Rathnam (2024)
| Movie | : | Rathnam |
| Director | : | Hari |
| Starring | : | Vishal, Priya Bhavani Shankar, Samuthirakani, Yogi Babu, Gautham Vasudev Menon and More |
| Genres | : | Action, Drama, Thriller |
| Editor | : | T.S. Jay |
| Rating | : | 9.3/10 |
| Release Date | : | 26 April 2024 |
Synopsis
"Rathnam" tells the story of Rathnam, a close aide of Chittoor MLA Panneer Swamy. One day, he sees Mallika and is attracted to her. What is the connection between her and him?
Rathnam 2024 Tamil Movie : Critique
Plus Points (+)
After the success of "Bharani" and "Pooja," director Hari comes with another action drama movie featuring Vishal and Priya Bhavani Shankar in lead roles, with Samuthirakani, Yogi Babu, and Gautham Vasudev Menon in supporting roles.
The first half is decent and slow-paced, a mix of drama, comedy, and suspense. There is no harm in saying that nothing exciting happens in the first 20 minutes of the movie. On the other hand, the second half is a combination of action, romance, and drama, where Devi Sri Prasad's background music plays an important role in adding a romantic touch to the movie.
Director Hari is known for the breakneck speed of his screenplay and intense storytelling. Most of his films have a heroine who loves the hero, but the hero hesitates to accept her love for various reasons until the end of the story. "Rathnam" falls into the same category.
Music is an essential part of every movie, and Devi Sri Prasad plays a crucial role in the film's success with his music and background score. He uses two different varieties of music in the first and second halves of the movie.
As we know, comedy is a crucial part of every movie. Without comedy, a movie feels incomplete. Back to the topic, "Rathnam"'s story is a bit lackluster, but I appreciate Director Hari for casting Yogi Babu as the comedian. The majority of the audience comes to theaters to watch "Rathnam" for two reasons: Vishal's performance and Yogi Babu's comedy.
In the first half, Yogi Babu appears frequently, with his silly dialogues and comedic magic spreading throughout. However, his screen time is limited in the second half.
Regarding the cast's performance, Vishal, who plays the role of Rathnam, delivers an impressive performance and steals the show in the second half with his unique action scenes and strong, bold dialogues towards the Rayudu brothers.
In the first half, his performance is decent and he appears on screen frequently along with Samuthirakani. But in the second half, the movie is filled with action, thriller, and suspense. If I were to sum up the whole movie in two lines: the second half is more interesting than the first half.
Vishal is an energetic and popular actor in the Tamil and Telugu film industries. He has worked in many popular movies like "Chakra" (2021) and "Mark Antony" (2023), but "Rathnam" stands out. In this movie, he plays the role of Rathnam, who lost his mother at a young age, so he helps every woman in trouble. The climax comes when Mallika enters his life.
Priya Bhavani Shankar, who plays the role of Mallika, a young woman studying for the NEET exam, appears on screen in the middle of the first half. Her innocent nature and dance steps grab the audience's attention.
Samuthirakani, Yogi Babu, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Murali Sharma, and the other supporting cast do their jobs well.
Minus points (-)
Director Hari's casting is good according to the script, but due to bad writing and the lack of comedy in the second half, the movie becomes a little less interesting.
Yogi Babu is the best comedian in the Tamil and Telugu film industries, but his comedy magic does not work as intended in "Rathnam," and the same goes for Murali Sharma.
Director Hari tries to create suspense in the audience's minds by generating links between Murali Sharma and Vishal's mother in the second half, but he fails in his mission. The audience easily predicts the movie's story, so technically, there is no suspense.
Technical Aspects
Devi Sri Prasad, commonly known as DSP, did good work in the movie. Both his music and background score are decent. On the other hand, cinematography by Sukumar is impressive, especially the action sequences, which are showcased beautifully.
Director Hari, famous for making films on social drama, collaborates with Vishal for the third time after "Bharani" and "Pooja." As discussed, the cast is good, but the story is not so impactful. If Director Hari had worked more on the story in the second half rather than filling it with unnecessary action scenes, it would have been better for the movie. Editing, an essential and expensive part of every movie, was well done by T.S. Jay.
Conclusion
Yes, it is true that the movie has many flaws, such as the slow pace in the first half and the unnecessary action scenes and lack of basic emotions in the second half. However, Yogi Babu shines in the first half with his comedy. Overall, the second half is more interesting than the first half.
Performance : 3.7/5
Dialogues : 3.1/5
Comedy : 2.1/5
Story : 3.5/5
