''Raavan'' is a 2010 Indian
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
-language
epic action-adventure film
Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...
written and directed by
Mani Ratnam
Gopala Ratnam Subramaniam (born 2 June 1956), known professionally as Mani Ratnam, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema and few Hindi, Telugu and Kannada films. Ratnam has won six Nat ...
, who also co-produced the film. It stars
Abhishek Bachchan
Abhishek Bachchan (born 5 February 1976) is an Indian actor and film producer known for his work in Hindi films. Part of the Bachchan family, he is the son of actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan and the grandson of poet Harivansh Rai Bach ...
,
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan ( Rai; born 1 November 1973) is an Indian actress who is primarily known for her work in Hindi and Tamil films. The winner of the Miss World 1994 pageant, she has established herself as one of the most popular celebriti ...
and
Vikram, while
Govinda
Govinda (), also rendered Govind and Gobind, is an epithet of Vishnu which is also used for his avatars such as Krishna. The name appears as the 187th and the 539th name of Vishnu in '' Vishnu Sahasranama''. The name is also popularly addresse ...
,
Nikhil Dwivedi
Nikhil Dwivedi is an Indian actor and producer who works in Hindi cinema. He is best known for his role in television series ''Scam 1992'' (2020). His other acting roles include '' My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves'' (2008), '' Raavan'' (2010), '' ...
,
Ravi Kishan
Ravi Kishan Shukla (; born 17 July 1969), popularly known as Ravi Kishan, is an Indian actor, politician, film producer and television personality. He currently serves as Member of parliament, Lok Sabha from Gorakhpur. His film works are predo ...
and
Priyamani
Priya Vasudev Mani Iyer (born 4 June 1984), known by her professional name Priyamani, is an Indian actress and former model, who works in the South Indian film industry. She is a recipient of Several Awards.
Priyamani made her acting debut t ...
feature in key supporting roles. It marks the
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
film debuts of Vikram and Priyamani. The film follows the crux of the epic ''
Ramayana
The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th ...
'', but with a modernized plot which reveals the perspective of
Ravana
Ravana (; , , ) is a rakshasa king of the island of Lanka, and the chief antagonist of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana'' and its adaptations.
In the ''Ramayana'', Ravana is described to be the eldest son of sage Vishrava and rakshasi Kaikesi. He a ...
.
''Raavan'' was announced in February 2008, whilst Abhishek and Aishwarya's collaboration in the second time after ''
Guru
Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverentia ...
'' (2007), creating more anticipation. Shooting began soon after, and took place in various locations with a record number of extras in areas including
Chalakudy
Chalakudy is a municipal town situated on the banks of Chalakudy River in Thrissur district of the Kerala state in India. It is the headquarters of Chalakudy taluk. It is the base camp for travellers to Athirappilly Falls and Vazhachal Falls. ...
,
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
and
Ooty
Ooty (), officially known as Udhagamandalam (also known as Ootacamund (); abbreviated as Udhagai), is a city and a municipality in the Nilgiris district of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located north west of Coimbatore and so ...
,
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
amongst other regions throughout India. The film's music was composed by
A. R. Rahman
Allah Rakha Rahman (; born A. S. Dileep Kumar; 6 January 1967) is an Indian music composer, record producer, singer and songwriter, popular for his works in Indian cinema; predominantly in Tamil and Hindi films, with occasional forays in int ...
, with lyrics written by
Gulzar
Sampooran Singh Kalra (born 18 August 1934), known professionally as Gulzar, is an Indian Urdu poet, lyricist, author, screenwriter, and film director known for his works in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of greatest Urdu poets of this ...
, the cinematography was handled by
V. Manikandan
V. Manikandan is a leading cinematographer who works as the cinematographer for a number of major box office hits in Hindi, Tamil and Malayalam. He is an ad film cinematographer with more than 3000 ad films to his credit.
He won the Best Cin ...
and
Santhosh Sivan
Santosh Sivan (born 8 February 1964) is an Indian cinematographer, film director, producer and actor known for his works in Malayalam, Tamil and Hindi cinema. Santosh graduated from the Film and Television Institute of India and has to date ...
, and editing is done by
A. Sreekar Prasad
Akkineni Sreekar Prasad is an Indian film editor. He works predominantly in Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil, and Hindi language films. In a career spanning more than 35 years, he has edited over 600 films. He is a recipient of nine National Film Awards ...
