A lot of people did check with me, which of the two promising movies should they watch this weekend, the cool, rustic love triangle, or the supposedly comeback venture of an entertaining director - actor duo. My suggestion to all was the latter.
Maybe it is my bias towards him, but then who doesnt have a bias for Amitabh Bacchhan. Hence, inspite of being in Chennai and leaving the company of two wise magi, I went and saw Rann.
The story is narrated in a very simple manner. Although for any avid movie buff or a regular RGV fan, one can tend to predict certain aspects of the film (Jay Malik's suicide was expected since Yasmin had a terrace flat.) But lets leave all that aside and try and evaluate Rann for what it is.
Here is a RGV film, which is not trying to highlight the dark side of the news industry (a la Madhur Bhandarkar) but he presents his story with the news channels trade as a background. The writing is simple but the screenplay I feel could have been tighter in places, especially post interval.
The cinematography by Amit Roy is commendable. Not because of anything else, but the fact that he has dared to shoot the movie in the way it has been shot. Not withstanding the by now standard RGV camera angles, the movie has been shot differently. At times it feels very nice, but sometimes too much of something also tends to get boring. But you cannot count that as a negative because had he changed the treatment half way through, then he would have been blamed for inconsistency. But I did like the cinematography.
The background score is fantastic. I have heard the songs of Rann and some of them are worth listening to repeatedly, mainly due to the lyrics. Kanch ke, Sikkon ki Bhook, Rann Hai are 3 fantastic songs and have been placed very well in the film.
The director's victory, in this case, comes across in the way he has managed to extract good performances from the entire cast. Besides Simone Singh and Gul Panang (looking gorgeous) everyone else has had a well etched out character, making it all the more easy for the actors to perform effortlessly.
Neetu Chandra puts in a decent show, the horror in her eyes in the climax is well portrayed.
Suchitra Krishnamurty also delivers an exellent performance as the COO of the news channel.
Ritesh Deshmukh, moving away from his favourite comic genre, has given a first rate performance. He has shown that if given a good meaty role, he can act. Though at times, his expressions tend to get repetitive, but he is showing that he is improving.
Rajpal Yadav does complete justice to his character. His performance is impeccable.
Rajat Kapoor once again lives upto his reputation. His portrayal of the wannabe industrialist tycoon is excellent. The evil shows in his eyes and that speaks volumes about his performance.
Paresh Rawal, teaming up with RGV after a long time and playing the 'baddie' after a long time on screen, comes up yet again with an excellent performance. He brings about fear, loathe and menace in his character so well, that you just dont want him to leave the screen.
Sudeep (Phoonk), has the major chunk of the role and lives upto the expectations. His breakdown scene makes one feel for him, although he is the only 'grey' character in the movie. All the rest are either creamy white or jet black.
Amitabh Bacchhan has a relatively small role in terms of screen time, but when it comes to screen presence, he eats all the actors on the screen. Amitabh once again proves why he is nothing short of GOD of Bollywood. RGV has used him very well in the role of the idealistic Media Moghul. You just dont want the movie to end because one expects more of Mr. Bachhan.
But, according to me, the real person who steals the show, one whose performance you come back remembering fondly, is Mohnish Behl! He has got the role of a lifetime, and has shown that if given a proper character, he would repeat such mind blowing performances. Hope the award cartel remember him next year.
Comparisons to Sarkar in the initial half will be inevitable, especially the dining table scene, but thats not too much to crib about. There are certain glitches, which could have been avoided, but nevertheless, it was serious entertaining cinema.
A must watch for any RGV or AB fan and if both, why have you not seen it yet.
