Agnivarsha: The Fire and the Rain

After a long drought comes this film that is not only smart and well crafted, but also different. The film boasts of a good script that is in keeping with the period - Hampi as the background looks gorgeous and the cinematography does it justice. The music is excellent and strangely fits into the narrative of this largely Art film.

Arjun Sajnani, the Director has kept a firm grip on the film and has to be commended for not straying inspite of the complexities of the characters. This could easily have become a film where the Director's introspection of these powerful characters upstages the story - but Arjun Sajnani keeps the story on the tracks.

Finally, the performances are simply brilliant - one has come to expect great performances from Mohan Agasay - but this has to be one of his best. Nagarjuna suprises with his evil role played to perfection. Raveena proves that she has grown as a mature performer and Jackie Shroff has given a restrained performance. Prabhudeva has given an eye-opening performance as the Rakshas.

The real find of the movie is Milind Soman whose sensitive potrayal of Aravasu is really the heart of the story. Soman as an actor is more often than not shackled by his Greek God looks - but in this movie his performance is so perfect that you leave thinking about the naive Aravasu - a helpless innocent. Milind and Sonali Kulkarni carry the movie with their performances as two innocent lovers caught inadvertently in circumstances wrought by basic, destructive human emotions.

This movie is a must-see for cinema lovers. One of those rare Indian mythologicals that refuses to play to the typical category that most mythologicals are slotted into. I thought it did justice to both the play ' Fire and Rain' by Girish Karnad and also to the medium of cinema where it has been adopted.