User reviews

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.

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.

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.

Dhanush has always been one of Tamil cinema's most consistent actors in terms of the quality of projects he accepts. So when he makes his directorial debut, one surely must be excited to see what his storytelling vision really is. It's not very surprising that he tries to model his debut along the lines of some of his most acclaimed work as an actor (think "Asuran" or "Vada Chennai"), and for the most part, he has a story that's good enough to get the conversation started.

"Raayan" is a movie about an orphaned family of siblings fending for themselves in a city infested with gang violence and one where the volatile instability of their lives are highlighted. It has all the markings of a good 'Vetri Maaran-esque' movie, and it promisingly starts off in that regard too. Right until the movie's interval block, it has its sights set on where it would want to end up, and does a great job keeping the audience interested and invested in the movie and its characters.

For as well as it started, it's the movie's second half that disappoints massively, as it just comes across as if the movie is stuck not knowing where to go from here. It has very few points of interest from thereon, and the story beats just don't seem to work. The movie drags and drags to the point where you're now just waiting for it to end. The second half has nothing to offer and that stance is insulted further by the time we get to the movie's climax, which seems to be entirely unaware of the mockery it's making of the entire movie and its premise. It's disappointing especially, considering how promising the movie looked during its first half.

Most of the mistakes in this movie comes from bad flow and writing. It had the foundation to succeed, but didn't have the experience to build off that, and that is ideally where Dhanush would have to improve should he want to continue down this particular path of storytelling. And as for whether this movie is worth checking out in cinemas, no, it's not, don't bother.

RATED 6/10 Language: Tamil Source: nil

The cast, production and all technical aspects are perfect. But failed to connect the character and emotion to audience with the writings. The sentiment sequences, action blocks are crafted very well, but as a WHOLE movie it failed miserably.

Looks like all characters are in confused state in second half. There are lot of decisions taken by character just to move the story towards climax, in real/cinematic life no one will do such actions/decisions.

Compared to this second half, the first half was better. Even the great interval block failed to give goosebumps, as that block is so illogical.

Failed to impress, even if you lower your expectations.

Had huge expectations from this one, didn't expect this one to drop on streaming after a mere 3 weeks of its release. Predetermined or a early release because it didn't do well in the theaters...?

Age old plot with 'twists' and overall writing that weren't convincing enough. The cops and villains were not convincing enough. That said, the good performances by everyone; decent cinematography and amazing sound design. AR Rahman's music was felt...worthy of that nametag after a long time. Hope Dhanush directs more.

The movie wasn't good but I dunno if its bad as people are making it out to be. Watchable....but I don't think you'll miss much if you skip it. Do listen to the songs though.

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.

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.

It all starts with anticipation. Dhanush sets the tone, the plot, the characters, and the setting with ease; he's learnt from the best. Plus, nobody needs to tell him how to act, right? Well, yeah, right, but the film doesn't only start with anticipation, it ends with it. An eager audience shuffling in, with a tired one shuffling out. Raayan definitely starts strong, with powerful cinematography, as cinematographer Om Prakash shines with a gritty and dark take on Northern Chennai. While it is a plot point that has been done before, we don't feel as though it's a copy, simply a shade of a rehashed story.

Starting with the performances, they're beyond criticism. Dushara Vijayan stars in a rural dialect, playing a character similar to hers in Saarpatta. Sundeep Kishan, Kalidas, and Aparna Balamurali - I have no qualms, the young men never fail to amaze, and as for Balamurali, she's been the brightest of sparks in every film, regardless of how dull the script can tend to be. In the case of Dhanush, playing a tight lipped role similar to that of which we've seen in Nobody, he portrays everything flawlessly. So, if they can all act well, and of course, the script isn't torturous, then we're all good right? Wrong. The lack of villainy, and the resounding dull atmosphere, almost repeated like a broken radio, leaves the audience craving more - me especially. At times, I remember checking my watch in anticipation of dinner, as frankly, that was more exciting than watching Dhanush and crew walking down an alleyway to an unimpressive A. R. Rahman score for the umpteenth time.

Perhaps over-criticism is the bane of this film's existence, but perhaps Dhanush has released something unworthy of a second-time watch - rare for his stellar filmography. While drab, it's definitely worth a watch (if, of course, we lower our expectations to the ground). To sum up, the film holds its ground, barely, but surely. It suffers from a stellar cast and crew attempting to make the most out of a lacklustre script.

I'd recommend watching this film with an open mind, then forming your negative opinions afterwards, as I have, since you'll surely have many.