.
The film was simultaneously released in
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
as ''
Raavanan
Ravana (; , , ) is a rakshasa king of the island of Lanka, and the chief antagonist of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana'' and its adaptations.
In the ''Ramayana'', Ravana is described to be the eldest son of sage Vishrava and Rakshasa, rakshasi Kaik ...
'' with Vikram, playing the antagonist and Aishwarya Rai reprising her role in Tamil as well. Both versions released simultaneously on 18 June 2010 worldwide. The film's premiere was held in London on 16 June 2010.
Plot
A
naxalite named Beera Munda and his gang are busy distracting the cops, where police vehicles are set ablaze and women seduce cops into a trap whereby Beera's henchmen attacks and brutally kill them. Whilst on a boating trip, Raagini Sharma is kidnapped by Beera, where her husband
ASP Dev Pratap Sharma, is informed of the incident. It is revealed that Beera is a local hero in his village, who runs a parallel government in rural areas with his brothers – Mangal and Hariya. Though considered a naxalite by the local police, Beera is respected by the villagers. He actually kidnapped Raagini hoping to avenge the death of his sister Jamunia, where he brings her to a cliff to kill her. She refuses to die at his hands and jumps off the cliff into the water far below, hoping to kill herself, but to no avail.
This causes Beera to hold off the murder, being unable to kill someone who has no fear of death. Dev and his team enter the forests with the aid of Sanjeevani Kumar, a local
forest guard. Despite searching deep in the forests, Dev is unable to hunt down Veera. Meanwhile, Raagini (who is actually suffering from
Stockholm Syndrome
Stockholm syndrome is a condition in which hostages develop a psychological bond with their captors. It is supposed to result from a rather specific set of circumstances, namely the power imbalances contained in hostage-taking, kidnapping, an ...
) learns that Dev had led an encounter against Veera during Jamunia's wedding, where his shot grazed Beera in the neck. Fighting for his life, Beera is unable to protect his sister and is led out of the fiasco by his gang. The police pressurised Jamunia into revealing Veera's hideout. When she refused, she was subjected to torture and was physically assaulted by the cops. Beera returned home to find Jamunia depressed and traumatised. The next day, Jamunia committed suicide by drowning in a nearby well. Unhappy with the ways of leading the war causing distress to his gang, Hariya offers a truce to Dev, who initially seems to agree.
When Hariya arrives from his hideout, Dev shoots him to death revealing that he considers the destruction of Beera as more important than saving Raagini. Beera and Mangal are enraged and attack Dev's camp where they wipe out completely. A final confrontation ensues between Beera and Dev on a rickety bridge where Beera triumphs over Dev, but leaves him as Dev told that he is leaving him alive because of Raagini. Dev manages to extricate himself out and finds Raagini bound and tied up with Veera leaving her. While returning to their hometown, Dev accuses Raagini of
infidelity
Infidelity (synonyms include cheating, straying, adultery, being unfaithful, two-timing, or having an affair) is a violation of a couple's emotional and/or sexual exclusivity that commonly results in feelings of anger, sexual jealousy, and riva ...
and informs her that Beera actually told him. Furious, Raagini leaves Dev to meet Beera through Mangal, where she manages to meet him and asks him about the accusation. Beera denies the accusation, where the duo quickly realises that Dev lied, hoping Raagini would lead him to his hideout. Dev appears with a police team and confronts Beera. Raagini tries to save Beera, but he pushes her out of the line of fire, and is shot multiple times, where Beera falls to his death with a smile while Ragini is distraught.
Cast
*
Abhishek Bacchan as Beera Munda (a character based on
Ravana
Ravana (; , , ) is a rakshasa king of the island of Lanka, and the chief antagonist of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana'' and its adaptations.
In the ''Ramayana'', Ravana is described to be the eldest son of sage Vishrava and rakshasi Kaikesi. He a ...
)
*
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan ( Rai; born 1 November 1973) is an Indian actress who is primarily known for her work in Hindi and Tamil films. The winner of the Miss World 1994 pageant, she has established herself as one of the most popular celebriti ...
as Ragini Sharma / Mahua (a character based on
Sita
Sita (; ) also called as Janaki and Vaidehi is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic, ''Ramayana''. She is the consort of Rama, the avatar of the god Vishnu, and is regarded as a form of Vishnu's consort, Lakshmi. She ...
