रण

For once, I thought the content was good, the message noble, the performances credible and noteworthy but the packaging was gimmicky, the camera angles too wanna-be and almost nausea / headache inducing and the soundtrack loud and irritating. Both the camera work and music actually detracting from the film.

Amitabh Bachchan plays one of the most respected news presenters, a man of integrity, who lives by his principles and runs his now declining news channel by the same. His son, Sudeep, just back from USA is hungry for success, is nervous, twitchy, short-tempered and also game for some shortcuts. Rajat Kapoor, his brother in law, is an industrialist who dreams big and has aligned himself with a politician, Paresh Rawal, who also dreams big, is tired of being in the opposition. Suchitra Krishnamoorthy works for Amitabh's channel, Mohnish Bahl used to but now has his own channel, which is the number one channel in TRP terms. Enter Riteish Deshmukh, who idolises & is inspired by Amitabh, to join the world of news….

All the dilemma's presented are real, tangible and identifiable. We all face them in our own ways. To go for the inconvenient truth or the happier compromise…where no one but the faceless public gets shortchanged ? Every time we break a queue, bribe an official, shut our eyes at an injustice around us, we're falling into the same trap…the trap of a thousand cuts. And, God help us, but what if there is this fundamental value misalignment amongst members of a family ? What if the son-in-law, the son and the father seem to believe in different things, have different objectives ? We can then easily understand how someone like Amitabh feels as the edifice he's built around him begins to show cracks. And what someone like Riteish feels as he see's truth being sacrificed at the altar of the highest bidder.

All performances were credible, Riteish (very believable), Paresh, Rajat, Sudeep (slightly over-strung) but Amitabh Bachchan for me continues to mesmerize…there is a dignity, a believability that shines through in his every expression.

Now for the disappointing bits. Its almost as if the film makers felt the subject alone wasn't good enough and so decided to go for cutting edge camera angles and really loud background soundtrack to mask the film, heighten the tension. It actually was not needed, the subject matter and performances were good enough, they didn't need gimmicks like this or the abandoned national anthem. There were some obvious flaws. You would probably keep your helmet visor down if you were trying to follow someone incognito nor follow so closely. And maybe you would put your phone on silent when in the vicinity of someone you're trying to 'sting' ? Also, I felt the women characters were sadly shown as mere puppets throughout the film…inconsequential pawns in the hands of the men who controlled their destiny. Surely more could've been made of the combined acting talents of Simone, Neetu Chandra, Gul Panag and Suchitra ? Its definitely worth a watch, Amitabh's performance alone worth the price of a ticket. And there is food for thought…now if only the damned music wasn't cluttering up the mind…. More reviews at ApurvBollywood...

Ram Gopal Varma is a proficient filmmaker, films like 'Satya' 'Sarkar' & 'Jungle' have gone down as true Cult-Classics. But, for a long,long time he has been wasting his time in crappy & shitty films. 'Aag', 'Nishabad' & 'Darling' were resounding duds. I as a fan of his at a time, I gave up on him! But his latest offering 'RANN' has made me curious after a long hiatus.

'RANN' is a interesting fare, with RGV's direction deserving a clap. Rohit G. Banawilkar's writing is intelligent. 'RANN' however, despite the merits, caters to a very tiny section of audience, it's strictly not meant for those who worship escapist cinema... it's for the 'I Love Serious, Intense Cinema' chaps... unfortunately that section of audience over-here is as good as nil.

RGV exposes the media industry in 'RANN'. It has good twists and turns, and gripping second hour. But 'RANN' is not without it's share of minuses, the film actually takes off in the second hour when the scandal comes all over. The first hour is more on introducing characters & their motives. RGV could've have easily started the engine much before interval, there is a possibility you might lose patience in the first 60-minutes. But guys, the second hour makes up for it. The climax, also, is well-done.

Coming to the acting department, Bachchan delivers a restrained performance. Sudeep is the life of the show. Playing a arrogant mind with amazing understanding & ease. Paresh Rawal is outstanding, as freaking always. What an actor! Ritesh is okay. Rajat Kapoor is excellent. Mohnish Behl is exceptional. He excels in a meaty role. Rajpal provides a few laughs. Gul is wasted, ditto for Neetu Chandra. Suchitra, seen in a film after a long gap, is fantastic.

Bottom-Line: 'RANN' is amongst RGV's better films. It deserved to do better at the box office, it didn't. Now, give the due it deserves.

"Government, businessmen and politicians are responsible for the stability of the country, thereby encouraging development but to the common man, how are they accountable for their duties? For this very reason, Media was born". Rann deals with the misuse of media's power that reaches out to millions with the truth. This high voltage, no nonsense thrilling drama that captivates your mind and engages you into its unpredictable screenplay has Ram Gopal Verma written all over it and it is indeed among his finest films. Rann is technically brilliant in every aspect. The subject is serious and seldom will you find a light moment and when the story demands it, Ramu enters the realm with all his might. Not a single song for diversion, not a single heroine dancing around, not a moment to edit, not a single mundane dialogue and not a stone unturned. This is cinema in its finest story telling form.

