STORY:
REVIEW : 3/5
AR Murugadoss' latest epic, 7aam Arivu, brings satisfaction in waves, but not consistently enough to be considered a complete success. I can satisfactorily say that the film and its ideas are very interesting, and that it attempts to explore those ideas in a novel way. However, in between the truly refreshing and exciting stuff, 7aam Arivu is padded with typically masala styled fluff that does nothing to move the film forward and at times even opens up sub-plots that never get any closure. Despite his intention to open up Tamil cinema to new international audiences, Murugadoss becomes so bogged down in masala conventions that it can become hard to appreciate the special things about this film.
One of the film's great strengths is the beautifully shot and wonderfully evocative prologue. We are immediately spun back to 500 A.D. and to the life of Bodhidharma, the Tamil prince of antiquity who brought both Buddhism and, according to legend, the martial arts to China. This 20 minute sequence is astonishingly beautiful and heartfelt. Suriya as Bodhidharma is a powerful and benevolent force for pure good, even when the strangers in his new Chinese home are wary of him. This flashback also brings the first major action sequence which is among the best I've seen in Indian cinema. It is relatively brief, but the action is fast and heavy, and takes some turns you wouldn't expect. Unfortunately, once this sequence ends we spend a lot of time learning things we don't need to know.
Suriya next appears to us as a circus performer, a part of a traveling show which has found a temporary home in Chennai. He juggles, he performs on a unicycle, stuff like that. This sequence lasts for almost an hour, and we come to find out that all of this stuff is entirely unnecessary. All it does is set up an elaborate relationship between Suriya's character, Arvind, and his co-star, Shruti Hassan's Subha Srinavasan. Their relationship is complex, however, the romantic complications that are woven into the plot serve no purpose other than to pad the film and provide a romantic interest story. I have yet to see an Indian film, even a pure action film, without a romance, and I think if ever there was a need to skip it, 7aam Arivu would be a prime example. Arvind and Subha's relationship is played for cheap laughs until it goes horribly awry in a miraculously coincidental way. Needless to say, I wasn't a fan of this part of the film, and it wasn't a fault of the performers involved, it was the plotting that was just like a lead weight holding the film back.
To antagonize the not-so-happy couple, the film employs some particularly evil Chinese villains, led by Vietnamese actor Johnny Tri Nguyen as Dong Lee. Tension between India and China is always high, largely due to territorial disputes as well as India's support of the Dalai Lama. 7aum Arivu exploits that tension and creates a Chinese villainy that is cartoonishly evil. I don't mind the over-the-top nature of the villains, though, that is a staple of Indian cinema. It is the implication of the film that the nation of China is bent on the subjugation of India as a whole that seems a bit over the line. It isn't a subtle allegation, and it isn't some shadowy terrorist group making the threat, it is the government, and that seems a bit dodgy to me.
On the positive side, Nguyen's got the villain thing down pat after Tom Yum Goong, Power Kids, Cradle 2 the Grave, etc. He gets a few decent action sequences to flex his martial arts muscle, but the majority of his evil performance relies on him using his eyes to communicate his particular kind of power. It works, too, Nguyen's performance as Dong Lee is one of the highlights of the film. Apart from Suriya, Nguyen seems to be the only performer in his sequences with any kind of formal fight training. Anyone who gets in his way just becomes meat for the grinder, but not in a way that is boring, Murugadoss has written in a few neat tricks for Dong Lee, and they keep the film interesting.
One of the film's great strengths is a creative flair during its action sequences. As I mentioned above, the prologue features just such an action sequence, and it is among the finest I've seen in Indian cinema to date. There are a few more, mostly featuring Dong Lee plowing through some random jobbers on his way to Arvind, that also work really well. The action choreography was nominally done by Peter Hein, the go to guy for Indian fights, but several of the sequences look as though they probably had heavy input from Nguyen, and that's a very good thing. The film's most spectacular set piece doesn't involve any fighting at all, but as an action sequence it is breathtaking, even if there are a few less than perfect CG shots thrown in. This sequence comes in late in the film, and it involves zombified/hypnotized Tamilian civilians, flying cars, an overturned 18-wheeler, and a mysteriously strong kung fu lady fighter. Really great stuff.
As I mentioned above, the pacing of the film and the padding included seems pretty haphazard. The most blatant example comes at the end, where the film seems to attempt to wrap everything up in the last 25 minutes, when they should have cut out a lot of the fluff in the beginning and expanded on the final sequences, since they were the really interesting stuff. I would probably have had a different opinion toward the romance if it actually went anywhere, but it doesn't, it's a thread that is left untied as the credits roll, and that is a real irritant to me.
7aam Arivu is a good film with flashes of greatness. It is bogged down with commercial elements that do a grave disservice to the film we could have seen. Will I watch it again? Sure, there is plenty to like, but I was really hoping to see something exceptional all around. In that regard I was disappointed. However, I don't regret my time in the theater one bit. I saw some great action, a novel theme, and a film that at times reached for something beyond that which Tamil cinema has attempted. Now, if we can just get a better editor in there, I think they could have something really special.
STORY
RATING : 3/5
Story: The story is about a father and his relationship with his son. Shekhar Subramanium (Shahrukh Khan) tries everything possible to impress his son, but Pratik (Armaan Verma) believes that his father is not so cool. In an effort to impress his son, Shekhar designs a game which changes their lives. The game which was meant to be played, starts playing with their lives, marking the entry of Ra.One and G.One.
