Battles for Supremacy. Review on Rann Movie

Rann: Media Battles for Supremacy

I saw a DVD of Rann yesterday, and I came back impressed. The movie spins around the theme of righteousness versus business, family politics and business agendas. Amitabh Bachchan plays an idealistic, traditional, but naïve patriarch of a huge TV channel, whose competitor is all out to vanquish India TV.

In a complex conspiracy, the opposition PM aspirant, Paresh Rawal, bribes Jai, Amitabh’s son to produce damning evidence against the popular government candidate, Hooda, because of which Hooda’s government falls, and Paresh Rawal almost gets the PM’s chair.

But Amitabh’s son’s bluff is called only too soon, as an aspiring but already failed journo Purab blows the lid on the conspiracy planted by the opposing PM aspirant. Only then does Purab eventually acquire the leader’s chair. Hmm, so if you want to climb the ladder of success, all these steps are mandatory. Bust a few people, ruin a few systems, break a lot of hearts, and hey, pronto, you’ll be CMD.

The movie picks up pace, with good performances by the stars. It was a treat to watch Suchitra Pillai after so many years. Amitabh Bachchan as the powerful but innocent behemoth plays the devastated dad with panache. The politics in the plot spins around with great speed, and the corruption and greed of mediapersons is brought out effectively.

Mohnish Behl plays the scheming, corrupt, and money hungry compliant with ease. As Amitabh watches in disbelief his pet company dissolve right under him, it becomes all too clear what it means to run a competitive business. Youch, and to think that business ethics, humanitarian endeavors, goodness, CSR etc are business pursuits too, but only on the surface!!

Rann will be remembered for its plot, its brilliance in Chanakya neeti, and its relevance to the goings on in the capitalist scheme of things. However, the music was forgettable, as there was too much stress on the plot and the ruthlessness of characters!!!