Ranam: Detroit Crossing is the directorial debut of Nirmal Sahadev released in 2018. This movie wasn’t a box office success and isn’t talked about a lot in film circles. The one thing that everyone still remembers is this masterpiece by Jakes Bejoy: Ranam Title Track. One of the most fulfilling songs ever!
As the title song is loved by everyone but the movie itself is mostly forgotten, I was intrigued and gave it a watch today. Ranam (trans. Battle) has its flaws and I get why a lot of people don’t like it. The protagonist Aadi over-explains everything to the audience. The director reuses earlier scenes multiple times during the songs. The conflict between Damodar (antagonist) and Aadi feels artificial towards the end. But let’s not focus on the negatives. Here are the things I loved about Ranam:
The first one is the comparison between Detroit and some ancestral homes of Kerala. There are quite a few stories of prominent upper class families in Kerala who, after generations of wealth faced financial ruin. In order to maintain their high status in society, they didn’t show this turmoil to anyone, while continuing their lifestyles like nothing had happened. Their inflated ego ultimately led to destruction. The film compares this with the fate of Detroit. The first automotive capital of the world, Detroit couldn’t stay in glory for too long. Throughout the movie we feel the beauty of this city, but we know that it’s going through a lot of issues. We see the majestic skyscrapers of Detroit through the same eyes with which we see those grand ancestral homes of Kerala – something doesn’t feel right. Just like Deepika says to Aadi, Detroit can be compared to her life. She has a father who is a successful businessman, a loving mother and a huge house. Her city has the glamour of a metropolis. But when you look closer, you start to observe the cracks in both her and her city.
Next, lives of Kerala-Americans portrayed by the family of Bhaskar. Bhaskar has been living in this city for most of his life as a mechanic. He has his own garage yet is worried about the financial and social security of his family. He really wants to leave the crime ridden city and settle back home but cannot afford to do so. For financial gains, he is involved in criminal activities. Isn’t that ironic? When we think of Indian Americans in general, we think they are leading better lives than the NRIs in the Middle East and normal citizens back home. Here we are seeing an immigrant who doesn’t see any improvement in his life and is getting closer to the crimes surrounding him.
As I mentioned before, the city of Detroit is a recurring character in Ranam. We get to experience it through its skyscrapers, abandoned buildings, empty roads, muscle cars, drug users, trailer parks, and its people. We watch the people who struggle to carry on with their day alongside those who made it big through fraudulent activities. We get to see what is and isn’t the American Dream. The way they portrayed Indian immigrants who live within the dangers of a city like Detroit was something I have never experienced in Mollywood before. I wish there were more raw movies like this, movies that show the real life of immigrants in foreign countries instead of having them dance in front of tourist attractions.