Today, I am going to review one of Mani's Ratnam earliest films, Mouna Raagam. That is right. We are gonna have a look at Mani Ratnam's strongest genre by far i.e., Love Stories. He is quite known for it and everybody knows it, cinephile or not. Probably his first film where he was given freedom to work with. So, how did the film work for me? Here is my take on Mouna Raagam:
So, Mouna Raagam is a 1986 romantic drama starring Mohan, Karthik and Revathi in lead roles. It is directed by Mani Ratnam. The story revolves around Divya, a modern free-spirited urban girl who secretly grieves his dead lover and marries under pressure. The disputes it causes sums up the entire story.
I have a lot to say about this script. Let us talk about the writing first. This film is meant to be a progressive and modern love story. For those who have not watched this film, it can be compared to Sakhi but it is the 80's version. An urban girl in a traditional family who forces herself to marry a well-settled person in Delhi because of a love story. I would assure you that you would have heard an element of this film being an entire story. That's how used this plot is. Some of the scenes in this film are directly taken in other films. Therefore, for modern audience, this plot has very little to offer. Here, we have Mani Ratnam. For the first time, I experienced the so-called Mani Ratnam magic. The half hour love story between Manohar and Divya is iconic. It is charming and very lovely. The main plot of the film has a very important and evergreen concept. Marriage. So, the director takes full advantage of it and makes a very good scenes. The dialogues of the film are hitting. The characterisations are good as in these guys are good people and so we connect to their problems. This is that film where we experience the magic of romance for the first time.
The acting of the film is really good. The best performances of the film are from Revathi and Mohan. Mohan gives a very mature, subtle performance as Chandrasekhar. A very restrained, very down-to-earth person who is broke by his wife's statements is very well portrayed by the actor. Among this almost unknown cast, I only know Revathi and she really gives a very good performance. She is modern, progressive, pragmatic and very open. In an interview she stated that this role is always close to her heart even after 30 years of release. It really shows in this film as she performs naturally and well she looks gorgeous in the film. Karthik in an extended cameo as Manohar is that over-the-top hero type character whose character got copied into many many commercial films. But, this character is different from the other characters as in his job. He is an activist who protests against issues. Karthik understands this role very well and performs excellently. The supporting cast which includes Ra. Sankaran as Divya's father Chandramouli, legendary actress Kanchana as the lawyer in one scene, Sonia as Divya's sister, V.K. Ramaswamy as the boss of Chandrasekhar and Kamala Kamesh as Divya's mother give good performances.
The technical aspects is where the film shows its age. I watched this film in my bigger TV. So, unfortunately the pixels brake. Keeping it aside, the cinematography of the film by P.C.Sreeram is good but not special. The shots of Taj Mahal was good though. The editing too drags a bit after the interval. The music of the film by Ilayaraaja is like always soothing. The BGM is too good but that Shehnai track is too saddening for us as it is now majorly used in comedy videos. So, even if I can see the earnest and sincere attempt, as it got used in many films, it loses the freshness the modern audience needs now.
But, yet for anybody you have not watched the film yet, you will need to watch it to experience the magic Mani Ratnam gives you. Even if every element of the film has been replicated into countless commercial films, it is still earnest and sincere in its attempt and that is why, it is a must watch for film lovers.
I have a lot to say about this script. Let us talk about the writing first. This film is meant to be a progressive and modern love story. For those who have not watched this film, it can be compared to Sakhi but it is the 80's version. An urban girl in a traditional family who forces herself to marry a well-settled person in Delhi because of a love story. I would assure you that you would have heard an element of this film being an entire story. That's how used this plot is. Some of the scenes in this film are directly taken in other films. Therefore, for modern audience, this plot has very little to offer. Here, we have Mani Ratnam. For the first time, I experienced the so-called Mani Ratnam magic. The half hour love story between Manohar and Divya is iconic. It is charming and very lovely. The main plot of the film has a very important and evergreen concept. Marriage. So, the director takes full advantage of it and makes a very good scenes. The dialogues of the film are hitting. The characterisations are good as in these guys are good people and so we connect to their problems. This is that film where we experience the magic of romance for the first time.
The acting of the film is really good. The best performances of the film are from Revathi and Mohan. Mohan gives a very mature, subtle performance as Chandrasekhar. A very restrained, very down-to-earth person who is broke by his wife's statements is very well portrayed by the actor. Among this almost unknown cast, I only know Revathi and she really gives a very good performance. She is modern, progressive, pragmatic and very open. In an interview she stated that this role is always close to her heart even after 30 years of release. It really shows in this film as she performs naturally and well she looks gorgeous in the film. Karthik in an extended cameo as Manohar is that over-the-top hero type character whose character got copied into many many commercial films. But, this character is different from the other characters as in his job. He is an activist who protests against issues. Karthik understands this role very well and performs excellently. The supporting cast which includes Ra. Sankaran as Divya's father Chandramouli, legendary actress Kanchana as the lawyer in one scene, Sonia as Divya's sister, V.K. Ramaswamy as the boss of Chandrasekhar and Kamala Kamesh as Divya's mother give good performances.
The technical aspects is where the film shows its age. I watched this film in my bigger TV. So, unfortunately the pixels brake. Keeping it aside, the cinematography of the film by P.C.Sreeram is good but not special. The shots of Taj Mahal was good though. The editing too drags a bit after the interval. The music of the film by Ilayaraaja is like always soothing. The BGM is too good but that Shehnai track is too saddening for us as it is now majorly used in comedy videos. So, even if I can see the earnest and sincere attempt, as it got used in many films, it loses the freshness the modern audience needs now.
But, yet for anybody you have not watched the film yet, you will need to watch it to experience the magic Mani Ratnam gives you. Even if every element of the film has been replicated into countless commercial films, it is still earnest and sincere in its attempt and that is why, it is a must watch for film lovers.
IMDb Rating : 8.5/10
My Rating : 8/10
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