Mani's Mistakes

Raavan the movie is on its way to meeting the very same fate as the mythical character in the epic. At least in the rest of India. That's other than the south. Here's why (sure, its wisdom of hindsight...).

Before I list the mistakes, keep in mind the fact that Hindi-Raavan was supposed to be for the rest of India. That's a mass audience Mani was after. Tamil-Raavan's for the south, and initial reports suggest its hitting big time south of the Vindhyas.

Mani's mistake No. 1, he's made the movie with an actor because he's made other movies with the same actor. Bad idea. Abhishek neither has mass appeal nor is he good enough as an actor to play the character he plays. Never mind his father's complaints.

Mani's mistake No. 2, he's tried this urbanish mish-mash of shades of grey in two of his central characters, showing everyone that in fact both characters are made of the same stuff. That is, the hero's as much a villain, as vice-versa. Now who in their sane senses tries such philosophical hocus-pocus on a mass audience?

Mani's mistake No. 3, he's made the film a tad too long without the regular masala stuff, hip-dislocating dances are rare, below-the-belt slapstick stomach churning humour is absent, eye-candy is concealed under a lot of mud; so what's in it for the masses?

Mani's mistake No. 4, he's made a movie without a story. He's made one that puts on screen a display of behavioural metamorphosis that nobody wants to witness or ponder upon. Mani should simply have made a movie based on a story.

After all, isn't movie making about story telling, albeit in a manner different?

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