In the shifting landscape of Tamil cinema, embarking on an adventure to watch director Hari’s “Rathnam” in the year 2024 feels like a daring exploration of a bygone era. Here we have a filmmaker who clings tenaciously to his distinct cinematographic flair, refraining from substantial alterations to his familiar trademarks at a time when his contemporaries have moved far beyond such methods. While having a distinctive style is commendable, it often becomes difficult to discern the foundational reasons for these tropes getting lost amidst a sea of aesthetic details. Hari’s cinematic mission has consistently been to craft masala action films that captivate audiences. Throughout a career that spans more than twenty years, not once has he produced a dull film. Even his less celebrated works, such as the outlandish “Saamy Square,” manage to grip audiences with their sheer audacity.
Regrettably, “Rathnam” reveals Hari’s intense efforts to rejuvenate his formula with a fresh spin, aiming to captivate with a reimagined action spectacle. It is the handling of well-worn tropes, however, that offers a glimpse of intrigue rather than the film’s narrative itself. Despite an elevated level of self-awareness, ushering in some adjustments for a modern viewership, the conceptual playfulness in the film’s underpinnings seem relics of a time now past.
The story is rooted in an anachronistic framework. Set in a border town between Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, the plot follows the transformation of Rathnam, enacted by Vishal in the archetypal heroic figure recognizable in Hari’s universe, from an adolescent savior into Panneerselvam’s (played by Samuthirakani) trusted enforcer upon maturity. With Panneerselvam’s ascension to legislative power, a furor erupts around a young medical school aspirant, Mallika (Priya Bhavani Shankar), and Rathnam is drawn into a whirlpool of conflict involving land-grabbing tycoons – the Rayudu brothers.
What triggers Rathnam’s extreme measures for an unfamiliar face? Hari reverts to the once-ubiquitous cinematic strategy of deploying a doppelganger to stage a surprise twist, despite previous criticisms for using a similar narrative pivot. As absurd as this notion may be, it’s deployed in such an unnervingly sincere context that the audience may temporarily surrender to the filmmaker’s vision.
This selective modernization of tropes while retaining others defines Hari’s approach. The backdrop of an introductory scene may not garner the usual clamor, but it’s swiftly followed by a stereotypical fight demonstrating the protagonist’s prowess. Although audiences are inundated with violent action sequences, “Rathnam” includes a bar scene score as well. The heroine is critical to the plot, reminiscent of roles in “Thaamirabharani” and “Venghai,” yet becomes an ancillary character by the film’s end, constrained within a single dimension.
With a penchant for cinematic car chases, Hari presents one such pursuit as a five-minute one-shot sequence – an unexpected technical choice for the director. Similarly, there are scenes that echo moments from “Saamy Square,” when Vikram realizes his caste identity, but in “Rathnam,” they culminate in a pay-off that is both baffling and exasperating.
Despite the high-octane melodrama, punchlines that miss their mark, and an over-reliance on dramatic music scores, “Rathnam” ultimately reflects a brand of storytelling that feels outmoded. Hari’s films often establish a poignant subplot involving the protagonist’s complex relationship with a parental figure – a narrative thread that was effective for Vishal in previous collaborations with Hari, like “Thaamirabharani” and “Poojai.” However, the connection between Panneerselvam and Rathnam in this movie is scarcely examined, giving way to a tired reliance on maternal sentimentality.
“Rathnam” concludes as a seemingly haphazard endeavor – a film replete with the familiar trappings of family-driven television dramas and lacking in the refreshing innovation one might hope for. From the lines of tough bravado once proclaimed in “Thaamirabharani” to the declarations of principled mayhem in “Rathnam,” the journey brings into question whether it might be time for Hari to leave certain elements to rest. As the movie continues its theatrical run, one cannot help but yearn for the simpler days of 2000s cinema when Hari’s signature was bold and new.