)
*
Vikram as Dev Pratap Sharma IPS, Additional Superintendent of Police 2 a character based on
Sri Rama
*
Govinda
Govinda (), also rendered Govind and Gobind, is an epithet of Vishnu which is also used for his avatars such as Krishna. The name appears as the 187th and the 539th name of Vishnu in '' Vishnu Sahasranama''. The name is also popularly addresse ...
as Sanjeevani Kumar (a character based on
Lord Hanuman
Hanuman (; sa, हनुमान, ), also called Anjaneya (), is a Hindu god and a divine ''vanara'' companion of the god Rama. Hanuman is one of the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is an ardent devotee of Rama and one ...
)
*
Nikhil Dwivedi
Nikhil Dwivedi is an Indian actor and producer who works in Hindi cinema. He is best known for his role in television series ''Scam 1992'' (2020). His other acting roles include '' My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves'' (2008), '' Raavan'' (2010), '' ...
as DSP Hemant Sinha (a character based on
Lakshmana
Lakshmana ( sa, लक्ष्मण, lit=the fortunate one, translit=Lakṣmaṇa), also spelled as Laxmana, is the younger brother of Rama and his loyalist in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He bears the epithets of Saumitra () and Ramanuja (). ...
)
*
Ravi Kishan
Ravi Kishan Shukla (; born 17 July 1969), popularly known as Ravi Kishan, is an Indian actor, politician, film producer and television personality. He currently serves as Member of parliament, Lok Sabha from Gorakhpur. His film works are predo ...
as Mangal, Beera's brother
(a character based on
Kumbhakarna
Kumbhakarna (Sanskrit: कुम्भकर्ण, lit. ''pot-eared'') is a powerful rakshasa and younger brother of Ravana from the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. Despite his gigantic size and appetite, he is described as a virtuous character an ...
)
*
Priyamani
Priya Vasudev Mani Iyer (born 4 June 1984), known by her professional name Priyamani, is an Indian actress and former model, who works in the South Indian film industry. She is a recipient of Several Awards.
Priyamani made her acting debut t ...
as Jamuni, Beera's sister (a character based on
Shurpanakha
Shurpanakha ( Sanskrit: शूर्पणखा, , ), also known as Meenakshi, is a ''rakshasi'' (demoness) in Hindu Mythology. Her legends are mainly narrated in the epic '' Ramayana'' and its other versions. She was the sister of Lanka's k ...
)
*Ajay Gehi as Hariya, Beera's younger brother (a character based on
Vibhishana
Vibhishana () is the younger brother of Ravana, the King of Lanka, in the ancient Indian epic Ramayana. Though a rakshasa himself, Vibhishana turned his back on Ravana, and defected to Rama's side, owing to his dharma. After Rama defeated Ra ...
)
*
Sachin Khedekar
Sachin Khedekar (born 14 May 1965) is an Indian actor and director known for his work in Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Gujarati language films. His well-known films include '' Kaksparsh'', '' Astitva'' and Shyam Benegal's '' Neta ...
(cameo)
*
Pankaj Tripathi
Pankaj Tripathi (Birth name, né Tiwari; born 5 September 1976) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema and has also appeared in Telugu cinema, Telugu and Tamil cinema, Tamil language films. Tripathi has established himself as one of the n ...
as Gulabiya, a transgender woman in the village
*
Tejaswini Kolhapure
Tejaswini Kolhapure (born 1 January 1980)is an Indian super model and actress.
Personal life
Kolhapure was born in Mumbai in a Maharashtrian family. Her father, Pandharinath Kolhapure, is a classical singer whose family was from Kolhapur. as Dulari
*Anshika Srivastav as Puniya
* Faisal Rashid as Rajeshwar Tiwari aka Guddu, Jamuni's lover (a character based on Vidyutjihva)
*Chintu Mohaptra as Photographer
*Alpa Joshi as Tiwari's wife
*Mangal Kekre as Jamuni's mother (a character based on
Kaikashi
''Ramayana'' is one of the two major Sanskrit ancient epics (''Itihasa''s) of Hindu literature. It was composed by sage Valmiki. This is a list of important characters that appear in the epic.
A
Agastya
Agastya was a son of sage Pulastya ...
)
*Manoj Mishra as Ranjit, Beera's spy (a character based on Shuka and Sarana)
Production
Development
During the making of his 2007 biopic ''
Guru
Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverentia ...
