The ‘Rama glimpse’ of Ramayana, Nitesh Tiwari’s adaptation of the epic, was unveiled today, on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti. The teaser video gave the first look at Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama in the big-budget film. Ramayana may just be the most ambitious Indian film ever made. The collaborations producer Namit Malhotra have sought to exemplify his vision. And the teaser did deliver, almost. It dazzled, shone, and even thundered for a while, but all the while giving a feeling that it could do with a little more soul.
Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama
The focus of the Ramayana teaser was on Ranbir’s first look as Lord Rama. There had been a lot of chatter around the actor’s casting in the iconic role. To me, Ranbir’s look as Rama is perfect. Despite the supposed baggage of his own image and stardom, he has looked the part. He brings the kindness and grace needed for the role. The only thing missing is that the teaser did not feature a single line of dialogue from him. I would have loved to see if the grace extends to his diction, too.
The thing that does rankle is that Lord Rama’s tale is one of simplicity. Despite being an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, Rama lived as a simple man, leading by example on how to be. That is where the ‘Maryada Purushottam’ comes from. But a film made for $500 million does need to elevate the hero, and here the simplicity gives way to swagger. Don’t get me wrong. I loved the warrior aspect of Rama coming to the fore. But would have loved to see his innate ‘soumyata’ as well.
Visually spectacular
The detailing of the sets and visuals is splendid. Ayodhya looks almost like the one described in Valmiki’s Ramayana. The short glimpse of Pushpak Vimana in Lanka is also noteworthy. I do like how they have depicted Lanka as an opulent and grand empire, as it was always described, rather than a dark abode of the asuras, as many adaptations have shown it to be.
The sequences are grand. The cinematography, lighting, and VFX complement them well. The issue is with some of the character designs. The asuras, in particular, look like something out of Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones. Lord Rama is meant to fight asuras and daityas and not ogres and orcs. That may be an attempt to make the film palatable for global audiences, but to me, it ripped it of its core identity and roots. The VFX in some of the battle sequences, shot in an icy world, are not of the quality one would expect from DNEG, the global market leader in visual effects.
An Avatar-esque Ramayana
The teaser reminded me of the Avatar films, full of splendid jaw-dropping visuals, but with very little that tugs at your heart. Ramayana, from the looks of it, may just be the best-looking Indian film made till now. It is miles ahead of the ghastly Adipurush that was a slur on the epic’s name. But it still feels a little too alien, more sanitised and polished, to be appealing to audiences around the world. I hope that does not happen at the expense of its core audience. It’s still six months before the film releases. More teasers and trailers will follow, and I hope they will correct the flaws and build on the positives.
