Movie Review, Rating: Dhanush's Raayan

After making decent directorial debut with Pa Paandi in 2017, Dhanush returns to direction. He chooses his 50th film Raayan as his second directorial. Dhanush also penned and sung a song in this film. The film is ably supported by talented technicians - AR Rahman's music, Om Prakash's camera work and Peter Hein's action stunts. Let's find out what Raayan offers and whether it is impresses or disappoints.

Story

Raayan (Dhanush) owns a fast-food hotel and lives a quiet life in North Chennai with his siblings: his sister Durga, and his two younger brothers (Sundeep Kishan and Kalidas Jayaram). Raayan’s family lives in an area controlled by Durai (Saravanan), but Sethu (SJ Suryah) wants to take over. The city commissioner (Prakash Raj) is also trying to get rid of all gangs in Chennai. During this chaos, Raayan’s brother (Sundeep Kishan) gets involved with these gangs. What is his connection to them? How does Raayan try to protect him? To find out, you need to watch the film.

Analysis

The movie takes off on a decent note. It begins with the childhood scenes of the protagonist Dhanush and his brothers, effectively setting the stage. Dhanush, playing the lead, is introduced silently as a chef, drawing viewers in and raising their expectations.

Dhanush sets up the story of a humble brother who works hard and fights to protect his family from harm. The first half effectively shows the tension between Dhanush's character and the villains. The dark and rainy setting adds to the mood and atmosphere. AR Rahman's background score and the film's cinematography enhance the experience.

The first half offers action scenes that appeal at portions. The primary half ends with an exciting cliffhanger. The protagonist's character arc is not effective enough. The story requires more drama to keep audiences engaged.

The major stumbling block for the film is its conflict. The conflict lacked substance and depth. The emotional depth in the final act is not strong, making the second half feel more like a series of stylized action scenes than an engaging emotional drama. 

Raayan is an adequate action film with a solid first half, but it is hindered by an unconvincing twist and a lacklustre second half. The drama could have been more impactful with a stronger story and a more engaging second half.

While the action part is appealing, the emotional elements are not strong enough to make this action drama truly compelling. Ultimately, "Raayan" ends up being just another action film.

Highlights

Dhanush

Interval Point

Drawbacks

Second Half

Plot Twist

Emotional Disconnection

Verdict: Raayan: Scores in Action, Underscores in Emotion