Ranam

I was wondering how this one of the most anticipated film of prithviraj gone ignominious in box office so I decided to check myself and you know what I got? Well,this film has almost everything from great actors, scintillating visuals to catchy music but it lacked in one major department- script. It lacks great storyline which actually could engage you right from the word go. Made as an emotional thriller and yet none of the characters barely could evoke sympathy from me, Prithvi's tragic past doesn't connect well, so is Nandu's, Rahman role was supposed to be menacing but it lacks that too and above all isha's character was totally bland after losing everything in her life I could barely feel bad for her. Even dialogues written for characters seems better than the film itself, albeit climax was somewhat better than I expected. Gangster genre is pretty much alien to Malayalam cinema even they attempt to make one it ended up as a failure so this one is no different. Coming to the positive side film excels in capturing one of the notorious city detroit magnificently. Music done by Jakes bejoy was top notch and deserves an applaud. Action scenes were good and cinematography was breath takingly beautiful. Prithviraj and tragic character can't have a better match than this it is his forte playing stoic character so he was in his comfortable zone. Actors like Rahman, Nandu and some new actors did their part well. Isha talwar seem miscast at some places. +ve: Music, visuals, actors -ve: script, lagging Putting all the technical finesse and not so bad climax I'll rate 6.2/10. Go for it if you're Prithviraj fan or all you just care about spectacular looking hollywoodish film with pretty good music and action.

Nirmal Sahadev's Ranam took malayalam movies to the next level on the technical side. The script was not good enough. Prithviraj, Rahman and Nandu did a great job. It is not a must watch for everyone. It's a quality class movie.

Really a good movie to watch Nothing extra ordinary,an old story converted into a good script and excellent direction,great camera work... Really a good experience The movie really gives the mood Still not a super film But a good movie to watch. Hatsoff the team for a good work

'Ranam' is a technically sound film. Jigme Tenzing captures the ugly, dreary side of the 'American dream' pretty well. The music and background score by Jakes Bejoy is splendid (especially the title track and the 'Ayudhameduda' bits). Frankly, the first half of the film builds up well (with a few nods to Nicolas Winding Refn's 'Drive' - a movie I honestly did not fancy but apparently, the world loved it. The characters of Adhi (Prithvi), Damodar (Rahman), Bhaskaran (Nandu), and Seema (Isha Talwar) are slowly yet steadily developed. The interval block sets us up for a thrilling second half.

But the film goes downhill from there. Scenes appear contrived and rushed. Even the love-track between Adhi and Seema doesn't come across as too convincing. The 'Damodar' character is said to be a vicious gangster but the intensity is barely felt. Prithvi can pull off characters such as Adhi with ease, as this is his forte - a brooding, straight-faced hunk, with little to zero sense of humour. Nandu, as expected, manages to keep his struggling NRI character grounded and believable.

A gangster-drama cannot always stick to logic but the manner in which the cops take so long to come to conclusions about the death of a particular character is appalling. In fact, the cops do not really have a say in proceedings at all, other than making them look more sophisticated to the audience. There's a party drug at play, there's money-laundering, there's betrayal, and there's a 'master-plan' - it's precisely these gangster-movie elements that do not seem compellingly incorporated.

A few characters also needed better writing. Adhi's backstory is said in flashback vignettes, but we need more than that to connect to his inner struggles. Seema too could have had more emphasis in the screenplay. It is almost as if Nirmal started off his script with an action-heavy crime thriller in mind and midway, decided to turn it to a more character-driven drama. Hence, neither genre particularly came full circle.

Perhaps, it could also be Prithvi's recent choice of moping characters that act as a deterrent from enjoying an experiment like 'Ranam' to the fullest. It is a well-made, almost well-written film that terribly lacks good direction.

Nowadays malayalam cinema is following the trend of giving "over hype" to it's upcoming big films! This over hype involves things like a massy trailer, first looks, actors and technicians' reaction towards their product, etc. Such methods at the end gives a disappointing watch for everyone even if the film is a good one! Kammarasambhavam, the dileep starrer vishu release and the mohanlal starrer villain, are the biggest examples of how wrong promotional methods can spoil a good film! Now coming to Ranam - Detroit Crossing, it's a damn bloody brilliant film having it's emotions and craft at the right place. And what went wrong? Again, the wrong promotions which gave the audience a completely different imagery of the film! The negative reviews the film is facing currently is mainly because of the "not up to the expectation" comments from the masses as they expected a "mass action film" from the team. Ranam tells the story of Detroit, once the economic capital of the United States that gave employment to many, which turned into the hub of drugs and guns and Aadhi (Prithviraj Sukumaran) the "Loyal and Expert" malayali gang member of the gang lead by Damodar Ratnam (Rahman) a Sri Lankan Tamilian gaangster and his brother Selvam (Ashwin Kumar). The film also tells the life of how circumstances and situations makes a person to take decisions which can turn their life completely upside down, as sometimes they don't have a choice in front of them! The film was perfect in its technical side, and yea except for a lag in the middle of the second half, the film is moving in a proper pace throughout. The film is an emotional crime drama, and is not an action thriller! Other notable performances include Isha Talwar, Nandu and a few unknown debutants who have effortlessly done a brilliant job throughout the film. The debutant director Nirmal Sahadevan has undoubtedly made an impressive debut through the film as he crafted the film in a proper way! Definitely not everyone's cup of tea, but the film would have done bit more well if the team gave the film the promotion it deserved. Hope malayalam cinema tries to soo this "over the top" promotion tactics!