Raame Aandalum Raavane Aandalum - Rules the heart

Jyotika and Suriya's 2D Entertainment recently announced four movies from its stable and the one with the least amount of expectations was 'Raame Aandalum Raavane Aandalum' with no big names attached to it in the cast.  Will this social satire coated with an emotional drama win the hearts of the home movie watchers on Amazon Prime Video remains to be seen.

'Raame Aandalum Raavane Aandalum' opens with Kunnimuthu (Mithun Manickam) lodging a complaint that his two children Vellaiyan and Karuppan are missing.  He is chased away by the cop when it is known that the children he is referring to are actually his bulls.  Kunnimuthu and his wife Veerayi (Ramya Pandian) are from a parched and impoverished village that has no electricity, roads, school or hospital.  They bring up the bulls right from the time they were calves and are devastated by the loss and start searching for them.  This seemingly mundane and trivial emotion creates a huge media sensation and how that comes to pass and what happens next is what this little unpretentious film is all about.

Ramya Pandian one of the two known faces in the film has yet again proved that she is a natural actor who has effortlessly gotten under the skin of Veerayi.  You are not reminded even for a second about the social media glamour sensation or the 'Bigg Boss' Ramya and such is her authentic portrayal.  Vani Bhojan plays the character of Narmada a journalist who takes up the issue and brings about the change in the village with grace and subtlety.  Mithun Manickam impresses on debut as the pet lover convincingly expressing the anguish of his loss.  There is also a glimpse of a colorful side to him when his wedding with Veerayi is fixed.  Popular YouTuber "Kodangi" Vadivel Murugan makes his acting debut as the close friend of the couple and has done a neat job  But his fans would be a little disappointed that his brand of comedy that they would expect is missing here.  Among the rest of the cast, the old man who keeps digging a pond and the old lady who plays Kunnimuthu's relative are excellent.

What works best in 'Raame Aandalum Raavane Aandalum' is the authentic setting of the village, its ignorant but emotional people, and their way of life.  After transporting the viewer into the village he or she gets to experience the simplicity of life there like for example how the wedding of the lead pair is fixed.  Some may have trouble relating with the couple pining and grieving for their lost pets but those who have reared them at home and received their reciprocal love will have no trouble empathizing.  The film throws many a salvo at the state and central politicians and politics in a cleverly subtle manner that is enjoyable.  Looks out for the references of fuel hikes, Hindi imposition, Modi, Rahul, Seeman and many more.   In the second half the media circus though seen before adds to the entertainment and engagement factors.  The symbolic reference of a "crazy old man" digging a well for his village is satire at its poignant best.  The film ends on a positive note underlining that things can be done for the people if the proper attention is gained.

On the downside, the screenplay is a little wayward in the first half and the backstory of Ramya and Mithun's characters could have been fleshed out better.  The film does not seem to warrant the length at over two and a half hours.  The climax seems too convenient but there too the emotions rule.

Singer-Actor Krish turns composer and has hits all the right chords with his background score that is filled with the authentic beats of the villages.  All his songs are lilting and complementary to the story.  Veteran cinematographer M. Sukumar has captured the ruggedness as well as the breathtaking beauty of the villages with such natural lighting that it involves the viewers into the story and keeps them there.  Shiva Saravanan has provided the smooth flow to the visuals making sure that there are no distractions whatsoever with any sort of gimmicks that help 'RaRa' to a great extent.  Suriya and Jyotika deserve kudos to have bankrolled a film that has its heart and pretty much everything else in the right place.  It's a memorable debut for writer-director Arisil Moorthy who has managed the difficult task of conveying his emotional story and his clear-cut politics in an engaging and entertaining manner.

Verdict : Go for this emotional and thought-provoking little film that is definitely worth your time