What a movie, it was just phenomenal.

Dhanush's performance deserves an Oscar award, he literally lived in the character. He's co-artists did very well there jobs. Every character arc is special and scores on screen.

Technically it's strong solid movie. Art work, costume designer, colors and tonnes, music and background score, stunts and action sequences were absolutely stunning The screen-play was slow a first but took jet speed after. Moreover the interval and climax are pure goospumps.

Pre-Interval, Interval, Pre-Climax and Climax were terrifically banging Despite some few lags which are not disturbing, this movie is for sure a millstone in Dhanush's carrier and in Indian Cinema.

D's 50th film won 🏆.

A must watch masterpiece.

While in this year (2024) no quality films were released.

Tamil cinema had seen numerous gangster making movies or like normal person to being a gangster.

+ve : A. R. Rahaman Music, Dhanush performance, screenplay, -ve: Dhanush doesn't where is needs to go in the second half, SJ suryah is not a right person

Like the Audience are hungry searching for Briyani,Fried Rice, Full non-veg meals finally settled for chapathi..

We have seen many movies like this Bhagavathi, Thirupathichi, Thotti jaya of charters revolving around the families. Same as that on a different angle.

One time watchable.. It would be good experience on theaters not on OTT.

The most thing for any film is how you keep the audience hooked for a 2hr 30min film, And dhanush did that in his own way. Even with a very normal story and the exceptional excecution the film quite well in some parts. Though there were so many faults, but the performance manages to clear all those defaults.

Important thing is Music 💯

Even with a very normal story and the exceptional excecution the film quite well in some parts. Though there were so many faults, but the performance manages to clear all those defaults. And dhanush did that in his own way.

Overall a good movie, which we can watch with zero expectations..

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 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.

When Dhanush wants to write and direct a film like Vetrimaaran, Rayan is the outcome. But in vain, the believed plot twist and from there the story is transformed to revenge genre. Screenplay is given more importance than the story, that made the film less interesting, The story becomes predictable and less interesting after the said plot twist and fails to hold the audience with a grasp. The technical aspects are too good which made to lessen the disappointment with the cons. A humble request for the directors and writers, give the audience a story which as a want for the protagonist or for a character, which makes the movie a perfect entertainment.

Goosebumps 🔥is a thrilling action-packed revenge story that keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. The plot is intense, with well-crafted characters that add depth and complexity to the narrative. The action scenes are terrific, showcasing impressive choreography and special effects. Each character is meticulously developed, making the story even more engaging and impactful.

Storyline: A gripping revenge tale that keeps you hooked.

Characters: Well-developed and multidimensional.

Action: Terrific sequences that are both thrilling and visually stunning.

Dhanush acting 🔥🔥🔥🔥

Raayan is an action-packed drama that showcases Dhanush at his finest. His portrayal of the lead character is a masterclass in intense action and emotive performance, making him the heart and soul of the movie. The background score, particularly during the build-up to action scenes and the sequences themselves, elevates the film, creating an atmosphere of tension and anticipation that pulls you in.

The screenplay is majorly well-constructed, with a few noticeable flaws that are easy to overlook given the film's overall pace and engaging plot. The story is gripping, and while it occasionally stumbles, it quickly regains momentum, keeping the audience hooked.

One of the standout performances comes from the actress playing Dhanush's sister. Her role adds emotional depth to the film, and she delivers a memorable performance that contrasts sharply with the relatively weaker portrayal of Dhanush's brothers. They feel underdeveloped and fail to make much of an impact.

Prakash Raj, as always, delivers a solid performance, bringing shrewdness and complexity to his role. His presence adds gravitas to the film, although one wishes the villains were cast with the same level of care. The antagonists, while serviceable, lack the intensity and screen presence that could have made the confrontations with Dhanush's character even more electrifying.

Overall, Raayan is a thrilling watch with outstanding performances, a captivating background score, and just enough emotional weight to keep you invested. Despite its minor flaws, it's film that Dhanush fans and action lovers will thoroughly enjoy.

Second half is not good.. story and screenplay is not in acceptable form. There is no strong reason for brothers to go against each other.. Second half is not good.. story and screenplay is not in acceptable form. There is no strong reason for brothers to go against each other. Second half is not good.. story and screenplay is not in acceptable form. There is no strong reason for brothers to go against each other. Second half is not good.. story and screenplay is not in acceptable form. There is no strong reason for brothers to go against each other. Second half is not good.. story and screenplay is not in acceptable form. There is no strong reason for brothers to go against each other..

