Exotic locations, impressive cinematography and powerful performances are the highlights of this movie. The stakes are naturally high, this being a movie from one of the front runners of not only Tamil but Indian cinema. So what is causing this to receive mixed reviews thus far?
For one, Mani Ratnam has failed to develop some of the characters that have been a highlight of his earlier movies. You naturally expect Dev's (Prithvi Raj) character to be given more depth. However, Mani Ratnam fails to give due diligence to his role. At the end of the movie, you feel confused about him. Is he really the God, Rama, that his wife claims he is? Or is he just another police officer with no real human emotions?
Second, it looks like Mani Ratnam has tried very hard to link this to the epic Ramayana. The tree-jumping of Gananaprakasam, Hemant pinching the nose of Venilla and even Veera addressing Ragini as "Natya-peroli" at one point (Natya Peroli Padmini has been synonymous with Sita for the role she played in Sampurna Ramayanam decades back)...you somehow feel all this is unnecessary.
Something else that could have been done differently is narration. Agreed that the character of Veera is the most important in the movie, simply because the movie is titled after him. The relationship between Dev and Ragini is not given the necessary elaboration. It is very difficult to imagine Ragini as the wife of Dev. Yes, we know she is married.. but is Dev her husband? He seems more intent in capturing Veera than locating his wife. Does he really miss her? It is very difficult to empathize with Dev or his relationship with Ragini unlike what Mani Ratnam did to the relationship of Madhu and Arvind in Roja.
Something that remains etched in memory long after you watch the movie is performance of Vikram as Veera and Aishwayra as Ragini. Power-packed roles and performances. You can't even imagine anyone else playing these roles. The locales and their performances together are mind-blowing. Prabhu, Karthik, Priya Mani and even Ranjitha provide fabulous support. You feel you live with these characters.. they are that natural.
AR Rahman's background score keeps you immersed in the movie. Baring a couple, nothing much could be said about the songs.
My final verdict.. Go watch it. It is worth the money you spend. Just do not expect it to have the standard of Mani Ratnam's more successful movies and you will not be disappointed.
For one, Mani Ratnam has failed to develop some of the characters that have been a highlight of his earlier movies. You naturally expect Dev's (Prithvi Raj) character to be given more depth. However, Mani Ratnam fails to give due diligence to his role. At the end of the movie, you feel confused about him. Is he really the God, Rama, that his wife claims he is? Or is he just another police officer with no real human emotions?
Second, it looks like Mani Ratnam has tried very hard to link this to the epic Ramayana. The tree-jumping of Gananaprakasam, Hemant pinching the nose of Venilla and even Veera addressing Ragini as "Natya-peroli" at one point (Natya Peroli Padmini has been synonymous with Sita for the role she played in Sampurna Ramayanam decades back)...you somehow feel all this is unnecessary.
Something else that could have been done differently is narration. Agreed that the character of Veera is the most important in the movie, simply because the movie is titled after him. The relationship between Dev and Ragini is not given the necessary elaboration. It is very difficult to imagine Ragini as the wife of Dev. Yes, we know she is married.. but is Dev her husband? He seems more intent in capturing Veera than locating his wife. Does he really miss her? It is very difficult to empathize with Dev or his relationship with Ragini unlike what Mani Ratnam did to the relationship of Madhu and Arvind in Roja.
Something that remains etched in memory long after you watch the movie is performance of Vikram as Veera and Aishwayra as Ragini. Power-packed roles and performances. You can't even imagine anyone else playing these roles. The locales and their performances together are mind-blowing. Prabhu, Karthik, Priya Mani and even Ranjitha provide fabulous support. You feel you live with these characters.. they are that natural.
AR Rahman's background score keeps you immersed in the movie. Baring a couple, nothing much could be said about the songs.
My final verdict.. Go watch it. It is worth the money you spend. Just do not expect it to have the standard of Mani Ratnam's more successful movies and you will not be disappointed.