Mundasupatti is one of the most important films in Vishnu Vishal's career and it also marked the debut of director Ramkumar. The duo comes together yet again for Ratsasan, a crime thriller. The promotional teasers and trailers have been very impressive, setting up good expectations for the film. Has the film lived up to those expectations? Here is our take!
Circumstances force Arun (Vishnu Vishal), an aspiring film director, to take up the job of a Sub Inspector, after his father passes away. His uncle (Munishkanth Ramadoss) helps him get the police job. While Arun faces issues in adjusting to the lifestyle of a police officer, a series of mysterious murders happen in the city, that too of innocent school going girls. Vishnu Vishal comes into the scene and with the resources he has, he sets out to search for the killer. Why is the psycho killer targeting only school girls and whether Arun find the psychopath, forms the rest of the plot.
After seeing a light hearted comedy entertainer in the form of Mundasupatti, this is a major genre shift for director Ramkumar and the young man has done it in style. Ratsasan is honest to its genre and does complete justice with no mishaps. The film's biggest strength lies in its screenplay that is engaging for most part, especially with a neckspeed second half. That being said, the latter half of the film has many edge of the seat and nail biting moments, giving an intense experience to the viewer. The comfortable staging of scenes, constructively add to the thrill. The twists in the last thirty minutes definitely make the game look much better. Ramkumar’s writing is to the point and even miniscule detailings are explored and showcased neatly. The director has not taken the audience for granted and his smartness is seen when Vishnu tackles the emotions of the killer.
A scene where Sanjana, a school girl tries to escape from the psycho killer is top class, sending chills down the spine for the audience, who'd want the girl to sneak out. Kudos to the entire team for executing that sequence with conviction. We do not get to see many scenes with that intensity, often in Kollywood.
On the downside, a tinge of predictability is seen through the first half, that brings down the excitement a little. Also, at places, it looks as if things get convenient for Arun to track down the psychopath, as he doesn't face any major hiccups or problems. More tense situations in the first half could have made the screenplay seem edgier. In a very interestingly woven screenplay of this style, unfortunately, the climax seemed a little normal.
Performances are natural in this psycho crime thriller. Vishnu Vishal gives his heart and soul for Ratsasan and his genuine approach towards the character is seen. Never ever does Vishnu go overboard to showcase the mass of a hero, rather he stays true to his characterisation. His good selection of scripts continue to make an impact. Amala Paul has a subtle role to play and the talented actress does a fine job of it. However, she is subjected to limited usage. Munishkanth Ramadoss garners attention more as a performer than a comedian and he gets some good emotional scenes to showcase his talent. Both the antagonists who play the characters, ‘Maria Fernandes’, and ‘Christopher’ show a great sense of evilness spicing up the tension. The flashback story is convincingly pulled off to an extent.
Ghibran’s background score uplifts the film to a whole new level. The antagonist’s theme is eerie, serving the purpose. He is one of the strongest reasons for Ratsasan to have come out as an intriguing crime thriller. The sound design is top notch and even very little sounds add to the creepiness. PV Shankar’s visuals and San Lokesh’s editing go hand in hand with good sync. The dark and night sequences are well lit and shot by the cinematography team. The art direction department gets noticed for the work that has gone into constructing the killer’s house.
All things considered, Ratsasan has a power packed screenplay that keeps the game interesting until the very end, guaranteeing a very good movie watching experience to the audience.