'' starring
Abhishek Bachchan
Abhishek Bachchan (born 5 February 1976) is an Indian actor and film producer known for his work in Hindi films. Part of the Bachchan family, he is the son of actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan and the grandson of poet Harivansh Rai Bach ...
and
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan ( Rai; born 1 November 1973) is an Indian actress who is primarily known for her work in Hindi and Tamil films. The winner of the Miss World 1994 pageant, she has established herself as one of the most popular celebriti ...
,
Mani Ratnam
Gopala Ratnam Subramaniam (born 2 June 1956), known professionally as Mani Ratnam, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema and few Hindi, Telugu and Kannada films. Ratnam has won six Nat ...
had finalised a script for his next directorial venture titled ''Lajjo''. Based on a short story by
Ismat Chughtai
Ismat Chughtai (21 August 1915 – 24 October 1991) was an Indian Urdu novelist, short story writer, liberal humanist and filmmaker. Beginning in the 1930s, she wrote extensively on themes including female sexuality and femininity, middle-class ...
, it was a musical period film set in the desert and was to star
Aamir Khan
Mohammed Aamir Hussain Khan (; born 14 March 1965) is an Indian actor, film director and producer who works in Hindi films. Through his career spanning over 30 years, Khan has established himself as one of the most notable actors of Indian ci ...
and
Kareena Kapoor
Kareena Kapoor Khan (; ''née'' Kapoor; born 21 September 1980) is an Indian actress who appears in Bollywood, Hindi films. She is the daughter of actors Randhir Kapoor and Babita, and the younger sister of actress Karisma Kapoor. Noted for pl ...
in the lead. Though the film was slated to go on floors after the release of the former, there were reports of a fall-out between Ratnam and Khan due to creative differences. While cinematographer
P. C. Sreeram
P. C. Sreeram ISC (born 26 January 1956) is an Indian cinematographer and film director who works in Indian films. He is also the president of Qube Cinemas, a digital cinema technology company. He is an alumnus of the Madras Film Institute. ...
denied the reports, the film's would-be lyricist
Gulzar
Sampooran Singh Kalra (born 18 August 1934), known professionally as Gulzar, is an Indian Urdu poet, lyricist, author, screenwriter, and film director known for his works in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of greatest Urdu poets of this ...
said there were actually problems with acquiring the copyright of the story, and composer
A. R. Rahman
Allah Rakha Rahman (; born A. S. Dileep Kumar; 6 January 1967) is an Indian music composer, record producer, singer and songwriter, popular for his works in Indian cinema; predominantly in Tamil and Hindi films, with occasional forays in int ...
even confirmed to having completed 80% of the film score. Yet, the project was put on the back burner for reasons unknown.
Following the critical and commercial success of ''Guru'', Ratnam announced his next film in February 2008. A modern-day retelling of the mythological epic ''
Ramayana
The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th ...
'', the film again features the real life couple in the lead. The film was initially planned to be made only in Hindi and the idea for the Tamil version came later.
In January 2009, while the film was in the making, it was further decided to dub the Tamil version to Telugu making it a tri-lingual. While the film was yet to be titled, it was widely reported in the media that the Tamil version was titled ''Ashokavanam'' in reference to the place where Sita was held captive by Ravana. Subsequently, the film was titled ''Raavan'' in Hindi and ''Raavanan'' in Tamil. While the plot is inspired by ''Ramayana'', the story is narrated from Ravana's perspective making him the protagonist. The film is centered on the 'Ashokavanam' episode where Ravana kidnaps Sita and keeps her in Asokavanam. Later Rama ventures to save his wife and bring her back.
Casting
Bachchan and Vikram were roped in for the contrasting leads.
Rai plays the female lead in both versions of the film.
Manikandan was hired as the film's cinematographer; however, he walked out in May 2009 and was replaced by
Santosh Sivan
Santosh Sivan (born 8 February 1964) is an Indian cinematographer, film director, producer and actor known for his works in Malayalam, Tamil and Hindi cinema. Santosh graduated from the Film and Television Institute of India and has to date co ...
. The editing was done by
Sreekar Prasad. Rai's costumes were exclusively designed by fashion designer
Sabyasachi Mukherjee
Sabyasachi Mukherjee (born 23 February 1974) is an Indian fashion designer, jewelry designer, retailer and couturier from Kolkata, India. Since 1999, he has sold designer merchandise using the label Sabyasachi. Mukherjee is one of the Associat ...
