Jyotika’s performance makes you sit through Raatchasi

The story begins with Geetha Rani (Jyotika) taking over a ramshackled school that is neglected by the government as well as the teachers working there. Ramalingam (Hareesh Peradi), an entrepreneur, who runs a private school nearby is another threat. How she overcomes these factors to put the school on track forms the rest of the story. The screenplay of the film is a reminiscent of Samuthirakani’s Saatai, which took a dig at the education system and imparting values to children. The second half has a few interesting subplots that have worked in the favour of the film.

The hard-hitting dialogues and message-heavy first half remind us of Vijayakanth’s Ramana and the concept of ‘one-day HM’ reminds us of Mudhalvan. Apart from the message, Ratchasi also has love, emotion and even its mass moments. There is a scene where Jyotika fights the local goons and performs Silambattam. She is, in fact, the only compelling reason to sit through the film. Her acting has been exemplary in scenes like the one in which she returns to school the same day after her father passes away and another one with Poornima Bhagyaraj towards the climax. Kudos to the dialogue writer of the film, Bharath Nambi. In the film, Geetha Rani is called the headmaster of the school by the entire village and she justifies it rightly by the way she has carried out the role. While we think that a few scenes were unnecessary and could be chopped to make the film a little more interesting, the backstory tells us why they were important.

Sean Roldan’s background music has helped elevate the mass moments in the film. Gokul Benoy’s cinematography, too, has worked well for the film. Overall, Raatchasi is a decent one-time watch.