He is a National Award-winning actor, who has always won praise for his performances. Thus, it wasn’t a surprise when Tamil star Dhanush chose to direct his first film, Pa Paandi, in 2017. And he has now chosen to write and direct his second film, Raayan, a gangster drama, which also marks the 50th film in his career. Also read: Dhanush receives backlash for calling himself an ‘outsider’ at Raayan event
The plot
Kathavaraayan or Raayan (Dhanush) is the eldest in a family consisting of two brothers – Manickam (Kalidas Jayaram), Muthu (Sundeep Kishan) – and a sister Durga (Dushara Vijayan) – and it falls on Raayan to look after them when their parents leave home one day to never return. They live in a small town in Tamil Nadu, which is ruled by two gangsters, Sekar (SJ Suryah) and Saravanan, and there seems to be peace prevailing on the surface.
But the new police commissioner (Prakash Raj), who comes to town, decides to stir things up a little to uncover the murky goings-on between the gangs. And it is here that the first half really kicks off. College-going Manickam, loafer Muthu and Raayan, who runs a small fast food stall, and Durga lead a pretty happy life till an incident causes upheaval. How and why does Raayan get dragged into this gang war? What happens next forms the rest of the story.
What works, what doesn’t
Dhanush has always been a writer, having written other scripts and plenty of lyrics for songs. He has penned the story of Raayan, a gangster revenge drama, and one must say that the second half was much better scripted than the first. The theme of the film is not new, but how Dhanush has treated it as a writer is different and highly engaging, particularly in the second half, which has plenty of plot twists.
What he has also done as a writer is ensured he has given meaty roles to the other actors, especially Kalidas, Sundeep and Dushara. The three characters are integral to the plot and the character arcs he has etched also allows them to show different facets of their acting skills.; and one must compliment Dhanush for this.
The only aspect that could been a minor flaw is the routine writing in the first half which is a sort of deja vu. He has thrown in some humour intermittently by way of dialogues and this works in the film’s favour without hampering its flow. The ending though wasn’t as sharp as expected but what Dhanush has cleverly done is set up the platform for a sequel to Raayan.
The performances and music
All the main actors in the film, including SJ Suryah, who plays protagonist, have performed well lending more gravitas to this film. Dhanush has, of course, excelled not just as an actor but director too. As an actor, the look given to him (short hair, rough beard) and the way he channels his anger with his eyes is quite captivating particularly in the climax fight.
With the movie being certified A and the theme being gang wars, there is obviously plenty of violence (especially in the second half). There are some superb action/fight blocks in the film that have been well-choreographed and shot, particularly the use of the handheld camera that movies with the actors. The interval action sequence, as well as the hospital scene and climax are some really notable scenes that are superb in the film.
AR Rahman has scored the music and BGM for Raayan and he has delivered a brilliant background score that really elevates the film, especially the action sequences. One must mention the work of DOP Om Prakash and editor Prasanna GK here. The striking visuals and sharp cuts and close ups in the film enhance the blow (literally and figuratively) it seeks to deliver.
Dhanush’s Raayan totally packs a punch and is a must-watch for its captivating performances and unexpected story twists. It’s a stellar 50th career film for Dhanush.