Movie: Rathnam
Rating: 1.75/5
Banner: Stone Bench Films, Zee Studios
Cast: Vishal, Priya Bhavani Shankar, Samuthirakani, Yogibabu, Murali Sharma, and Gautham Vasudev Menon and others.
Music Director: Devi Sri Prasad
DOP: M Sukumar
Editor: T S Jay
Stunt: Kanal Kannan, Peter Hein, Dhilip Subbrayan, Vicky
Art: P V Balaji
Producers: Kaarthekeyen Santhanam, Zee Studios
Written and Directed by: Hari
Release Date: April 26, 2024
The only film released in theaters today is this dubbed film starring Vishal.
Let us see its merits and demerits.
Story:
Rathnam (Vishal), a henchman for an MLA (Samuthirakani), encounters Mallika, a young woman studying for the NEET exam. One day, he comes to her rescue when she is targeted by rowdies intent on killing her. Rathnam takes it upon himself to protect Mallika solely because she bears a striking resemblance to his deceased mother, Ranganayaki.
Mallika and her family are facing difficulties caused by Lingam, a powerful leader who has constructed a college on their property in Tamil Nadu. The remainder of the film revolves around Rathnam's relentless efforts to safeguard Mallika and uncover the truth about his mother, as well as the real identity and history of Lingam.
Artistes’ Performances:
Vishal does a typical role that he has played repeatedly: a well-meaning rowdy person. The role is trite and so is his performance.
Priya Bhavani Shankar has performed well in the dual parts of Vishal's mother and Mallika.
Murali Sharma's portrayal as the primary antagonist is flawless. Samuthirakani is okay. Yogi Babu's comedy and his track are subpar and exasperating.
Technical Excellence:
The film provides more work for action stunt performers than for actors or technicians. Many fight sequences and chase sequences appear to be the same after a certain point.
It proves to be a shock to know that Devi Sri Prasad is the music director of this film. Both songs and back ground score are dull and dud.
M Sukumar's camerawork is conventional for an action flick.
Highlights:
Pre-Interval scenes
Drawback:
Cliched narration
Mindless action episodes and chase sequences
Template screenplay
Poor characterisations for lead actors
Analysis
Except for the "Singham"/"Yamudu" series, Tamil director Hari's mass films are difficult to watch for sensible audiences. Hari has simply rehashed his pattern of action films with no change. "Rathnam” starring Vishal is just another addition to his long list of filmography.
Hero encounters a heroine and realizes she is in danger from some gangsters, and he must defend her while performing various chase feats. This is the template for many of Hari's movies. Most of his films have a heroine who loves him, but the hero is hesitant to accept her love for various reasons until the end of the story. "Rathnam" is exactly the same.
The main difference is that in "Rathnam", the hero does not try to accept the heroine's proposal because she resembles his deceased mother. But he pursues her and does everything a boy who is enamored by a girl would do. Why? He gives this answer: “Oka ammayiki problem vaste kukke arustundi… Lakshyam kosam hatyalu chese rowdilamu memu…ela oorukuntam.”
After Vishal is introduced as a hooligan who is willing to kill for the greater good of society, we get to see some standard comedy tracks starring Yogi Babu. The plot then shifts to the introduction of the heroine, who is threatened by rowdies. The film turns into a chase and fights marathon after he saves her from a gang.
The second-half shifts its gears and focuses on revealing the link between Murali Sharma and Vishal's mother, and the entire game becomes the hero's personal problem in addition to the heroine's problem. But the trite narration and monotonous sequences never stop.
Even before the film reaches its conclusion, we begin to look for the exit. The comedy track, the so-called romantic track between the hero and heroine, and the songs all fail.
Overall, "Rathnam" is another mass-masala action film that is crammed from beginning to end with hackneyed scenarios, cliched narrative skills, and boring moments.
Bottom line: Spoiled Sambar
