Raavan is a total disappointment everythingwise. Unfortunately, Raavan is high on hype, but low on substance. I feel that Raavan will neither appeal to connoisseurs of meaningful cinema nor strike a chord with the hardcore masses.The first half is so bad. Actually I had almost forgotten the bad experience of watching Kites. But Raavan reminded me of it again. Throughout the film, there is rainfall and waterfall everywhere. It is so slow that I took a nap for sometime because I was sure that I am not going to miss out on anything important.Abhishek is good but not very convincing. He has hammed in many scenes. His role, inspired by the mythological character Raavan, was supposed to be the most evil character and create fear whenever he enters the frame. But he comes across as a crack head. I do not want to take away the credit for his honest performance but he becomes too predictable and a bore.Mani Ratnam. The name itself is enough to generate tremendous curiosity and excitement for a film. So, as the lights go off in a cinema hall and the titles roll, you expect nothing short of a masterpiece from a master film-maker.Coming from the maker of classics like Nayakan, Roja and Bombay, his latest offering Raavan is a complete letdown. It simply fails to connect with the viewer!Director Mani Ratnam fails completely in keeping the viewer's interest alive.Frankly, Mani is letdown by the script of the film. The film tries to strike a balance between realism and make-believe, but falls flat from tip to toe. What makes matters worse is that Mani's storytelling lacks the hammer strong impact that this genre demands. In fact, the stamp of a genius is sorely missing in the film, even though the film does boast of some fine performances. But can the best of performances camouflage the harm inflicted by a weak screenplay? Never!