Adipurush Review - A Nightmare For Ramayana Believers

The legendary epic of Ramayana gets another cinematic adaptation in Om Raut's magnum opus, "Adipurush," starring Prabhas, Kriti Sanon, Saif Ali Khan, Devdatta Nage, and Sunny Singh. It's a shame for not just Om Raut but for all Indian film makers that the most original and legendary epic from India's history has to get its best version in foreign cinema. Om Raut said that he was inspired to make Adipurush after watching Yugo Sako's Japanese animation flick, "Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama". But seriously, bro, didn't we have enough material in India that you had to get inspiration from a foreign film? Did you really see Ramanand Sagar's Ramayana or read Valmiki's Ramayana at least once in your life? After watching Adipurush, I'd like to recommend a few books and footage to help you learn what the Ramayana is. It's not just an epic; it's an emotion, and you have played with our emotions. When the film was announced, I said, "Just get this one film right, and the records of Bahubali (10 crore+ footfalls) will be broken." I wasn't prepared for the nightmare then. I was prepared for cartoonish VFX, but I never imagined that the filmmaking would be so bad. Adipurush is a betrayal.Adipurush is perhaps the only cinematic adaptation of the Ramayana where Ram doesn't look like Lord Ram, Sita doesn't look like Maa Sita, Hanuman doesn't look like Hanumanji, Raavana doesn't look like Raavana, and Lanka doesn't look like Lanka. Ramayana is MURDERED and BURIED in 500 crore. The film starts off with a long disclaimer that says that it may have some fictional elements. To understand the Ramayana better, please prefer Valmiki's Epic. I started getting ideas right there. The first 15 minutes took me to the basic Ramayana, which saw Ayodhya Pati Ram, aka Raghava (Prabhas), and Laxman, aka Shesh (Sunny Singh), going to Vanvas. The next thing we know, Shurpanakha (Tejaswini Pandit) is asking Raavana, aka Lankesh (Saif Ali Khan), to get Janaki (Kriti Sanon) to Lanka, as she is the most beautiful woman in the world. Raavana, in the form of a saint, kidnaps Janaki and takes her on a ride on his dragon. I never knew that a Sitaharan scene would become an episode of "How To Train Your Dragon". Jatayu, a big-sized eagle, tries to save Janaki but is cut into pieces by Lankesh—the scene is cut short since the VFX team couldn't generate those visuals. Raghav and Shesh meet Bajrang, aka Hanuman (Devdatta Nage), and Vanar Raj Sugriv (an ape from Planet of the Apes). Sugriv asks Raghav to help him beat his brother, Bali (another ape), so that he will become king and get his army to help Raghava. Next, you all know that Raghava and his army build a Ramsetu and go to Lanka to defeat Raavana.The Ramayana is such a big story that it's almost impossible to cover all the things in a 3-hour film. I won't blame Om Raut and team for that, but I just want to ask them one question: "Where was Ramayana in Adipurush?" Never in my life have I thought that a legendary epic and original story like the Ramayana will have the most unoriginal visualisation inspired by "GOT," "LOTR," "How To Train Your Dragon," "Warcraft," "The Jungle Book," "Planet Of The Apes" and "300" in Indian cinema. There are hundreds of craps coming every year, and I can tolerate all of them. If Adipurush was one of those regular craps, then I wouldn't have minded it much. But you had to destroy the legendary Ramayana like this? Why? Lord Ram, Sitaa Maa, and Lord Hanuman may forgive you, Om Raut, and your team, but I'll never forgive you for killing people's faith in the Ramayana.In every Ramayana, we have Raavana's Lanka as a place made of gold. It was also known as the most glittering place in the world. Where the hell was that glitter in Adipurush? Since when has Lanka become dark and black and built towers as tall as the Burj Khalifa? If the Ramayana is an original epic with original characters, then why do you have to take inspiration from other movies to create those sets and characters? One of the viewers said in Interval, Exact Words — "भगवान श्री राम अगर राक्षस का मेकअप भी कर