Multi-starrer movies are a rarity in Tamil cinema. Hence, when a master auteur like Mani Ratnam assembles an enviable ensemble that includes Arvindswamy, Jyothika, Arun Vijay, Aishwarya Rajesh, Silambarasan, Prakash Raj, Aditi Rao Hydari and the ever dependable Vijay Sethupathi in a movie about gangsters titled Chekka Chivantha Vaanam (aka Crimson Red Sky), one tends to look forward to it. When you top this enviable star cast with top notch technical team that Mani Ratnam marshals including A R Rahman, Santosh Sivan and Sreekar Prasad, the expectations are literally sky high to match the title.A slick trailer only whetted our appetite even more.
Alas.. instead of painting his canvas in bold shades of red, Mani Ratnam could only manage a mishmash of colours with just occasional glimpses of brilliance that one associates with his work. While the plot itself, about the internecine battles in a gangland family between three brothers to succeed their father along with a cop with an ambiguous moral compass, while not new, does offer ample scope for an engaging crime drama. However, despite having a heavy duty cast, Mani fails to flesh out the characters meaningfully and consequently, we don't feel any connection to the characters. While a hurried narrative could give a sense of urgency, here, it cuts down the impact of even the critical situations. As a result, it appears to be an exercise of style over substance.
The main cast have tried to do their best within the minimal material that they seem to be working with and sure enough, they have their own moments when they shine. But, these are not sufficient in themselves and definitely, are not coming together in a coherent manner.
Overall, CCV is a misfire from Mani Ratnam and just an average fare.
At best, A ONE-TIME WATCH !!
RATING - 2/5
