Raayan may only be Tamil superstar Dhanush’s second directorial offering following the 2017 dramedy Pa Paandi. But it’s his 50th as a leading man, so expectations are pretty high for this one.
When is Raayan being released in New Zealand?
Raayan is screening in New Zealand cinemas right now.
Raayan
What is Raayan about?
Revenge!
A Tamil-language crime epic, Raayan stars Dhanush as the titular hard-working hero, who has raised his younger siblings since their parents simply vanished when they were all children. Years later, Raayan is now a respectable hotel owner, but younger brother Muthu is a surly drunk who manages to kill a powerful gangster’s son in a bar fight. This puts Raayan’s family smack bang in the middle of a brewing gang war, and when things take a turn for the tragic, humble everyman Taayan goes from smouldering volcano to Vesuvius, unleashing a bloody reign of revenge on those who would threaten his kin.
The cast of Raayan
Deep breath: Dhanush is Raayan, with Rakul as young Raayan; Sundeep Kishan is his brother, Muthu; Kalidas Jayaram is his other brother, student Manickam; Dushara Vijayan is Durga, their younger sister; S. J. Suryah is crime boss Sethu; Saravanan is his rival, Durai; and Prakash Raj is driven cop, Commissioner Sargunam; Selvaraghavan is Sekhar, Raayan’s mentor; and Avanish, Dharsikha, Dhanush Karthik, Aparna Balamurali, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Dileepan, Ilavarasu, and Divya Pillai round out the ensemble cast.
Raayan trailer
Why we’re excited about Raayan
One of India’s most highly anticipated blockbusters of the year, Raayan has copped some criticism for its simple, arguably predictable plot, but won plaudits for its strong performances. Particularly director and star Dhanush’s central turn, and what we’re given to understand is a singularly excessive approach to violence, action and gore. If you’re a pre-existing fan of Indian action cinema (and you should be), you’ll have this one pencilled in already. If you’re not, this bloody epic should make for a heck of an introduction.