*** Raayan Tamil Movie Review ***

Directed by Dhanush starring Dhanush in the lead role. Also starring S. J. Suryah, Prakash Raj, Selvaraghavan, Sundeep Kishan, Kalidas Jayaram, Dushara Vijayan, Aparna Balamurali.

An emotional vengeance with stellar performance of Dhanush.

Writer Dhanush talks about the emotional bond of the siblings which later develops an act of betrayal and vengeance. Had we not seen such of story, yes, we had but what makes Raayan watchable is the journey the Dhanush built up to narrate the story.

Talking about the performance, an intense Dhanush can be witnessed. The character who is rigid, does not express emotions but he is soft when he is with his sister, the variations of his emotions, writer - director Dhanush able to extract well from actor Dhanush. Initial of the movie shows the childhood of the Raayan family wherein the journey of their childhood, unforeseen circumstances which substantiate the Raayan's present behaviour.

Sundeep Kishan & Kalidas Jayaram playing as younger siblings have performance driven moments in the second half. Dushara Vijayan portraying the sister's role had given a terrific performance & her too performance was witnessed in the second half as the story itself start to escalate in the second half.

SJ Suryah as the antagonist. For him, it is now a cat walk when comes to performing an antagonist role & he nailed the character.

Coming to the technical aspect, actions were classy. A needle kind of tool to pounce at Raayan's enemies, choreography was well executed. The fight before the interval block was top notch. ARR BGM added the life to the vengeance story telling. Cinematography was another positive factor.

Metaphor of using colour red depicting the bloodshed, Dushara Vijayan character name is Durga & how this name signifies her character, shadow of Raavan when Raayan ascending towards its foe here all director able to convince the audience very well.

Overall Raayan a watchable flick thereby removing the fatigue of watching Indian 2.

Well... it's a near perfect first half. Brilliant screen play, fantastic lighting ... shots in the rain ... a great "bhramaugam" movie style clean black and white sequences ... and a super. Back ground score... And then comes the second half .. It clearly feels like the people who wrote, directed, scored and sequenced the action scenes were thrown away and a whole other crew was got in to finish the second half... In fact it is so weirdly bad that I would give 8 to the first half and give 2 to the second ... hence the 5 rating.

With so many good brains behind the movie, it's surprising that none of them caught all the bad sides of the second half during the editing and pre-screening process.

Verdict - another great premise thrown away in hero worship and weird symbolisms.

The movie revolves around same revenge and a family based storyline. But D as director making this film is commendable. The cinematography is well appreciated and loved by most. The camera angles were excellent. And as usual the SJ SURYA vibe was brought into the screen.

But the storyline is not that great and the BGMs are an absolute masterpiece. In the film, D doesn't have lot many dialogues but him expressing it with just his eyes was just stunning.

A good film to watch and no moral outcome from the film to be gained. Watch it as a film and enjoy😉 Some critics may have a different opinion, but this is what I feel.

Watch the movie in theatres and enjoy. PEACE ✌🏻

This movie is about Raayan, a fast food shop owner whose young brother kills a big shot's son. That incident drives Raayan and his family into chaos. This movie covers the conflicts between two gangs and a cop's revenge as well.

The movie has the cliche story of a commoner who brought to the underworld unintentionally and became a threat to the mob. The movie got off to a good start. Some characters are written well. The cop playing tricks on both gangs was engaging and contributed to the story well. Raayan's sister Durga fighting back and defending her brother from the gang members was also good, and it adds to character how much respect and love she has for her brother. But there are some flaws that draw the movie to dull from a good experience.

The character Raayan (even his looks) heavily reminds Dhanush's previous character Sivaswamy from the movie Asuran, and the plot where his family struggles because of one member's hasty action and the scenes where Raayan avoids any conflicts by compromising also resemble the movie Asuran. The second young brother's motive to betray was clear enough. The scenes of the villain trying to bring Raayan's brothers to his side were weakly written or not convincing in the way they presented it.

The song placement at the climax looks overwhelming and silly as it is presented as a dance number where enemies dance together and fight each other once the song is over. The climax must have been better if they avoided the song and presented it in some other way.

The actors did a great job on their roles. This is Dhanush's second movie as a director, and he handled it well as it is action genre, whereas his first movie is a family drama. The cinematography is good, as the fight scene with Durai and the gang was shot well. The music and songs were fabulous by A. R. Rahman, as they elevated the emotions in the movie.

I liked the movie despite it's flaws. I would recommend it to everyone to watch. It is a decent story with good action scenes and emotions.