The animated Ramayana: An unexpected embarrassment

Adipurush Hindi (Theatres)

Director: Om Raut

Cast: Prabhas, Kriti Sanon, Saif Ali Khan, Sunny Singh and Devdatta Nage

Rating: 2.5/5

'Adipurush’ could have been a wholesome and welcome addition to the voluminous retelling of the most revered epic of Hindu mythology, Ramayan. But poor vision makes this much expected film look like a colossal mess.

Even the indomitable presence of Prabhas as Raghava and inspired casting of Saif Ali Khan as Ravaan fails to salvage this saga from slipping into a cesspool of inconsistent and uncreative images.

The content seems to be the devil here as its universal familiarity raises the bar of expectations to unbelievable heights. As such, each one has their own vision in the mind’s eye and expects it to unfold in a particular way. Here the task of the makers turns into a conundrum for all practical purposes, most importantly for aesthetics.

For instance, take the number of subplots involving legendary names like Surpanakha, Jatayu, Sugreeva and Vaali and their confrontations, apart from Lord Hanuman and his ‘Vanara Sainya’. Giving each one equal screen time is just one of the many logistical issues faced by the makers.

But due credit should be given for some of these episodes coming to life, involving Vaali and Sugreeva in particular. However, those are very few and far in between to keep the audiences in their seats.

The other major drawback is the reworked VFX, which falls flat at the most riveting moments, the protracted and painstaking climax being the most glaring.

Therefore, what could have been an exhaustive experience turns into an unexpected embarrassment of epic class. And at close to three runs of run time, watching ‘Adipurush’ can be equivalent to running a marathon on a hot and humid day. Perhaps, re-watching Ramanand Sagar’s mega serial can be a cool choice.