‘Rann’, made by a man whose work has been ripped apart often by the media and featuring a man who has had a love-hate relationship with the fourth estate tempts one to think of it as payback, but surprises with its grippingly realistic portrayal of the sensational yet powerful nature of today’s media. A power that needs to be used, not abused.
The plot revolves around a media war played out between a sensationalism-oriented media house and one based on the principles of the rightful role of the media in reporting news, headed by Vijay Malik. Malik’s son, an ambitious man who finds himself shackled by his father’s adherence to principles is waiting for a chance to get back lost TRP ratings by going sensational himself. When his proposed shows fail to take off because of an insider tipping off his rival, he is left with a huge debt to repay the market.
His brother-in-law, an industrialist who has befriended a corrupt and murderous politician shows him a way of showcasing a sensational yet fabricated piece of news to get the channel back on track and for the politician to get some political mileage. The son bites the bait and finds himself and his channel trapped in a cesspool of corruption and manipulation. How does Malik rescue the channel from a departure from principle and how it reflects on the used and abused role of the media, is what the plot tries to answer.
Ram Gopal Verma’s screenplay is tight and gripping which reveals the conflict to you within the first ten minutes itself. His story has riveting characters, but lacks a credible middle path. A channel is either too sleazy or too straight. That is not a reflection of reality, where there are elements of both in most channels. He gets a little too experimenting with the camera and at times gives you angles that are unnecessary and take away from the scene instead of giving to it. Apart from this, he delivers a quality film.
Sudeep as Malik Jr., steals the thunder from under everyone’s feet. He plays a chain smoking, nervous, edgy and fiery character with aplomb. If he can get his Hindi diction going, he will have a serious career in Hindi films, to go with his stardom in Kannada cinema. Ritesh Deshmukh as a clean and spirited journalist who idolizes Malik shows a serious side to his acting capability and with well etched out characters, can get recognition as a good actor. Mohnish Behl as the head of the sleazy channel combines suaveness with sliminess wonderfully and is very convincing as the ruthless media baron. Paresh Rawal as the politician delivers yet another trademark master-class performance. Amitabh Bachchan in an understated performance as Vijay Malik, brings his facial expressions to the fore conveying a lot without saying much.
Watch ‘Rann’ if you want to see a film which is relevant and contemporary with a bunch of good actors and a gripping screenplay. Try and ignore the angles though, as a Ram Gopal Verma aberration.