Raame Aandalum Raavane Aandalum is a socio-political drama written and directed by Arisil Moorthy, produced by Jyotika and Suriya under the banner 2D Entertainment.
The film has newcomer Mithun Manickam, Ramya Pandian, Vani Bhojan and Vadivel Murugan in the lead roles. It has music by Krishh and cinematography by M Sukumar.
Kunnimuthu (Mithun Manickam) and his wife Veerayi are farmers in the village of Poocheri, who own two Kangeyam bulls named Karuppan and Vellaiyan. One day both the bulls go missing, and Kunnimuthu tries everything to find them but his efforts go in vain. He approaches the police to file a complaint but they refuse to accept it, he sets out on long journeys but that too has a similar result. The rest of the plot deals with how he gets them back, and the hurdles he faces from the police and political parties.
One of the strengths of this film is the way the first half has been structured well. It opens with shots of working class people like people who polish shoes, and flower sellers being exploited by their customers, showcasing how difficult it is for them to fight injustice. Once the tone for the film is set, we are shown Kunnimuthu's plight after losing the bulls.
The film then properly establishes how emotionally attached Kunnimuthu and Veerayi are to the bulls with a sweet flashback that has oodles of drama. And what stands out is the fact that the information available to the protagonist is the same as the information available to the audience watching the film. Therefore, we are hooked to the screen to know what is going to happen next.
Till the interval point, everything goes smoothly, and the film engages well. But from there on, it goes downhill. The flaws in the first half, which were forgivable/could be ignored, become glaring in the second half. There are logical issues, and unanswered questions rise. The film starts to depend on low hanging fruits for humour, rather than its strength - which is the strong, solid writing we saw in the first half. After a point, the gag about politicians visiting Kunnimuthu seems stretched out.
With a lot of new faces, the performances look fresh. Both Mithun Manickam, and Vadivel Murugan of Kodangi YouTube channel fame make an impact with their characters. Ramya Pandian excels in emoting important emotional scenes.
The songs composed by Krishh sound well to the ear, and have been picturized well. However his work on the background score is remarkable in the opening portions, but fades out as the film progresses. Sukumar's camerawork is decent and gives the film what it needs. The short run time of 112 minutes helps the film's cause to a great extent.
The film is a good attempt by debutant Arisil Moorthy, and he does get a lot of things including the politics right. But a lot of cinematic liberty and logical errors overshadow the positives. The film makes you feel sorry, not for the characters, but at the lost opportunity of capitalizing on a beautiful premise like this.