Namit Malhotra’s “Ramayana” has been in the news since its release last week. The movie based on our itihasa was made on a budget of ₹2000 crores and has in around 6 days earned around 823 crores. The movie has led to a debate between people praising it and those criticizing it. 

The Marvel movies featuring popular comic characters have been extremely popular, especially the Avengers series. The series features superheroes with magical powers and are made on big budgets with top actors, dramatic music, and best quality special effects. 

With “Ramayana”, Namit Malhotra and director Nitesh Tiwari have adopted the Marvel model. The movie features some of the top actors like Ranbir Kapoor, Yash, Sunny Deol, Shobhana, Sai Pallavi, Kajal Agarwal, Vivek Oberoi, etc. Like the Marvel movies, the musical score is dramatic with Hollywood composer Hans Zimmer collaborating with A R Rahman. Lyrics by poet Kumar Vishwas.

Ramayana is our itihasa and some people expect that the film creates bhakti in the minds and hearts of viewers while sticking to the original version of the story with no changes. This issue had led to a lot of controversy. Firstly, let’s understand that no film/serial maker has ever stuck to the original Valmiki version. Everyone including the legendary Ramanand Sagar has referred to multiple versions.

The movie starts with a disclaimer that is read out saying that the makers have used multiple versions and also encourages viewers to explore the original version. While there are some changes from different versions, there are many other creative liberties taken by the makers. Are these so bad that they make the movie ‘unwatchable’? Here is my review categorized under three headings – good, bad, and ugly.

(Note: The review is based on the Hindi version and has some spoilers)

Ramayana – the Good

1) The highlight of this movie is the acting of Yash as Ravana. He lords over the role of Ravana that depicts him as a powerful and dangerous antagonist in the movie. Since he is co-producer he gets extra footage, but it is not a major issue since the acting is good. While there is criticism that the movie projects him in a good light and makes kids like him, this is not true. His cruel nature is brought out and there is even a video showing Yash’s son crying at his dad’s cruel act in the movie.

While his dialogues in Hindi are dubbed by Sharad Kelkar, his acting is definitely a masterclass in how to portray the villain. Through the movie he creates an eerie effect through his acting. His restrained acting especially in the final few minutes of the movie is praiseworthy.

2) Special effects are one of the big pluses of this movie. In fact, you can watch this movie purely for its effects, which is definitely world class. The war between the devas and asuras, the war between Indra and Ravana, and the final Ravana-Jatayu battle are the highlights of this movie. The Jatayu character (voiced by Anupam Kher) has been created through AI and VFX, and is a major attraction of the movie.

3) The acting of all the negative characters stands out. Legendary actress Shobhana as Ravana’s mother Kaikesi, Rakul Preet Singh as Shoorpanakha, and Vivek Oberoi as Shoorpanakha’s husband Vidhyutjeeva excel in their roles showcasing their acting abilities. Kajal Agarwal has nothing to do as Mandodari other than two or three dialogs. 

4) The movie offers a grand cinematic experience and has all the elements a good movie should have. A hero who stands for dharma, displays bravery, and shows positive values. A powerful villain who has the ability to take on the hero. Dramatic background music (similar to Marvel movies). Good narration and smooth flow of the story with good dialogs. The special effects make the movie stand out and children will surely enjoy it.

Overall it is an entertaining movie even though it has negatives. You will not feel bored and even though the run time is 3 hours 15 minutes, you will end up wanting more. Even those who know the story of Ramayana will not feel bored. This is the biggest positive of this movie. 

Also some small incidents from the original epic have been neatly brought out. The rishi’s wife giving ornaments to Sita (which explains how she had ornaments in the forest). The scenes of Vishwamitra giving divine weapons to Rama, Dasharath hesitating to send his son, Rama-Bharat meeting, Lakshman’s anger have all been well presented.

The Bad

1) While all the negative characters stand out, sadly the main characters don’t. Ranbir Kapoor as Rama has done his best. But he doesn’t evoke any bhakti. Even today people fall at Arun Govil’s feet because he played Rama in the TV serial, such is his aura. But Ranbir doesn’t have that aura. He has given 100% and some scenes show his talent. However, he appears wooden in some scenes and doesn’t give a hero like performance.

The biggest disappointment is Sai Pallavi as Sita. She is supposed to be a good actress, but we don’t see that anywhere. She is a total misfit as Sita. Indians always use the term “Sita mata” but you never feel that way when you see her act. Her acting after the apaharan is completely bewildering. She shows no emotions at all as Jatayu dies for her and Ravana menacingly takes away her jewelry. 

