Raayan

Good attempts but failed to touch.

Honestly it was getting in to the life but then slipped again.

No matter what, its always a pleasant experience to watch Dhanush's acting.

The side role guys were good enough but I think the story lacked what required to be a punch in the stomach it was kinda like a facepalm. But I didn't find anything that will make me want to whistle at any scene for the movie. But again there were no place where I felt bored too much to sleep. It was kinda same but it made me feel a bit different. Different enough to watch it thoroughly.

Its about struggle of an elder sibling to be a family man and support and love his family but fate had a different plan and they got stumbled in a clash between 2 rival gangster group. The movie is all about how a brother attempt to save his sister.

I just came out from watching an early screening of Raayan at the AMC 25 in Times Square. This movie exceeded all my expectations!

The slums and the several gang, police and civilian story lines coalescing brilliantly reminded me of Brazil's City of God. The revenge plot, the incredibly choreographed action sequences, and the nighttime glistening chromatic scenes reminded me of John Wick.

The movie clocks in at around 2hrs and 30mins. By the 90 minute mark I started thinking that the movie might become flat because it seems like all plot lines have been fully explored and the race to the ending would be a long-stretched, stereotypical one, but something happens that completely shifts the entire movie in a new direction. That something brought back feelings of rage and sorrow akin to Japan's Akira, where you are left speechless and empty at how things wound up the way they did.

For us westerners that grimace at the thought of a dance scene popping up in the middle of the scene, don't panic. There are only two major dance scenes in the movie that last around 5 minutes each, both of which fit in very well with the movie by conveying the emotions and forcefulness of their particular timestamps; the second dance scene was in particular potent and mesmerizing, nothing of a corney dance spectacle you might have seen in a YT Bollywood scene.

This movie and Kill have been the biggest movie surprises this year for me. It has certainly opened my mind to Indian films, and I can't wait to see more movies of this calibre.

Second half could've been better but Dhanush still managed to give a decent entertainer. The rivalry between SJ Surya and Dhanush felt weak, Dhanush could've definitely added some depth to the storyline between the both of them.

Good thing that they didn't get a pair for Dhanush like any other typical Tamil movie.

First half was very good, every characters had a role and everyone acted well. AR Rahman's songs and BGM was brilliant.

Interval scene was very well made kudos to Dhanush and team. Adangatha Asuran song was a visual treat.

Congratulations to Dhanush and team.

Overall a good action entertainer, great choice for a 50th movie. Hope Dhanush continues his directional career.

7/10: A must watch for Dhanush fans.

Just watched "Raayan", marks Dhanush's second directorial venture, where he excels in both execution and performance. The meticulously choreographed action sequences offer a visual treat, AR Rahman's music elevates the tension in this modern action-thriller.

However, the writing department seemed to have large room for improvement, particularly in the conflicts between brothers, which feel lackluster, the villain arc, especially for a performer like SJ Surya, seemed underdeveloped, diminishing the overall impact the story could have delivered, making the film a one-time watch for its impressive performances and technical brilliance.

Action-gangster-dramas tend to follow a pattern of origins-rise-conflict-resolution, and Raayan is no different. It, in fact, has a fantastic first half. There is style oozing in every frame, and Dhanush the director takes precedence here, over the writer and performer. Some interesting-yet-familiar conflicts are established, and it gave off the feeling that the Dhanush the writer may at least have a few tricks up his sleeve in the second half (this is such an Indian movie thing - the whole first-half second-half breakdown, i.e.). But then, the writing is really loose; twists happen for the sake of twists - nothing much makes sense. The style quotient still remains on the higher side - the music (Rahman in GOAT mode), the edits (GK Prasanna), and the cinematography (Om Prakash) are top notch. I strongly believe Dhanush benefited from working with his regular collaborators, and that's visible in the film's audio-visual output.

Dushara Vijayan gets a meaty role and she even gets a fantastic set piece in the second half. However, the writing of almost every character (except the protagonist) is two-dimensional, and this includes the primary antagonist played by SJ Suryah. He brings in the eccentric mannerisms (that we didn't get to see in Indian 2), but the writing doesn't elevate him to a major threat. The metaphor of a wolf in the jungle is used to good effect, though I like to believe some Selvaraghavan interventions in the script could've helped. The brothers, played by Kalidas and Sundeep, are also well portrayed, even when their parts are badly written in the second half. Overall, it's still a fine effort from D, the director.