Ranam Detroit Crossing Movie Review: Prithviraj-Rahman deliver powerful performances in this gangster saga
After Mumbai Police, Prithviraj Sukumaran and Rahman are back together in this thriller! Nirmal Sahadev's directorial debut 'Ranam', starring Prithviraj Sukumaran, Rahman, Isha Talwar and Nandu, is an ambitious, powerful and disturbing thriller. It revolves around an unusual theme - Detroit's underworld.
Despite the sketchy characterisation, Prithviraj Sukumaran is at his impressive best as a 'drug dealer'.
The narrative opens up with gripping questions.
What does Detroit mean anymore to the world?
What hopes and dreams can immigrants have in a city where drug wars are a daily affair and violence is a way of life?
Right from the beginning of the film, the helplessness of Indian immigrants is evident, when Prithviraj's voice over brims with sombre tones about the lost glory of Detroit. You are unknowingly pulled into the gloom and despair the city's dark images evoke.
Ranam Story
'Aadhi' (starring Prithviraj) is Detroit's best known getaway driving champion and he deals with deadly party drugs. I am not entirely thrilled with the sketchy characterisation of 'Aadhi'. We know nothing of his past, we are given hints of a tough guy's vulnerable side through the recurring nightmares he suffers. Aadhi is also cast in the mould of a dangerous Robin Hood, who is doing the bad deed for others such as his uncle Bhaskar (starring Nandhu) but he intends to stop one day. Aadhi almost succeeded walking out of the 'big boss' Damodar's den till his cousin lands up in trouble and he finds himself in bigger trouble.
Damodar (starring Rahman) is the villain of this movie. Rahman, as Damodar, is powerful, disturbing and impressive. In the scenes with Aadhi, 'Damodar' not only stands his ground but lingers on after every scene. His Tamil diction is flawless. The dialogue delivery has the finesse and sophistication of a hero.
A particular scene that the seasoned actor pulls off with admirable finesse is where he visits Seema to deliver a subtle threat. He pulls it off with masterful sophistication.
In this movie, Isha Talwar's portrayal of 'Seema' came as a real surprise. Unlike 'Thattathin Marayathu' and 'Bangalore Days', Isha Talwar has a meaningfully layered role in this narrative.
You can view the multi-faceted personality of Seema - as a wife, a dancer, an activist fighting domestic abuse and other women related issues and more importantly, as the strong-and-vulnerable 'hot' mother of a rebellious teenager.
Her poise, strength and grace with which she held up the tattered life of a stricken mother is brilliant.
A minor disappointment remains that some of the choices 'Seema' later makes lack consistency with the 'activist' we are shown at the beginning of the movie.
Here are some aspects of the movie that disappointed me as a viewer:
First, the dialogues are weak. Most characters seem to speak almost in the same monosyllables, unlike the different people belonging to different cultures whom they represent to be living in the same city.
Second, their back story is completely missing from the narrative. Third, everything is predictable except the tragedy involving Seema's daughter.
Fourth, most dialogues in the movie are in English and Tamil. Sometimes I had to remind myself that I am watching a Malayalam movie. Of course, I understand that the setting is Detroit. However, I would have liked to see more elements of the Malayali identity woven into the narrative.
Fifth, some racial stereotyping could have been avoided. For instance, the popular perception of African Americans misbehaving with women is played up. The reference to 'blood' was unnecessary and over-the-top.
The jibe referring to 'Gulf Malayalis' was not lost on me but perhaps the timing was misplaced, so was the tone in which it was delivered.
Last but not the least, I am not thrilled when watching scenes after scenes involving blood-curdling violence and dark, brooding spaces that seem to be larger than reality.
After a point, the lighting begins to hurt the performances of the actors and weakens the visual impact. I understand that this lighting may have been an innovation to add to the mood and theme of Detroit. However, a finer balance may have been required. For instance, the climax of the film could have had a more powerful impact if the lighting had been a little less 'red'.
Some solid performances are worth watching such as Nandhu as 'Bhaskar', Matthew Arun as 'Aju' and Ashwin Kumar as 'Selvan'. Celine Joseph as 'Deepika' is outstanding.
Celine Joseph is impressive, stands on firm ground with Prithviraj as 'Aadhi' and clearly, she got into the very skin of the character she portrayed. 'Deepika' is definitely the boldest Malayali teenager that I have seen on screen.
Planning to watch Detroit spring to life in Prithviraj-Rahman thriller 'Ranam'? Do share your review in the comments section below.
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