Dhanush’s ‘Raayan’ is an example of how good writing, staging, and spot-on casting can elevate the most templated material
1 min read
The broad arc of the story is very generic: a drama of betrayal and revenge. But what makes the film feel fresh is the emphasis on family and how small traumas can shape our actions.
On the surface, Raayan – Dhanush’s second feature as writer-director – could not be more different from his first one, Pa Pandi. That film was set in a more affluent part of Chennai. This one is set in North Madras. That film was written around a sixty-ish man who craved company. This film’s protagonist is probably thirty-something, and he is a loner. That film was filled with good-natured people. This one has bloodthirsty gangsters. But look closer and the two films are cut from the same cloth. Both are essentially family dramas. It’s just that, in Pa. Pandi, the frictions within the household were resolved by peaceful means. Here, the frictions are resolved with a ton of bloodshed. Raayan is a huge leap for Dhanush, the creator. As an actor, he has always proved himself as a major talent, but Pa. Pandi was broad and melodramatic and was happy to be just an undemanding watch. Raayan is quite the opposite.
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