A quick comparative note on Raavanan

This is an addendum to the earlier review I had up.

The chief difference between the two versions of Ratnam’s latest film(s) are the casting choices and, of course, the language/writing. On the second count, the Tamil version tends to add much back-story to its dialogue, mapping out some of the logical gaps some folks might find in the Hindi version along with some mesmerizing poetry in the form of Vairamuthu’s lyrics, which, to my mind, outmatch Gulzar’s very strong work (on the whole) for resonance and an evocative feel. While I felt that the “gaps” in the Hindi version were a better way to go in the sense that they make the audience more active in working with the imagery in order to glean answers, and devise emotional, intellectual responses, the Tamil dialogue certainly feels more “straightforward” in this sense. To put it differently, the Hindi version relies more on its visual cues. The Tamil version seems to split the difference between that and giving the audience a few lines of dialogue to point them in a certain direction.

The set design doesn’t deviate much from the Hindi version, which might be a bit jarring at certain junctures, (though not more or less than Rahman’s superb but sometimes misplaced [here] background music) but it’s the preservation of the tone and atmosphere that’s most important here, and this is done remarkably well. Sivan’s cinematographic strategy doesn’t change any for this version, barring a few important or ravishingly beautiful shots added here and there. One really feels that this is more or less the same movie as the Hindi version. I can’t imagine having such a wildly divergent sense of things simply because of changes to dialogue and the central casting. I do prefer one over another here, though.

Ultimately, the most significant and immediately affecting difference is the male lead. Vikram owns this role through and through, bringing to it at least one thing that Abhishek Bachchan simply can’t–a face and bearing that seems to belong, plausibly, to a man who has lived in the forest, who has killed and defended and led for his people. No doubt, Vikram’s age and his wariness adds to the inherent maturity he brings here and especially in the first half, where he seems much more tortured than did Abhishek in the Hindi version, he has an immense weight and guilt on his shoulders that makes him perhaps more easy to empathize with. That said, Abhishek’s physical size and range make him the preferable “monster” in some ways. It might be as simple as the fact that I saw him first here, but overall I’d probably take Bachchan, even if Vikram turns the volume down and has some terrifically uninhibited moments while keeping it all “even” in a way Bachchan doesn’t. Aishwariya Rai more or less keeps it going along the same lines, while Karthik really outshines Govinda’s work–partly because he has better dialogue to work with, and partly because he is perhaps just plain better.

Prabhu meanwhile waddles around and is so bland he makes Ravi Kissen look like Mohanlal in comparison. Priyamani is every bit as superb here as she was in the Hindi version. Although I vastly prefer Vikram (one of the chief deficiencies of the Tamil version is in fact that it has a central antagonist that simply can’t create the same, epic, intense “balance” as Vikram did with Bachchan in the Hindi version) but Prithviraj nevertheless brings an interesting shade to the Dev character here–a nasty, deviant vibe I’ve always detected in his performances even when he’s the good guy! Here, he uses his smarmy-pervert effect rather perfectly in some instances. In one shot, he tackles one of Veera’s masked henchmen, and while grappling on top of him, Prithvi’s Dev unmasks him and for a moment he sees the illusion of Veera’s face superimposed on the henchman’s. The shot establishes what might verge on a homoerotic moment with Dev laying over “Veera” in exactly the same way Veera, at one point, (accidentally) lays over Dev’s wife as the latter pair grapple. Essentially the sexually-charged obsession Dev has with regard to capturing Veera seems more pronounced here.

I’d recommend that folks see both versions, (though it seems from the BO the opposite is happening!) it’s really a unique and interesting event in Indian cinema, and I’m all for this approach which, ideally, opens up a dialogue between the country’s different industries.