Director:A.R.Murugadaas
Ramanaa belongs to the genre of movies where the protagonist pursues his own path, that is not entirely lawful, in order to
rid society of corruption. Perhaps because the subject of corruption is something we are familiar with and weary of,
movies like this, that deal with its elimination, entertain us by virtue of giving us a hero and a cause to cheer about.
Ramanaa too is very entertaining and with its strong message, fast pace, twists, turns and thrills, it keeps us absorbed
throughout. It is definitely a step up for director Murugadoss, who previous movie Dheena was
also entertaining but could be termed socially irresponsible with its glorification of a rowdy and his violent lifestyle.
The most noticeable aspect of Ramanaa is the change of pace it
represents for Vijayakanth with respect to his recent
movies. Here, he is neither a policeman nor a well-respected village
elder, his two most staple roles. He doesn't sing any duets in garish
costumes or
perform fights with leaps, twirls and other physically impossible
stunts. There are no longwinded, political dialogs or songs praising him
and
his usually strategically-placed fan club flag does not appear in even a
single frame. It is a role that is more befitting his age and,
therefore more easy to accept him in. While one is not sure yet whether
this is a single occurrence or the beginning of a trend, the movie does
represent a good choice for him at this stage in his career.
Ramanaa(Vijayakanth) is a professor at National College. But he is also
the head of an Anti Corruption Force, that aims to eliminate
corruption from society. Members of the force kidnap the 15 most corrupt
employees from every government department and then kill the most
corrupt
among them. While this gradually succeeds in lessening corruption in all
departments, the police is left scratching their heads about the
details
of the group. Only a constable(Yugi Sethu), investigating the group on
his own, manages to find more details about them. Meanwhile,
the dadas, whose income has been affected by this lack of corruption,
are determined to bring it back. So Ramanaa kidnaps 15 of them
only to find out that the most corrupt among them
Bhadrinarayanan(Vijayan) was the one who led to the start of his crusade
in the first
place.
Ramanaa does not deviate from the trajectory of previous entries like
Indian and
Samurai in the genre. It contains a hero who daringly executes strikes
designed to strike terror into the
hearts of the corrupt and gives him a tragic past to form the basis for
his crusade. It also has a policeman, who comes up with all
the right answers, hot on his trail but the policeman doesn't zero in on
him until it is time for the movie to end. It is to the credit of the
taut screenplay that we are able to overlook such similarities. The
movie never appears to be too far-fetched and is fast-paced.
More importantly, it contains no unnecessary diversions like comedy or
duets. Also noticeable are director Murugadoss' directorial
touches(like the scene Vijayakanth is watching on TV when the policemen
swear to apprehend him).
The plan of kidnapping the 15 most corrupt employees and executing the
most corrupt among them is clever and the logic behind it
appears to make sense too. At the same time, director Murugadoss adds
small differences to each of the kidnappings to ensure that
we are not bored by too many similar-looking incidents. The scene where
the employees clamor to provide proof that they have accepted
the most bribes is one where the director proves that he can convey his
message with a touch of humor too. The kidnappings are intercut
with Yugi Sethu's investigation and though simplistic at a few
places(like the source of the idea to check the colleges of the people
on his
list), it has enough cleverness to keep us involved.
The link to Vijayakanth's past is brought in smoothly through the
incident at the hospital. Though seeming a little exagerrated, this
incident
is one of the high points of the movie. It is clever and will have
everyone who feels that he has been gouged by private hospitals,
cheering.
The flashback is short but effective enough to provide a valid reason
for the extent of Vijayakanth's war on corruption. His monologue at the
end makes several nice points we can't deny. The climax itself is sober
and realistic and Murugadoss can be applauded for not giving in
to the usual temptation to offer a feel-good ending (especially
considering that it is a Vijayakanth movie).
Vijayakanth performs the role with the seriousness it deserves. New face
Ashima is chirpy to begin with but has little to do as the movie
proceeds. Simran appears in a brief cameo as Vijayakanth's wife in the
flashback. Though the role itself offers no scope for emoting, the
way the character ends is enough to make it unforgettable. Vijayan, who
seems to be making a comeback of sorts with roles in three
high-profile movies( Run and Five Star were the other two) is an
easily detestable
villain. Ilaiyaraja once again proves his mettle in the background
score, especially during the kidnapping sequences.