लेते तो भी प्रभास से अच्छे दिखते" Who the hell finalised this horrible look for Lord Ram? We never imagined Ram with a moustache. An original and ancient character like Raavana didn't have to be inspired by Vikings, which shows how immature you are as a filmmaker. They spent 500 crore on VFX that were available for 50 crore and what Chapri dialogues. Such audacity? In the Lanka Dahan scene: Ravana's son lights up Hanuman's tail and says, Jali na.. Jiski jalti hai.. " Bajrang, aka Hanumanji, replies, "Kapada tere baap ka. Tel tere baap ka. Aag bhi tere baap ki. Toh jalegi bhi tere baap ki." What the hell? The makers are proud of these Chapri dialogues. They want kids to see this and ruin the religious and cultural images of the Ramayana. Seriously, man, even Gen Z would be so embarrassed to see this.The scene when Hanuman meets Sita in Ashokvatika: One of Raavana's warriors, Dhakdasur, comes and says to Bajrang, "Ise kya apni buwa ka bagicha samjha hai, jo hawa khane aa gaya. Ab tu apni jaan se haath dhoyega." Bajrang hits back, "Mein to Dhakda ko hi dhounga." What is this, a typical mindless South Indian masala flick? Imagine Hanuman ji, the avatar of the God of Gods, Mahadeva, getting these dialogues to say. For years, we have known Hanumanji as one of the most powerful and mighty gods, but Adipurush shows us him as a coward. He would get beaten by some random goon from Lankesh's gang. How? And the next moment, he would fly and beat the pulp out of that bat-cum dragon. How can things get so messed up? How can you cut down the scene of Kalnemi and Surasa, who have an encounter with Hanuman? Forget that; how can you trim down the character of Kumbhakarna? Which Ramayana was this?Don't ask about the performances, because there aren't any. Prabhas does not look at Ram from any angle; forget his speech (even dubbed) and acting. Kriti Sanon is glamorous, totally contrary to Sita Maa's image from Vanvas. Sunny Singh's Laxman, aka Shesh, behaves like a side character from a Punjabi comedy movie. Saif Ali Khan is nothing but the old villain from Bollywood. Was he really playing Raavana or Aurangzeb? Through the ages, we have been hearing that Raavana was the mahapandit, gyaani, and biggest devotee of Lord Shiva. But in Adipurush, he feeds loads of MEAT to his bat dragon. Where are those religiously insecure people now? Sonal Chauhan wears a white saree, becoming Ravaana's widow before he goes to the battlefield. Oh my God, what was that battlefield anyway? The battle between Ram and Raavana lasted for many days, but here you see everything happening in one night only. Tejaswini Pandit looks gorgeous as Shurpanakha, while throughout the ages we thought that she was not so good-looking, and that's why she was rejected. Wait, she flirts with Ram, not Laxman, here, and how is that scene, you ask me. Raghava comes out of a river after having a bath, hunting his 8-pack abs and hair. The first reaction from Shurpanakha is a marriage proposal. LOL. What a disaster.Nothing can be said about Adipurush's VFX, as we all know how bad they are in the trailer and songs. In the movie, things just get worse. That Sanjeevani booti scene is turned into an alien pod, with lots of tools available to make juice in Tretayug. Lanka Dahan is more about Hanuman setting fire to ammunition and liquid gas, if I didn't get it wrong. The songs are good because they have soul. "Ram Siya Ram" and "Jai Shree Ram" are known chants already, so no credit to the composers and lyricists. The cinematography is there but does nothing except capture things with blind eyes. A couple of frames shake a little as if it were a handy camera and they were shooting an Instagram reel, while some are cut in between. The editing makes the film a tedious affair. The only reason you don't feel bored is because it's a known story, and you all love watching the Ramayana. Om Raut impressed me with Lokmanya and Tanhaji, but by making Adipurush, he has committed the sin of a lifetime. I don't know about others, but I will never forgive you for ruining the most beloved tale from Indian history like this. As a whole, Adipurush is a mockery of the Ramayana.