2) The editing could have been crisper. It is not at all easy to show the story of Rama in two movie parts. The makers obviously have done their best to fit maximum in one part. The editing could have removed minimum 15 mins from the movie and upto 30 mins. Some of the scenes are a bit dragged. 

While the background score is ok, the music is really bad. There is even a qawwali type song during the Rama Sita marriage. A R Rahman is very clearly a poor choice as music director. Only the Ra Ra Ravana song stands out. There is a tandava sequence and Hanuman Chalisa during the credits both of which are decently composed. Rest of the music is disappointing. 

3) There are, of course, many distortions in the movie. Some of them are common, like for example Lakshmana Rekha (which is not in the Valmiki epic but introduced by Tulsidas). Lakshmana threatening to kill Kaikeyi and Dasharatha has been criticised but in the original epic, Lakshmana actually does suggest war so Rama gets his kingdom.

The Ravana Kubera battle is not as per the original epic. Similarly, there are many such small distortions. Since the makers have inserted a clear disclaimer, viewers must be prepared for them. 

The biggest distortion is in the Shoorpanakha scene where Lakshmana cuts her nose. The scene is badly picturised and does not show the essence of the real incident from the epic. It depicts Lakshmana as a brute. Also the nose is not cut in the movie and just a scar is shown. 

The apaharan scene is not even shown. This is understandable because the scene of Ravana touching Sita would have created problems. However, during the post apaharan scene, Sita seems calm as though she has accepted the abduction. There is no emotion at all. 

The Ugly

1) There are people who have questioned whether the movie is Ramayana or Ravanayana, since there is a lot of focus on Ravana. While there is nothing wrong in showing Ravana’s story, the problem is the wrong portrayal. Ravana is depicted as a socialist ruler who promises his citizens that they will eat the same food he eats and live in golden homes.

There are of course the usual distortions projecting Ravana as a scholar and great Shiva bhakt (not found in the Valmiki epic). They also show him as a feminist who killed his brother-in-law because he tried to flirt with a maid. None of this is true and Ravana is a rapist and brute as per Valmiki. While the movie does depict his evil nature, it is done subtly and not directly. This gives substance to the allegations about whitewashing of Ravana. Even though is a negative it does not portray Ravana as a great man. By the end of the movie his evil nature is brought out.

2) Sita as a warrior is not highlighted in any version of the Ramayana. The movie has shown Sita as a warrior fighting with asuras. While this is not a major problem, it gives rise to a question about why she did not fight with Ravana when he abducted her. 

Also, Sita is shown as a woke woman who criticises Lakshmana for cutting off the nose of a woman. This is definitely an ugly aspect of the movie. Lakshmana cut off Soorpanakha’s nose because she tried to kill Sita. This is not shown and as a result Lakshmana gets depicted in a negative light.

3) One ugly part of the movie is the depiction of Rama’s battles with the demons. It shows Rama running away from the battlefield, only to turn back and attack later, as though he had no other option. This is totally wrong because Rama would never flee from the battlefield or never avoid a fight. This was something avoidable.

4) A movie about our God should have a soul. It must evoke some level of bhakti (eg: Mahavatar Narasimha). Sadly that is absent. But this is understandable also, since the makers have never claimed to be making a devotional movie. If not the entire movie, atleast the persona and acting of Ranbir and Sai Pallavi should have evoked some kind of Bhakti, but that is totally absent.

Why watch it?

The movie according to me is a mixed bag. It has good, bad, and ugly elements. It is the Marvelified version of our epic. When this is the case, why do I recommend people to watch it?

Whatever may be the negatives of the movie – the overall impact is positive. The movie offers a cinematic experience that will delight moviegoers. It brings out the story of Rama clearly (inspite of the distortions). Most importantly, young people will know about our itihasa and will be motivated to watch more such movies and learn more about our heritage, culture, and itihasa. It is for this reason that this movie should be seen.

Watch the movie with your family for a great cinematic experience. Watch as a Marvel type of movie about Rama and not an authentic movie based 100% on Valmiki Ramayana. Such a movie cannot be made and will probably never be made. So watch this movie without expecting a film that evokes bhakti or narrates the exact story that Valmiki wrote. 

Deepak M R is a professional writer and author, who has previously worked in academics, training, and consulting. He is the author of the novel ‘Abhimanyu – the warrior prince’ (Bloomsbury, 2021). He is also a contributing author in the anthology Unsung Valour (Bloomsbury, 2020) and a KDP e-book ‘Mahabharata Tales: Justice for Draupadi and other stories’. He is an avid fan of Hindi film music.