. Choreography was by
Ganesh Acharya
Ganesh Acharya is an Indian choreographer, film director, and actor who prominently works in Bollywood.
He won the National Film Award for Best Choreography for his work on the songs "Hawan Kund" from Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013) and "Gori tu lat ...
, Brinda,
Shobana
Shobana Chandrakumar Pillai (born 21 March 1970) is an Indian actress and Bharatanatyam dancer. She acts predominantly in Malayalam films along with Telugu and Tamil films with few Hindi, Kannada and English films. She has won two National Fil ...
, and Astad Deboo.
Peter Hein and Shyam Koushal choreographed the action sequences and
Samir Chanda
Samir Chanda (1957 – 18 August 2011) was an Indian art director and production designer across Indian cinema, including Hindi, Bengali, Malayalam and Tamil, most known for his work in films like '' Yodha'' (1992), '' Dil Se..'' (1998), ''Guru' ...
took care of production design.
Filming
''Raavan'' was shot in numerous locations around India including the forests of
Karnataka
Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
(Tumkur),
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
(
Athirappilly Falls
Athirappilly Falls, is situated in Athirappilly Panchayat in Chalakudy Taluk of Thrissur District in Kerala, India on the Chalakudy River, which originates from the upper reaches of the Western Ghats at the entrance to the Sholayar range ...
),
Ooty
Ooty (), officially known as Udhagamandalam (also known as Ootacamund (); abbreviated as Udhagai), is a city and a municipality in the Nilgiris district of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located north west of Coimbatore and so ...
,
Dharmapuri
Dharmapuri is a special grade town in the north western part of Tamil Nadu, India. It serves as the administrative headquarters of Dharmapuri district which is the first district created in Tamil Nadu after the independence of India by splitti ...
(
Hogenakkal Falls
Hogenakkal Falls (' ஒகேனக்கல் அருவி', ' ಹೊಗೇನಕಲ್ ಜಲಪಾತ') is a waterfall in South India on the Kaveri river on the border between Dharmapuri district of Tamil Nadu and Chamrajnagar district ...
),
Jhansi
Jhansi (; Hindi: झांसी, Urdu: ) is a historic city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It lies in the region of Bundelkhand on the banks of the Pahuj River, in the extreme south of Uttar Pradesh. Jhansi is the administrative hea ...
,
Kolkata
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
,
Mahabaleshwar
Mahabaleshwar () is a small town and a municipal council in Satara district, Maharashtra, India. It is a place of pilgrimage for Hindus because Krishna river has its origin here. The British colonial rulers developed the town as a hill station ...
and in the Malshej Ghats in
Maharashtra
Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...
.
Principal photography commenced in October 2008, in the forests near
Kochi
Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...
, Kerala. A few scenes were filmed at
Athirappilly Falls
Athirappilly Falls, is situated in Athirappilly Panchayat in Chalakudy Taluk of Thrissur District in Kerala, India on the Chalakudy River, which originates from the upper reaches of the Western Ghats at the entrance to the Sholayar range ...
, Ratnam's favourite location. Incidentally, he has shot for the songs 'Jiya Jale' in ''
Dil Se..'' and 'Barso Re' in ''
Guru
Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverentia ...
'' at the same location.
Forest officials banned the shooting at
Malayattoor
Malayattoor is a village in Aluva thaluk . It is situated around 15 km (9 mi) north-east of Angamaly in Ernakulam District in the state of Kerala in South India. The name `Malayattoor' is an amalgamation of three small words. Mala ( ...
, an eco-tourism centre, for violating rules and constructing temporary huts, delaying the shoot for 11 days until the issues were resolved on 22 October 2008, while laying down reworked rules. The second leg of the shooting at
Ooty
Ooty (), officially known as Udhagamandalam (also known as Ootacamund (); abbreviated as Udhagai), is a city and a municipality in the Nilgiris district of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located north west of Coimbatore and so ...
that began in December 2008 was also delayed as local cab drivers protested the use of film federation (FEFSI) vehicles which affected their business, forcing a dejected Ratnam to call off the shoot temporarily and move on to
Hogenakkal Falls
Hogenakkal Falls (' ஒகேனக்கல் அருவி', ' ಹೊಗೇನಕಲ್ ಜಲಪಾತ') is a waterfall in South India on the Kaveri river on the border between Dharmapuri district of Tamil Nadu and Chamrajnagar district ...
