Om Raut's Adipurush: A Misleading Ramayana for Kids

HYDERABAD: Ramayana holds a special place in Indian history. It is a holy mythological epic for the Hindus. Until now, we have seen many literal and film adaptations of Ramayana. The latest addition to the list is Adipurush, directed by Om Raut. Surprisingly, Adipurush is the only film adaptation in history that is heavily criticized. There are valid reasons for this criticism as well.

There is no harm in taking creating liberty, but not to an extent where it spoils the essence of the original. Adirpurush falls in this section. First, the director chose to call Rama as Raghava, Sita as Janaki, Lakshman as Seshu, and Hanuman as Bajrang. This is the primary factor where audiences feel disconnected from the film. Rama, Lakshmana, Sita, and Hanuman are not just names but words that are etched in the veins of Hindus. Replacing those names is a mistake made by the Adipurush makers.

Secondly, the characterization of Ravan. Though Ravan is an Asura king, there is dignity and honor for his character in Valmiki's Ramayana. In Adipurush, director Om Raut tried to present Ravan as a pure evil king. This modern Ravan sports spiked hair and a stylish beard, walking like a robot. He rides on a dragon-ish bat, feeds it with beef, and takes a snake massage. After watching all these, one would wonder what Om Raut was thinking while sketching this character.

Many scenes in Ramayana were altered in Adipurush. Vibishan's wife does not reveal the secret of Sanjeevani in Valmiki's Ramayana, Ravan doesn't abduct Sita by tying her with some creepy roots, and Sabari doesn't just randomly meet Rama and Lakshmana. The list doesn't end here if we mention such altered scenes.

The makers promoted Adipurush as the film which needs to be shown to Gen Z kids. But after watching it, we wonder if this is the film that needs to be shown to kids of this generation. Ramayana is not only about the valor of Rama but also his values. What values is Adipurush teaching kids? People opined that it is better to show older Ramayana adaptations to our kids rather than this altered version.