Story Treatment: With months of promotional activities, Ra.One has tremendous curiosity value attached to it. The story juggles between Sci-Fi and Bollywood drama and leaves the audience enthralled in parts. The first half depicts various shades of a father-son relationship whereas, post interval the action unfolds. However, the script tends to lose its track by making the efforts tasteless. Comparisons with Rajinikanth’s Robot and SRK’s Ra.One are bound to happen, especially in sequences built upon the same track. For instance, the train chase sequence brings back flashes of Chitti and his robotic skills, when compared with the aerial G-One.
Star Cast: Shahrukh as Shekhar is innocent, crystal sharp and natural. King Khan as G-One tries to carry the aura of superhero with immense poise, but is caged as a ‘family superhero’ rather than messiah of all. Kareena Kapoor (Sonia Subramanium), as always, manages to be easy on the eyes with her great looks and acting calibre. She also makes one realise that even in a superhero film, a heroine is a must. Armaan Verma is a superb pick for his role, as he sinks into the character perfectly, sometimes even outshining established stars like SRK and Kareena. Rajinikanth, rightly referred to as the ‘Real Superhero’ in the movie as well, steals the show within few seconds of his entry and makes the crowd clap and whistle with his mere presence. Arjun Rampal walks away with the cake for his deadly looks and impresses as the real bad man. Sanjay Dutt and Priyanka Chopra are wasted. Satish Shah’s presence induces a few funny moments. Shahana Goswami plays her part well.
Direction: What’s noteworthy about Anubhav Sinha’s work is the fact that he has paid attention to the quaint essential bit on the technological front and also, infused the right amount of emotional dose required for the movie to be termed an entertainer. The director makes his star cast look the best, yet loses few points as the track is led astray. At the same time, Anubhav understands the demand of Bollywood fans and tries to keep all the elements.
Dialogue/cinematography/music: Dialogues are a concoction of emotions with a message which runs throughout the movie, almost forming its soul- Victory of good over evil. Cinematography is excellent, while music is decent. Chammak Chhallo, which is already riding high on the popularity chart, lives up to the hype created, while Dildaara displays the love and emotional saga between Kareena and Shahrukh.
3ups and Down: Ra.One is surely crafted as a kids’ entertainer. Compared to Chitti, the emotional side of G-One takes a hit. SRK’s fans, who have been missing him on the silver screen after ‘My Name Is Khan’, can grab this opportunity to see their hero in a never-seen-before avatar. The movie is a joyful cinematic experience for game enthusiasts.
COLLECTIONS:
Superstar Shah Rukh Khan's Ra.One fails to cheer the box office on day one of its opening on October 26. BoxofficeIndia.com data indicate that the film collected only Rs 14.63 crore from the domestic box office as against the estimated Rs 25 crore.
The day one collections are well below Rs 22 crores that Salman Khan's Bodyguard clocked and on par with Rs 14.5 crores of Dabbang, the record holders. The low collections on day one is despite the fact that Ra.One was released in 1500 screens more than Bodyguard and Dabbang and also had 500 3D screens release with higher ticket prices.
Industry observers had expected the film to break Bodyguard's records due to higher number of prints and the extraordinary hype. However, Eros International, the co-producers of the film claim that Ra.One has approximately grossed Rs 18.5 crore on the first day at the domestic box office.
According to Mutliplex officials, while the morning shows starting from 10 am were houseful on Wednesday, the collections fell from 1 pm in the afternoon at most places and did not really recover till late evening.
However, the fate of the film cannot be yet decided based on just day one's earnings. The final verdict on Ra.One will be out after this weekend. Golmaal 3 which released last Diwali grossed only Rs.8 crore, but later went on to cross Rs.100 crores at the domestic box office over a period of three weeks.
Vishal Anand, senior vice president, operations and sales, of Fun Cinemas, a multiplex chain, says, "It is unfair to compare an Eid release with a Diwali release (homes in North India generally have Laxmi puja in the afternoons on the Diwali day. This year, the muhurat was between 5-11pm. Today, (Thursday) will be the D-day for Ra.One. Print to print, Bodyguard yielded better returns."
The reviews of the film are mixed. But Anand says that it is a family film and kids (6-15 year olds) come to the theatre only with parents and they are liking the film. Komal Nahta, editor of Koimoi, a box office tracking website says: "People are overreacting to the first day numbers. We have to wait and watch." Nahta however is certain that going by the reports, this film holds no chance of breaking the record of all time blockbusters, Aamir Khan's 3 Idiots. "It is an above average film at the box office, at this juncture," he adds.
If the film fails at the box office will it be a setback for brand SRK? It is early to take a call on that say industry experts and are of the opinion that the failure of Ra.One is in no way going to affect the personality or brand value of SRK.
Sunil Punjabi, CEO of Cinemax multiplex, says that the distributors are erred by releasing lesser number of 3D prints. "Infact, we are expecting second time audience, who missed the 3D version on day one. With the kind of effects in the film, Ra.One has taken the quality of Indian movies to a new level. Family and kids will love it and we are expecting them to flock the theatres this weekend. The numbers on Thursday is certainly up there with Bodyguard". He further adds that the weekend advance booking are ahead of Bodyguard too.
Punjabi feels that there was sky-high expectation created due to the marketing hype which is one of the main reasons for the disappointment. Thursday is very strong and multiplexes claim they have collected almost one-third of first day's collection within the first two shows of the day.
According to industry insiders, when public compare Ra.One with Bodyguard it certainly is below par. But, if the movie crosses Rs.18 crores on day two, it can be termed as a hit and if it is below, Rs.16 crores it is going to be an average grosser and going by the early reports from the multiplexes on Thursday, the movie is well on its way to become a hit.