. In February 2009, the crew advanced to
Kolkata
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
where the song 'Kalvare' was shot by the banks of
Hooghly at
Agarpara
Agarpara is a locality in Panihati Municipality of North 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is close to Kolkata and also a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA).Agarpara has two p ...
. Later, as the shooting resumed and progressed at Ooty, Ratnam fell ill in April 2009 and was hospitalised at
Apollo Hospitals
Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited is an Indian multinational healthcare group headquartered in Chennai. Along with the eponymous hospital chain, the company also operates pharmacies, primary care and diagnostic centres, telehealth clinics, ...
, causing a further delay of 47 days until filming resumed in June 2009 following his recovery. As the numerous delays affected his other projects, DOP Manikandan walked out in May and was replaced by Santosh Sivan. By July, the crew moved back to Kerala, to reshoot a few scenes at
Chalakudy
Chalakudy is a municipal town situated on the banks of Chalakudy River in Thrissur district of the Kerala state in India. It is the headquarters of Chalakudy taluk. It is the base camp for travellers to Athirappilly Falls and Vazhachal Falls. ...
as Ratnam was reportedly unsatisfied after seeing the rushes.
This time around, heavy rains played spoilsport leading to another delay in filming. Moreover, when an elephant brought for the shoot ran amok killing the mahout, the Animal Welfare Board served a show cause notice to the production company (Madras Talkies) for not taking permission to use elephants.
The film began its last schedule in August 2009 at the
Malshej Ghat
Malshej Ghat (माळशेज घाट) is a mountain pass located on Maharashtra's Kalyan–Ahmednagar Road in the Western Ghats range.
The site is home to hundreds of various species of flora and fauna, particularly avian species such a ...
s in
Maharashtra
Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...
where the climax sequence was shot, the final encounter taking place on a wooden bridge. Production designer Samir Chanda built three identical bridges to facilitate the scene to be captured from different angles. Though initially planned to be built either in Sri Lanka, Australia or South Africa, the bridge was constructed in
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
to reduce costs. While bad weather and heavy rains disrupted shoot for a few days, the forest department filed cases against some crew members for trespassing. The film went into post-production by the end of 2009.
Numerous action sequences were performed by the actors. The actors suffered from real cuts and bruises so they didn't need make up. The stunts were directed by
Mani Ratnam
Gopala Ratnam Subramaniam (born 2 June 1956), known professionally as Mani Ratnam, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema and few Hindi, Telugu and Kannada films. Ratnam has won six Nat ...
and choreographed by
Peter Hein, who received a Filmfare action award for the Hindi versions of ''
Ghajini'' and ''
Anniyan
''Anniyan'' () is a 2005 Indian Tamil-language psychological action thriller film written and directed by S. Shankar and produced by V. Ravichandran of Aascar Films. The plot centres on a disillusioned everyman whose frustration at what he see ...
''. For his introduction scene, the protagonist has to jump from a 90-foot high cliff near the Hogenakkal Falls into the river below. This risky dive was performed by a body double, Balram, a
Bangalore
Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...
based former national diving champion.
Kalarippayattu
Kalaripayattu (; also known simply as Kalari) is an Indian martial art that originated in modern-day Kerala, a state on the southwestern coast of India. Kalaripayattu is known for its long-standing history within Indian martial arts, and is ...
, a martial art form origaniting from Kerala, was also featured in the film. Sunil Kumar, a Kalari gym trainer from
Kozhikode
Kozhikode (), also known in English as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. It has a corporation limit population of 609,224 and a metropolitan population of more than 2 million, making it the second la ...
, trained the actors. Dancer Astad Deboo choreographed a passionate chase scene and a
tandav
Tandava (also spelled as ) also known as , is a divine dance performed by Hindu god Shiva. Shiva is depicted as dancing the Tandava in his form of Nataraja.
The ''Natya Shastra'', a Sanskrit treatise on the performing arts describes various as ...
dance between Abhishek and Aishwarya for the film.
