surajrv-37555

I have watched the entire series of Raavan which was aired on Zee TV from 2006-2008 and will give my reviews in a proper manner below:

* Authenticity - The makers did a good research on Raavan and its efforts were shown. Starting from his birth till his death, everything was shown in detail. * Cast - Narendra Jha who played the title role wasn't convincing enough. He did try his best to showcase the character but could not succeed immensely. He was quite thin for the role and also wasn't ferocious enough to scare people of his power. The actors who played Lord Ram, Lakshman, Hanuman, Jambavan (who had an awful makeup and costumes), Vibhishan, Sugreev, Nal-Neel were quite average. The only 2 actors who played Lord Shiva and Devi Sita (Yashodhan Rana of Om Namah Shivay fame and Namrata Thapa of Yahaan Main Ghar Ghar Kheli fame) were good. These two actors gave full justice to their roles. Even Ravee Gupta who played Raavan's mother Kaikesi gave an average performance. * Music - This is the only plus point in this average serial. Tapas Relia who gave great music in the animated movie Hanuman (2005) did an excellent job in this serial. The shlokas and background score was fantastic. * Sets - Very disappointing. It looked like 3D models. See the sets in other mythological series like Siya Ke Ram, Ramayan (2008 and 2012), Devon Ke Dev Mahadev. All these serials had excellent settings. Even Ramanand Sagar's Ramayan had better settings even though it was taken in 1987-88 where there wasn't technology at all. * Technical aspects - The VFX was just terrible. Even Sagars have the best graphics in all their serials. I agree that due to budget issues, the makers could not give proper VFX but atleast a little decent level could have been maintained. If Sagars would have taken this serial, it would have been a great hit as Sagars always chooses the right cast for the right roles and best VFX.

I would therefore conclude that if Raavan was taken during this time, it would have been a massive hit with good cast, best VFX and proper sets.

I give 4 out of 10 to this serial only due to its good music and these two actors who played Lord Shiva and Goddess Sita.

Exactly 21 years later ie. Ramanand Sagar's was first aired in 1987 in DD National; Sagar Arts launched a new Ramayan with new cast on NDTV Imagine in 2008. It was a great success. Gurmeet Choudhry played the role of Lord Ram very well. Debina Bannerjee (now Choudhry after marriage) played Sita well but unfortunately, her costumes were not matching especially in the royal palace of Ayodhya whereas the vanvaas costumes were perfect. The other actors did played their roles of Kaikeyi, Kaushalya, Sumitra, Bharat, Shatrughan, Mantra, Vibhishan and so on well. The only actors who played Ravan (Akhilendra Mishra) and Indrajeet (Praful Pandey) were awful. The actor who played Hanuman was also not satisfactory. He looked quite thing to be Hanuman. They should have selected a handsome, young and a good actor having a well built body which would have suited the role of Hanuman. They just could not act properly. Akhilendra had to scream his lungs out for his dialogues which was hard to hear that. Similarly for Indrajeet too.

The music by Ravindra Jain was the best. His voice started to age and he should only concentrate on giving music rather than singing.

The sets like Ayodhya, Mithila, Kishkindha, Lanka was perfect. The animation and VFX were in many episodes like Lord Ram's Birth, Goddess Sita's birth, Hanuman's birth and Lord Ram's Vishwaroop but in many other episodes ; it was not so appealing. The serials that had the best animations and VFX was in Jai Maa Durga, Jai Jai Jai Bajrangbali, Mahima Shani Dev Ki.

The reason I am giving 7 of 10 is only due to the grand sets, great cast (except Ravan, Indrajeet and Hanuman who were miscast), VFX (as mentioned only for those above episodes) and soulful music by Ravindra Jain. The costumes in the palaces were not good. Imagine a Goddess wearing sleeveless. It was just horrible seeing Sita and other young girls in those costumes. A bit decency needed. Hopefully Sagars will take a note of this next time.

I would therefore conclude that the remake attempt was great but not on par with the VFX of Jai Maa Durga, Jai Jai Jai Bajrangbali and Mahima Shani Dev Ki which was awesome in casting , costumes and mind boggling VFX.

I always love Rajshree Productions as they are always family bound and take family movies which have become huge blockbusters. Vivah is one of them. I have seen this movie multiple times on TV , YouTube and recently on Netflix during the current pandemic. I also do not mind watching it again and again as it gives me a family feeling inside me.

The main protagonists ie Shahid Kapoor and Amrita Rao played the perfect couple on screen starting from strangers till they get married. I have become a great fan of them since their Ishq Vishk days. Now, I shall give the review in detail below:

* The Cast: Amrita Rao has proved that she is the real girl that anyone would have wanted as their life partner. Her spotless beauty, traditional looks and superb acting lit the movie to great heights. She just rocks the screen. Shahid Kapoor played his role so perfectly that he has become the nation's favorite. His handsome looks, zest acting has made all the girls weak. Alok Nath did an awesome job as the uncle cum father figure of Amrita Rao. His expressions, smile, acting proved that he is the real sanskari babuji of India. Amrita Prakash who played Amrita's cousin sister did a good job but could not act naturally (That's a flaw). Seema Biswas who played the aunt did a great job. Anupam Kher was just superb as the kindhearted, successful down-to-earth businessman. Other cast like Sameer Soni, Lata Sabharwal, Dinesh Lamba, Manoj Joshi did a great job too.

* The plot: In no way there was any sub-plot in the movie. Kudos to the director for having concentrated on the main plot. This is how in real life ; arranged marriages work out.

* Music: Ravindra Jain's music was so uplifting that it brought tears in my eyes. Do Anjaane Ajnabee is the perfect song for a marriage prospect and its used even today in real life. Another song "Mujhe Haq Hai" was so good. The bhajan "Radhe Krishn Ki Jyoti" was so divinely sung by Shreya Ghoshal that I play it everyday. These 3 songs are my favorites. The other songs were also good in their own way too.

* Cinematography: The cinematographer did a brilliant job in capturing wonderful locales like Nainital, Delhi, Uttarakhand.

There are several heart touching scenes in the movie like the father convincing the son to marry at the right age, the boy-girl meeting, the would-be-in-laws taking the prime responsibility of curing their would-be-daughter-in-law for her burn accident with the help of extra burn specialists , Mohnish Behl (special appearance) telling about abandonment of people during burn cases, Sameer Soni-Lata Sabharwal scenes, the Som Sarovar stay with the future family etc. The scenes between Amrita Rao Rao-Alok Nath, Manoj Joshi-Alok Nath was just touching.

I just loved the movie and would recommend people to watch it. I even have the DVD of the movie too. I also thank Netflix for releasing the movie during these tough times.

Watch "Vivah" and find your perfect match.