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Ram Gopal Varma’s Rann, which starred Amitabh Bachchanm, that was produced by Madhu Mantena-Sheetal Talwar’s Phantom Films, is a rare cinema about the collective conscience that we often like to think has gone out of style. Like Mehboob Khan’s Mother India and Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Satyakam, Rann shows how tough it is to hold your head high in dignified righteousness in a world where ethics crumble faster than cookies in a wide-open jar left out too long in the sun. Ironically, there isn’t much sunshine in Rann. The film has been shot in an anemic light, symbolizing a world that’s largely losing light.

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. Without fuss or wastage of time, Varma...