Music
The soundtrack for the film was composed by
A. R. Rahman
Allah Rakha Rahman (; born A. S. Dileep Kumar; 6 January 1967) is an Indian music composer, record producer, singer and songwriter, popular for his works in Indian cinema; predominantly in Tamil and Hindi films, with occasional forays in int ...
with lyrics penned by
Gulzar
Sampooran Singh Kalra (born 18 August 1934), known professionally as Gulzar, is an Indian Urdu poet, lyricist, author, screenwriter, and film director known for his works in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of greatest Urdu poets of this ...
. It features six songs and an additional song that was performed by Rahman at the audio launch. It was released on 7 May 2010 by
T-Series.
The additional track performed by Rahman, titled "Jaare Ud Jaare", was not included in the CD. The song was cited to be an "instant composition": "The night before the launch, Rahman closeted himself in his Mumbai studio and worked through the night to compose the song." This song is believed to be included in the later stages. The soundtrack also features three additional songs that were featured in the movie.
Release
''Raavan'', along with its simultaneously made Tamil version ''Raavanan'', was released on 18 June 2010.
Reception
Critical response
![Abhishek n Aishwarya at Raavan London premiere](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/Abhishek_n_Aishwarya_at_Raavan_London_premiere.jpg)
Among Indian film critics, ''Raavan'' received mixed reviews and responses.
Rajeev Masand
Rajeev Masand is an Indian film critic and journalist. He has worked for Noida based English language news channel CNN-Indian Broadcasting Network (CNN-IBN). He usually reviews Bollywood films and major Hollywood films released in India in hi ...
of
IBN gave the film 1.5/5 and said, "Despite some eye-watering camerawork and a stunning action piece in the film's climax, the film -- especially its first half -- is a carelessly edited mess of long scenes that make little sense when strung together." Noyon Jyoti Parasara of AOL rated it 2.5/5 and stated, "Raavan is more a choreographed musical-cum-psychological drama but without proper character backing. What makes the movie worth watching is the peaks in the second half, of course apart from the imagery."
Taran Adarsh
Taran Adarsh (born 13 June 1965) is an Indian film critic and trade analyst. He is best known for giving trade figures and box office updates on social media.
Career
Taran Adarsh started his journalism career at the age of 15 with ''Trade Gui ...
of
Bollywood Hungama
Bollywood Hungama (lit. "Bollywood Madness" in Hindi), previously known as IndiaFM (or IndiaFM.com), is a Bollywood entertainment website, owned by Hungama Digital Media Entertainment, which acquired the website in 2000.
The website provides ...
rated it 1.5/5 and said, "On the whole, ''Raavan'' is a king-sized disappointment, in terms of content." Sukanya Venkatraghavan of ''
Filmfare
''Filmfare'' is an Indian English language, English-language fortnightly magazine published by Worldwide Media. Acknowledged as one of Indian most popular entertainment magazines, it publishes pieces involving news, interviews, photos, videos, r ...
'' rated the film 3/5 and said, "''Raavan'' has its moments but it lacks depth. The first half is fairly riveting but the second half slowly slips into a coma."
Nikhat Kazmi
Nikhat Kazmi ( hi, निखत काजमी; 1958/59 – 20 January 2012) was a senior correspondent and well-known film critic from, born Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, who had been writing for ''The Times of India'' since 1987. She died of breast ...
of ''
The Times of India
''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest ...
'' rated it favourably at 3.5/5, saying, "There are enough punches in the second half to keep the momentum going, but by and large, the film scores mostly on art and aesthete." Raja Sen of
Rediff
Rediff.com (stylized as ''rediff.com'') is an Indian news, information, entertainment and shopping web portal. It was founded in 1996. It is headquartered in Mumbai, with offices in Bangalore, New Delhi and New York City.
, it had more than 300 e ...
rated it 2/5 and said, "''Raavan'' truly and tragically fails us is in taking one of our greatest epics, and making it unforgivably boring." Parimal Rohit of Buzzine Bollywood said, "''Raavan'' is ultimately a clever film, as it pushed the envelope on how one goes about defining who is good and who is evil."
, ''Raavan'' holds a 46% approval rating among the audience. Cath Clarke of ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' gave the film a rating of 2/5 and found it sexist, while ''
New York Post
The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com.
It was established ...
