Raayan Movie Review

Dhanush, last seen in Captain Miller, returns with his new film Raayan, which also happens to be his landmark 50th film. In addition to starring in the movie, Dhanush also took on the roles of writer and director. Raayan features Sundeep Kishan, SJ Suryah, Dushara Vijayan, and Kalidas Jayaram in key roles. The film has been released today in both Telugu and Tamil. Let’s see how it is.

Story:

During his childhood, Raayan (Dhanush) was asked by his parents to protect his three siblings (Sundeep Kishan, Dushara Vijayan, and Kalidas Jayaram) until they returned. However, his parents never come back, leading Raayan to dedicate his entire life to his siblings. The area where Raayan’s family resides is controlled by Durai (Saravanan), but Sethu (SJ Suryah) wants to capture it. Meanwhile, the city commissioner (Prakash Raj) is determined to eliminate all gangs in Chennai. Amid this turmoil, Raayan’s brother (Sundeep Kishan) gets stuck with these gangs. What is his relationship with them? How does Raayan try to protect him? To find out, you need to watch the film.

Performances:

Playing such characters is a cakewalk for Dhanush. He plays a reserved yet menacing lead character in the movie. Though it is not an iconic performance from him like some of his other films but, he still steals the show. Sundeep Kishan got a meaty role and he did an impressive job. Dushara Vijayan was one of the highlights of the movie. This will remain one of the best roles in her career. She absolutely owned the character. SJ Suryah does an amazing job once again. Aparna Balamurali, Prakash Raj and Selvaraghavan were decent in their limited roles.

Technicalities:

AR Rahman is the second main lead of this movie, after Dhanush. Though songs are forgettable, his background score was extraordinary. Om Prakash’s cinematography brings a gloomy and dark tone to the movie. The production values by Sun Pictures are great but the editing could have been better.

Thumbs Up:

Dhanush, Sundeep Kishan, Dushara
Background Score
Interval Bang

Thumbs Down:

Routine Story and Screenplay
Slow Narration
Songs

Analysis:

Raayan is not a new story. It is a beaten-to-death gangster saga which we have seen in many films. However, Dhanush tries to give it a fresh treatment and he succeeds in parts. In these emotional action dramas, one can include multiple emotional scenes between the leads to engage the audience. There can also be a heroic flashback for the lead actor. However, Raayan avoids such troupes. However, one can guess what happens next. There is no surprise factor in the movie. The first half of the movie runs on a flat note with predictable screenplay. It reaches a peak during the interval. The second half again seems predictable until the hospital scene. The climax sequences could have been better though.

Bottomline: Routine Raayan!

Rating: 2.5/5