Rann review

Producer: Sheetal Vinod Talwar, Madhu Mantena.
Director: Ram Gopal Varma.
Star Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Ritesh Deshmukh, Paresh Rawal, Mohnish Behl, Suchitra Krishnamurthy, Rajat Kapoor, Gul Panag, Neetu Chandra,
Rajpal Yadav, Sudeep, Rahul Pendkalkar, Neena Kulkarni, Simone Singh, Iklaq Khan, Alok Nath.
Cinematography: Amit Roy
Art: Aparna Sud
Editor: Nipun Gupta


RGV does a vivisection of the electronic media and does it with a high degree of focus. True to his style, it is a “take it or leave it” statement. The signature angst is there but paradoxically it is over-simplified and consequently lacking credibility.
Media barons are at war. The clash of the black and white: there is Vijay Harshvardhan Malik (Amitabh Bachchan) who is principled and unwilling to use his channel to gain TRPs and thereby revenue and there is Amrish Kakkar (Mohnish Behl) who is willing to do anything to lead the rat race. The Director (or the script) would have us believe that is the clash between the contemporary and the Dinosaur, the practical and the ideal. Harshvardhan’s son Jay (Sudeep) is a trifle vexed with pappa’s approach and is simmering with anger and disappointment. He is wild at new entrant Purab (Ritesh) who is in awe of Harsh. There is also a mole in Nalini Kashyap (Suchitra Krishnamurthy).
Things come to a boil when Jay joins hands with the scheming politician Mohan Pandey (Paresh Rawal) and ambitious businessman Naveen (Rajat Kapoor). The later is Jay’s brother-in-law, married to his sister Priya (Simone Singh). The unholy nexus between politics, business and the media is knit tightly into the racy script to a finale that leaves it more to Bachchan than the script to deliver.
The film comes in a way as a relief from a film maker whose “Aag…” is remembered as much as his Shiva or Sarkar. Thankfully he is in form. He also does not use too much of his “violence” to tell the tale, though surely the script offers enough temptation. More than the script, the high moralist view, the contemporarineity, it is the cast that delivers. From the likes of Gul Panag and Rajat Kapoor who are restricted for space to Suchitra Krishnamurthy and Simone Singh who are just placed into the showcase everyone offers a moment to the film. Paresh Rawal’s character is too straight jacket and the veteran sleep walks the interpretation.
As ever, Amitabh Bachchan grows in his role. Just when you are about to write him off, he delivers the punch. Watch his dramatic evolution in the climax. It offers an artistic explanation of how Big B approaches a script and is capable of having his winning moments. The surprise packet is Sudeep who is somewhere an extension of Sarkar’s K K. No – he is no-where near K K but he energises Rann and renders a heart touching, realistic performance. Watch out for him unless he is typecast. Rann is not a must see. It is a worth watch.

L. Ravichander.