Rann

Ram Gopal Varma not only manages to grab eyeballs from the beginning to the end with his taut narration, he orchestrates a veritable treat when it comes to performances from his ensemble cast.

...razor-sharp bitter and biting look at the real world of rapidly-moving moral issues.

...powerfully etched movie, enacted with purpose by every member of the cast.

...truly a well-made film.

Ram Gopal Varma has brought to life a predictable but powerful script, backed by extremely talented actors and technicians.

...well-made film for people who like to watch serious, meaningful films. RGV is in his element after a long time and finally delivers an engrossing film.

...the movie is for serious viewing, directed mainly at multiplex going discerning audience.

Varma’s accomplishment in Rann is to transform an entirely predictable outline into an engrossing experience.

Rather than a story designed around the media world, Rann is more of the clichéd corrupt politician chronicle (that Bollywood has been narrating since ages) set on the backdrop of the broadcasting business.

...an honest look at everything that is wrong within the sociopolitical framework of media and power. But where this portrayal could have been intelligent, it simply manages to be trite.

...Ram Gopal Varma really had a chance to make a film that could carry its message to the film-watching public. Instead, you have black and white characters comprising the usual clique of the righteous man, the villainous politician, and supportive love interest.

In an arena where character's dilemma should have battled within, the camera and sound fight for attention. Ace, touching performance by Big B tries its best to win the war against an interesting yet predictable plot.

Half-baked but sure-footed.

...poorly written, badly researched, and deafeningly sensationalist.

The problem with Rann is that it doesn't strike a balance between what it shows - the ugly side of the news media - and some of the advantages of having a free press in a democracy.

There are a couple of moments in Rann...reminiscent of vintage Varma. Then again, a messy climax, witless and uninspired writing and shoddy, detail-free narrative ensure these memories are washed out as soon as they are formed.

On the minus side, Rann’s story is so simplistic that it boils down the entire television news sector into two rival channels. The movie is as low on authenticity as it is on histrionics

...juxtaposes big media houses and large-scale monetary and moral corruption in a style that’s so patently Ram Gopal Varma that it leaves us with a dizzying sense of deja vu. Been here. Seen this.

...the next time Verma decides to unmask the media, he should try doing a little homework. As of now, Rann is a joke, saved only by its fine cast.

Hardly an expose, or even fodder for healthy debate, Rann relises too hard on gimmicks to try and battle the rating charts.

...instead of a sharp well-nuanced expose with fresh insights, we get just another Rann of the mill Bollywood movie, suitably rehashed.

What ultimately comes in the way of Rann achieving the potential of its premise is the over-use of cliché in the absence of original writing.

This is neither an expose nor an explanation. It’s just an exercise in corniness, not very different from the subject of its scrutiny.