Vijay Harshvardhan Malik (Amitabh Bachchan) is the Godfather of India's news media. Righteous and truth seeking in his approach, Malik always favors the truth over TRP ratings and sensationalism. His son, Jai (Sudeep) wants the company to prosper by catering to the viewers' choices while supporting his father's integrity. Naveen (Rajat Kapoor), brother-in- law to Jai, introduces Jai to Mohan Pandey (Paresh Rawal), the cunning politician who will cross all limits to gain his political mileage and together, they convince Jai to create news to gain a tremendous jump in the channel's viewership. Purab Shastri (Ritesh Deshmukh), the new comer in the channel is a devotee of Vijay Malik and as the sinister plot unfolds before him, politics and media unleash true mayhem. In all this, Amrish Kakkar (Mohnish Behl) stands to gain advantage out of his competitive positioning and his shrewdness.

Rann moves at a reckless pace with a riveting narrative and explosive dialogue from its ensemble starcast. In terms of its distinct musical score, Sikkon Ki Bhookh, Gali Gali Mein Shor & Jana Gana Rann are very pertinent tracks to the movie's theme and will take repeated listening to catch the essence of the lyrics. Credit for a phenomenal screenplay goes to RGV and for optimizing the potential of such a strong cast of actors. Amitabh Bachchan is outstanding as the restrained and truthful media baron. His finest moment is towards the end when he comes in front of the nation, unravelling his channel's misuse. Paresh Rawal as Mohan Pandey is evil yet his confidence in his techniques is appalling. The smoothness with which he misleads the public in his speeches deserves some chuckles. Rajat Kapoor impressively plays the over ambitious businessman, Ritesh Deshmukh portrays the right amount of composure for his character while walking straight on RGV's guided path while Mohnish Behl deserves an applause for such an awesome come back. He is a capable actor and one wonders why his on screen shrewdness went unnoticed for so long. Gul Panag and Suchitra Krishnamoorthi are worthy in their roles while Rajpal Yadav renders some comic relief without digressing from the movie's theme.

But RGV is the true hero of the Rann. With slick presentation, brevity, brilliant screenplay aiding the seamless narration and a no-nonsense, to-the-point approach in every scene, he conveys the movie's message in a thriller like socio-drama. Sikkon Ki Bhookh, Gali Gali Mein Shor & Jana Gana Rann are very pertinent tracks to the movie's theme and will take repeated listening to catch the essence of the lyrics. Rann is uplifting, enlightening, meaningful, intense and worthy of a large combo deal at the cinemas.

8.99 on a scale of 1-10.

Rann is that rare cinema about the collective conscience which we often like to think has gone out of style.Rann shows how tough it is to hold your head high up in dignified righteousness in a world where ethics crumble faster than cookies in wide-open jar left out too long in the sun.

Cleverly, Ram Gopal Varma situates his morality tale in the cut-throat world of the electronic media where the TRP is God, and deadlines the devil. And may the voice of the conscience rest in peace.

Varma plunges us into the world of the characters that he knows only too well. The glistening sweat on ratings-challenged eyebrows are captured through tight close-ups of worried faces that give nothing and yet everything away.

The narrative is taut restless and biting in its depiction of corruption in supposedly responsible places. Ram Gopal Varma gives no space to the complicated labyrinth of relationships to grow. We are left to gauge the depths and dimensions that underline the furious flow of empathy and antipathy between various characters by reading between the lines.

Rann is a razor-sharp bitter and biting look at the real world of rapidly-moving moral issues. Varma extracts superlative performances from the entire cast.

From Ritesh Deshmukh's heartbreaking idealism to Amitabh bachchan's superb acting........everything in the movie is pitch perfect.....and the movie on whole is really gonna be applauded for its awesome screenplay......

RGV's best work after company!!

a must-watch!!!!

The news is that old RGV is back on track.

I was hoping for RGV to hit form at least in RANN after few craps like Contract, Aag and Agyaath. And guess what, He actually hit form in this movie. Trailers were promising and thats what took me to the theater. In the end I was really touched by this masterpiece which really went unnoticed. This was definitely one of the best works of RGV since Sarkar.

The movie rightly exposes internal politics of the media and how the news are created instead of reporting the actual news. No wonder why the electronic media reviewers like Rajiv Masand, Anupama bashed the movie saying "Ill researched"!!!!

Coming to the performance, Everybody from Rajpal Yadav to BigB has done justice to the character but Sorry BigB its Sudeep who steals the show with his terrific performance.

Pros.. Almost everything..

Cons Nothing really...

Verdict: Get your copy of DVD right now