline in Polladhavan. Additionally, much of Dhanush's appearance and behavior in Raayan is reminiscent of the older Sivasamy character from Asuran. However, unlike in Asuran, where characters' actions aligned sensibly with their motivations, this coherence seems to be lacking in Raayan.The film includes a subtle nod to a scene from Baasha, which is effectively done.

Raayan lacks compelling plot elements, instead presenting a series of unconnected scenes with only a minor peak at the interval. The latter half of the film drags and includes excessive violence. Tamil cinema has shifted from using songs as filler to employing fight scenes and SJ Surya for this purpose. At least SJ Surya's presence is worthwhile. He often behaves in his usual style which is the only funny portion in the movie. At this point I'm convinced that he could probably deliver a performance even if given a newspaper instead of a script. Selvaraghavan performs well in a supporting role, similar to his part in Saani Kaayidham.

The film's desperate attempts to draw parallels with Ramayana's Ravana doesn't work and the connection is so thin. The title Raayan seems chosen mainly for its phonetic similarity to Ravan, as the original title was unavailable. But at most times, the plot resembles a mafia game, with nights ending in deaths and mornings filled with discussions about killings and self-preservation. Keep mafia game in mind and watch this.

The music is great but underutilized. It's challenging to review this film as it doesn't evoke strong feelings either way. It might be suitable for OTT viewing, where frequent fast-forwarding is possible.