Without wasting time, Varma introduces us to the characters of a declining channel run by the idealistic Vijay Harshvardhan Malik (Amitabh Bachchan). Malik believes there’s room for the straight path in a business where grabbing attention is all that matters.
As in Varma’s Sarkar, the moral battle lines in the media-run tale of Rann are drawn between the idealistic patriarch and his US-returned son Jai (Kannada star Sudeep) who is so anxious and ambitious, you know he will eventually cause trouble for his dad.
Trouble arrives in the form of a seedy politician Pandey—played by Paresh Rawal—who plunges into the TRP war on television with no sense of propriety or law.
The narrative is taut in its depiction of corruption in supposedly responsible places. While much of the film’s inner fire burns outwards from the pithy writing (Rohit Banawlikar), the essential core of idealism is preserved in the understated relationship between the idealistic young rookie Purab Shastri and his mentor Harshvardhan. As restless as his camera, Varma gives no space to the complicated labyrinth of relationships to grow. We are left to gauge the depths between various characters by reading between the lines.
The last quarter of the narrative where Harshvardhan, after realizing he has been taken for a ride by his own son’s over-ambitiousness, packs in the maximum punch.
Cleverly borrowing the premise for its climax from Mehboob Khan’s Mother India, Rann moves aggressively into its passionate finale where the patriarchal television tycoon must expose some harsh home-truths to cleanse his own conscience.
Rann is a biting look at the real world of rapidly-moving moral issues. Varma extracts superlative performances from the entire cast. From Ritesh’s heartbreaking idealism to Neetu Chandra’s part as Jai Malik’s secret love interest.
As expected, Bachchan as the conscience of the plot, presides over the film with a thoughtful and gentle performance.
Rann defines the role of the electronic media in today’s context with remarkable virility.
