Raavanan
A bandit leader kidnaps the wife of the policeman who killed his sister, but later falls in love with her.
Directed by Mani Ratnam · Action · Adventure · Drama · 128 min · 2010
Trailer
Director
Mani Ratnam
Writer
Mani Ratnam
Studio
Madras Talkies
Release
18 Jun 2010
Runtime
128 min
Genres
Action, Adventure, Drama
Full Plot
A ruthless Superintendent of Police launches a massive rescue operation after his wife is kidnapped by a tribal insurgent leader. The kidnapper, driven by a desire for revenge against the state's brutal treatment of his community, holds her captive and begins to question her fear of death. As Raagini navigates her captor's world, she uncovers the root of his vendetta and forms an unlikely bond with him.
Cast & Characters
Veeraiya "Veera", a Naxalite in rural Tirunelveli. He is nicknamed Ravana since he is seen as a hero by locals but as a criminal by outsiders (character based on Ravana).
Vikram
Ragini Subramaniam, Dev's wife who is kidnapped by Veera and kept in the jungle for 14 days. (voiceover by Rohini) (character based on Sita).
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
Prithviraj Sukumaran
SP Dev Prakash Subramaniam IPS, who wants to shut down Veera's crime empire (character based on Rama).
PrithvirajGnanaprakasam, a forest ranger who has worked in the jungle for 25 years and helps Dev find Veera's gang. He is a drunkard and enjoys joking around (character based on Hanuman).
Karthik
Singarasu, Veera's elder brother who supervises everything in the gang (character based on Kumbhakarna).
PrabhuVennila, Veera's half-sister, who wants to marry Velan. On her wedding day, Veera was shot by Dev, and the police forcefully brings her to the police station, where she is brutally assaulted and eventually commits suicide, prompting the events of the film (character based on Shurpanakha).
Priyamani
Hemanth Shankar, ACP aka DSP of Tirunelveli and the main perpetrator in Vennila's assault. He is Dev's trusted deputy (character based on Lakshmana).
John VijaySakkarai, Veera's younger brother, who is the only educated member of his brothers' gang and genuinely wants to stop the ongoing civil war and bring peace to the land (character based on Vibhishana) .
MunnaAnnam, Singgarasu's wife (character based on Vajramala).
Ranjitha
Did You Know?
Made on an estimated budget of $5.2M, Raavanan has grossed $9.7M worldwide — about 1.9x its budget.
Source: TMDb API · verified 2026-08-02
Mani Ratnam has directed 16 films in our catalog, including Kannathil Muthamittal, O Kadhal Kanmani.
Source: theIReview.com catalog · verified 2026-08-02
Vikram appears in 32 films in our catalog, including I, Kadhal Sadugudu.
Source: theIReview.com catalog · verified 2026-08-02
Did You Know Raavanan was initially planned to be made only in Hindi?
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-09-09
Did You Know the Tamil version of Raavan was tentatively titled Ravana but was wrongly reported as Ashokavanam.
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-09-09
Did You Know the film's plot is inspired by Ramayana, but it is narrated from Ravana's perspective making him the protagonist.
Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-09-09
Critical Assessment
Audience Breakdown (Einthusan)
Raavanan holds 6.9/10 on IMDb (4,730 votes), 68% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Not enough independent critic/audience score breakdown available.
Ratings as of August 3, 2026
AI Verdict
AI-generatedBased on aggregated scores (6.9/10 on IMDb (4,730 votes), 68% on Rotten Tomatoes), this is a data-driven snapshot rather than an editorial take.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Raavanan's Rotten Tomatoes score?+
Raavanan holds a 68% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes.
What is Raavanan's IMDb rating?+
Raavanan has a 6.9/10 rating on IMDb from 4,730 votes.
Is Raavanan good? What are critics saying?+
Raavanan holds 6.9/10 on IMDb (4,730 votes), 68% on Rotten Tomatoes.
How long is Raavanan?+
Raavanan has a runtime of 128 min.
Who directed Raavanan?+
Raavanan was directed by Mani Ratnam.
Fan & Critic Buzz
The movie "Raavanan" received mixed reviews from critics, with some praising Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's performance and others criticizing the film's storytelling and pacing. While some reviewers found the film to be a highlight of Mani Ratnam's style, others noted that it lacked the director's signature touch in certain areas. Overall, opinions on the film were divided between praise for its technical aspects and criticism for its narrative shortcomings.
Source: Wikipedia — Critical reception (CC BY-SA)
