The story is built on a very simple premise. When an attempt is made on the life of an ageing don (Bhupathi Reddy), played by Prakash Raj, his sons join hands to find out who was behind the attempt, only to be motivated by the battle for their fathers throne.
It takes place within a family as three brothers played by Arvind Swami, Arun Vijay and Simbu fight for supremacy as Ratnam dives deep into the psyche of these power hungry characters and what we get is a fascinating study of human emotions.
Crime and drama make for a deadly combination, and Mani Ratnam is one among the very few Indian filmmakers to have done full justice to the genres via films such as Nayagan and Thalapathi.
Returning with a film set against a gangster backdrop after 15 years, Ratnams Nawab, which is undeniably his best work of this decade, is a slow burning, highly rewarding story of a crime ridden family that gets torn apart by power, greed and deceit.
Nawab is essentially a family drama set against a crime backdrop. The action in the film doesnt take place on the streets in the form of gang wars.
Ratnam, as both writer and director, gives us flawed characters, and its never easy to trust anyone. This is established quite early on when Prakash Raj and Jayasudha escape a fatal accident and the events that follow give us a better understanding of each character.
Theres a beautiful scene in the first half where the three brothers confront each other and another family member as their parents Prakash Raj and Jayasudha stare in silence.
The entire scene is beautifully captured in a single frame through the reflection of a mirror, allowing us to understand that each character has another yet to be revealed side.
As the story progresses, we realise that there are more layers to these characters, especially the sons, which is probably the films biggest pay off in the second half.
Given the films big star cast, it was a matter of concern if Ratnam would use each actor appropriately. And he doesnt disappoint, at least when it comes to his leading heroes Arvind Swami, Arun Vijay, Simbu and Vijay Sethupathi.