A thriller is all about deception and revelations, just like a magic performance, and this movie has lots of it. After watching this movie, I can't help but notice how close this movie is to the three acts of Prestige, Christopher Nolan describes in his epic thriller - 'The Prestige'.

Every magic trick consists of three parts. The first part is called "The Pledge". The magician shows you something ordinary: a deck of cards, a bird or a man. He shows you this object. Perhaps he asks you to inspect it to see if it is indeed real, unaltered, normal. But of course... it probably isn't. The second act is called "The Turn". The magician takes the ordinary something and makes it do something extraordinary. Now you're looking for the secret... but you won't find it, because of course you're not really looking. You don't really want to know. You want to be fooled. But you wouldn't clap yet. Because making something disappear isn't enough; you have to bring it back. That's why every magic trick has a third act, the hardest part, the part we call "The Prestige".

Very few legendary filmmakers in the world have the audacity to reveal the killer, out in plain sight, very early in the movie but still fool us and keep us guessing till the very end. Ram Kumar does it with so much ease. It's very hard to believe that someone who is just one movie old has written a script like this. Ram Kumar doesn't wait to reveal his plot in the beginning. He dives right into the mystery few minutes into the movie and he manages to keep us at the edge of the seat right to the very end. Extraordinary storytelling!

One of the major aspects of any thriller is its running time. Lesser the running time, easier it is for the director to keep us hooked to the movie. Ratchasan has a running time of almost 3 hours (2 hrs 50 mins). A lengthy movie like this has all the possibilities of running into dull sequences that drag the movie and rob the audience of a sustained suspense. But I cannot find any dull sequence in its entire running time. Not even one!

Few minutes before the interval, the hero zeroes in on who he believes to be the killer and goes to a school to capture him red handed. But when he arrives there, he was told that the person has left for his home. He feels dejected as he has to trace him all the way to his home, which may give enough time for the person to escape. But as he leaves, he senses something is wrong. So, do we. As we can guess, the killer is still at the school. But he cannot do anything but leave, as he has very little information to capture him, at this time. All he has is his gut feeling that something is wrong. The clock is ticking and the killer is still out there. Just when he is about to leave, a little hand stops him. The camera zooms past the hero and we find out it's the hand of a little girl who was molested earlier by the killer (shown earlier in the movie in an excruciating sequence). Entire theatre erupts in claps and whistles, not for any mass hero, but for the screenplay! What a delight to watch.

This movie's protagonist also has a love interest but not the usual, no-brainer, only-for-glamour type. She blends in with the story and has a purpose too. Interestingly the only duet in the movie does not take place in a far fantasy place, as it usually does. It happens as the hero is investigating a murder in which he needs the help of his love interest. The best thing about the writing is that each and every character has a purpose and we are convinced of the actions they perform. The purpose and the connection are cinematic at some places but none of them can be brushed away as irrational. Again, screenplay scores!

An enormous amount of detailing has gone into every character that makes them look so real and connected, to the story. There are some characters (Kali venkat and one other elderly constable, for example) who are in the frame right from the beginning but contribute very little. But, when the time comes, even if it is for a few minutes, they perform like they have been waiting for that moment. Vishnu Vishal has delivered his career-best performance. Munish Kanth deserves a special mention for his terrific acting. He even outperforms Vishnu Vishal at some places.

Music is the second biggest plus for this movie. It elevates the movie into a whole new level. Gibran aptly maintains the eeriness this movie requires with his bgm. So subtle yet so terrific. It's amazing to think that just a melody played on a piano could jolt you and terrify you. Such is the finesse of his bgm. One of the highly talented yet underrated music directors in the industry.

This movie is not for the week hearted not because of any goriness but the intensity with which the movie travels, the spine-chilling revelations, number of high octane suspense moments will leave you disturbed even after you leave the theatre.

But for thriller lovers, this is one rare masterpiece that you shouldn't miss!