'' critic Lou Lumenick wrote, "If you're not a fan of Bollywood movies – which have long resisted crossover attempts in this country despite the success of hybrids such as ''Slumdog Millionaire'' — Mani Ratnam's action melodrama ''Raavan'' probably isn't going to make a convert out of you." However,
Frank Lovece
Frank Lovece () is an American journalist and author, and a comic book writer primarily for Marvel Comics, where he and artist Mike Okamoto created the miniseries ''Atomic Age''. His longest affiliation has been with the New York metropolitan ar ...
of ''
Film Journal International
''Film Journal International'' was a motion-picture industry trade magazine published by the American company Prometheus Global Media. It was a sister publication of ''Adweek'', '' Billboard'', ''The Hollywood Reporter'', and other periodicals.
H ...
'' found it a "cracklingly stylish, suspenseful psychological drama" with "a visual sense that evokes
David Fincher
David Andrew Leo Fincher (born August 28, 1962) is an American film director. His films, mostly psychological thrillers and biographical dramas, have received 40 nominations at the Academy Awards, including three for him as Best Director. Fin ...
at his darkest", and admired the dance numbers, "one taking place somewhat
naturalistically at a wedding, the other essentially a stunning
war dance
A war dance is a dance involving mock combat, usually in reference to tribal warrior societies where such dances were performed as a ritual connected with endemic warfare.
Martial arts in various cultures can be performed in dance-like settin ...
."
''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' and the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'' likewise gave it positive reviews: Rachel Saltz of the former made it a ''Times'' "Critic's Pick" and lauded Ratnam as "a talented visual storyteller who directs action crisply and fills the screen with striking images" including "an eye-popping climactic battle", while Kevin Thomas of the latter said the film "is replete with dizzying camerawork, myriad complications, violent mayhem, broad humor,
heusual musical interludes, a cliffhanging climactic confrontation and a finish that strikes a note of poignancy."
Box office
''Raavan'' opened "below expectations" at the Indian box office, with the Hindi version earning
Rs 60.1 million on its opening day. In
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
, ''Raavan'' opened in 120 theaters and ranked No. 15 on the domestic weekend box office chart with $760. ''
Box Office India
Box Office India is an Indian film website. Its traffic ranking in India is 83,665 . A new Box Office India website went live on 20 January 2014.
About
Box Office India was launched on 10 June 2003. Its uses Whois privacy to anonymize its owne ...
'' declared the film a ''Flop''.
Unlike its Hindi counterpart, which tanked at the box office, the Tamil version tasted success in the South. During its opening weekend on 15 screens in Chennai, it was the number one film and netted , an opening weekend record then. Though the film opened to packed houses, it slumped a little due to mixed reviews but later picked up following a local holiday. The film collected $8 million at the box office in the first month of release including $400,000 from Kerala. It went on to make over 600 million at the worldwide box office and remained one of the top Tamil grossers of the year.
Uk opening weekend. UK boxoffice second week. New York boxoffice.
Accolades
; 6th Apsara Film & Television Producers Guild Awards
Won
* Apsara Award for Best Cinematography – V. Manikandan (shared with ''
Guzaarish'')
* Apsara Award for Best Re-recording – Tapan Nayak
* Apsara Award for Best Visual Credits – Srinivas Karthik Kotamraju
* Apsara Award for Best cinematography – Santosh Sivan
Nominated
* Apsara Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role (Female) – Priya Mani
;
2011 Zee Cine Awards
Nominated
*
Best Actor in a Negative Role – Abhishek Bachchan
;
3rd Mirchi Music Awards
The 3rd Mirchi Music Awards, presented by Radio Mirchi, honored the best of Hindi music from the year 2010. The ceremony was held on 27 January 2011 at the Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai, and was hosted by Shaan and Sonu Nigam. The program featur ...
Nominated
*
Upcoming Male Vocalist of The Year – Mustafa Kutoane and
Kirti Sagathia – "Beera"
* Song representing Sufi tradition – "Ranjha Ranjha"
* Best Programmer & Arranger of the Year – A. R. Rahman – "Ranjha Ranjha"
* Best Background Score of the Year – A. R. Rahman
References
External links
Official trailers*
*
*
*
*
{{Madras Talkies
Indian epic films
Indian action adventure films
Indian romantic action films
Films set in India
2010s Hindi-language films
Indian multilingual films
Films scored by A. R. Rahman
Films directed by Mani Ratnam
Films set in forests
Films shot in Chalakudy
2010 multilingual films
2010 films
2010s action adventure films
Reliance Entertainment films
Sony Pictures films
Columbia Pictures films
Sony Pictures Networks India films
Films shot in Thrissur