Rocky trailer: Vasanth Ravi goes hammer and tongs in this visually stunning gangster film

A backlit purple glow casts shadow on a lone man battling off three others on an abandoned floor of a building under construction. If that sentence creates a visual image in your mind, the trailer to Arun Matheswaran's Rocky (2019) brings it to life. Written and directed by Matheswaran, the film will also feature director P Bharathiraja in an acting role. 

The trailer follows the journey of the eponymous Rocky (Vasanth Ravi) as he sets out on the journey of his revenge. The stunning visuals by cinematographer Shreeyas Krishna, set the tone for this layered gangster drama that follows Rocky wreaking vengeance as he seeks to correct the time lost. From frames of exquisite black and white beauty to backlit cavernous corridors and close-up shots, the trailer is a stylistic textbook. 

In addition to being highly stylised, the trailer also captures the visceral violence with its skull-crunching sounds and bludgeonings as Rocky goes hammer and tongs on his opponents. All of this unfolds in the backdrop of a wonderful Tamil poem which adds to the intensity of the narrative. The poetry of the trailer is counterbalanced by the grounding violence that follows. 

While Matheswaran will make his debut with the gangster drama, the film will mark the return of Vasanth Ravi, who earned acclaim after making his debut in Taramani (2017). 

Whether the black and white visuals of the woman standing on a beach, and the sight of Vasanth Ravi's Rocky staring into a mirror are mere dreams, or whether they match the reality of the hard-hitting sequences that follow remains to be seen. The last shot of the trailer has Bharathiraja's old gangster screaming 'Rocky' as he bangs on a iron gate. 

Rocky is produced by CR Manoj Kumar of RA Studios, and is expected to release in November. 

The trailer has already earned the praise of quite a few artistes from other industries as well. Varun Dhawan and Sanjay Gupta were among the fans of the trailer, sharing it on their Twitter feed. 

Watch the trailer below, and let us know if you are keen to watch the movie.